Elementary Physics Revision – Malaysian Flying Academy

Vocabulary flashcards summarising key physics, fluid, wave, electrical, and earth-science terms essential for Malaysian Flying Academy pilot entrants.

Mass

Measure of the amount of matter in a body; SI unit kilogram (kg).

Length

Linear dimension or distance; SI unit metre (m).

Time

Duration of events; SI base unit second (s).

Nautical Mile (NM)

Arc length subtending one-minute of latitude; 6080 ft ≈ 1.85 km.

Statute Mile (SM)

Land mile used in UK/USA; 5280 ft ≈ 1.6 km.

Kilometre (km)

1/10 000 of meridian distance pole–equator; 1000 m ≈ 3280 ft.

Height

Vertical distance above a reference datum; aviation often in feet.

Area

Two-dimensional size of a surface; SI unit square metre (m²).

Volume

Space occupied by a solid or fluid; SI unit cubic metre (m³).

Imperial Gallon

UK liquid measure; 1 Imp gal = 4.546 L.

US Gallon

US liquid measure; 1 US gal = 3.785 L.

Scalar Quantity

Has magnitude only (e.g., mass, pressure).

Vector Quantity

Has magnitude and direction (e.g., velocity, force).

Speed

Rate of change of distance; scalar; m s⁻¹ or knots.

Velocity

Speed in a stated direction; vector; m s⁻¹.

Acceleration

Rate of change of velocity; m s⁻².

Gravity

Mutual attraction of masses; causes weight.

Acceleration due to gravity (g)

On Earth ≈ 9.81 m s⁻² toward centre.

First Equation of Motion

v = u + at.

Second Equation of Motion

s = ut + ½at².

Third Equation of Motion

v² = u² + 2as.

Force

Action that changes motion; F = ma; unit Newton (N).

Newton (unit)

Force producing 1 m s⁻² on 1 kg mass.

Weight

Gravitational force on a mass; W = mg (N).

Centre of Gravity (CG)

Point where total weight acts.

Work Done

Force × distance; unit Joule (J).

Energy

Capacity to do work; measured in Joules.

Potential Energy

Energy due to height: PE = mgh.

Kinetic Energy

Energy of motion: KE = ½mv².

Pressure Energy

Energy stored in a fluid due to pressure (P × V).

Heat Energy

Energy associated with temperature of matter.

Power

Rate of doing work; unit Watt (W).

Watt

1 Joule per second.

Horsepower (HP)

Mechanical power unit; 1 HP = 746 W.

Inertia

Tendency of a body to resist change in motion.

Momentum

Mass × velocity; kg m s⁻¹.

Pressure

Force per unit area; unit Pascal (Pa).

Density

Mass per unit volume; kg m⁻³.

Pascal

SI unit of pressure: 1 Pa = 1 N m⁻².

Prefix: Kilo (k)

×10³.

Prefix: Mega (M)

×10⁶.

Prefix: Giga (G)

×10⁹.

Prefix: Tera (T)

×10¹².

Prefix: milli (m)

×10⁻³.

Prefix: micro (μ)

×10⁻⁶.

Compression

External forces squeezing material, reducing its size.

Tension

External forces stretching material, increasing its length.

Torsion

Twisting load applied to a material or shaft.

Moment of a Force

Turning effect: Moment = Force × perpendicular arm (N m).

Torque

Twisting moment producing rotation; N m.

Bending

Deformation where top fibres compress, bottom stretch.

Shearing

Opposing forces causing material layers to slide.

Stress

Internal force per unit area resisting load; N m⁻².

Strain

Fractional change in dimension under load; dimensionless.

Stiffness

Ratio stress/strain; indicates resistance to distortion.

Strength

Ability to withstand loads without failure.

Co-planar Forces

All forces acting in the same plane.

Equilibrium

State where net force and net moment are zero.

Friction

Force opposing relative motion of surfaces; F = μR.

Newton’s First Law

Body remains at rest or uniform motion unless acted on by force.

Newton’s Second Law

Resultant force equals rate of change of momentum (F = ma).

Newton’s Third Law

For every action there is equal and opposite reaction.

Centrifugal Force

Apparent outward force in circular motion: mv²⁄r.

Centripetal Force

Inward force maintaining circular path; equal to mv²⁄r.

Moment of Inertia

Rotational inertia: I = mr² for point mass; kg m².

Angular Momentum

I ω; conserved rotational momentum.

Relative Velocity

Velocity of one body with respect to another.

Specific Heat

Heat to raise 1 g substance by 1 °C; water = 1 cal g⁻¹ °C⁻¹.

Latent Heat

Heat to change state at constant temperature (e.g., 540 cal g⁻¹ for vaporisation).

Conduction

Heat transfer through a medium without bulk movement.

Convection

Heat transfer by bulk fluid movement.

Radiation

Heat transfer via EM waves; no medium required.

Boyle’s Law

At constant T, PV = constant (pressure inversely with volume).

Charles Law

At constant P, V ∝ absolute temperature.

Universal Gas Law

P = ρRT (for air R≈2.872 when P in mb, T in K).

Static Pressure

Ambient pressure exerted by still fluid (atmospheric pressure).

Dynamic Pressure

½ρV²; pressure due to fluid motion.

Pascal’s Law

Pressure applied to confined fluid is transmitted equally in all directions.

Isothermal Process

Thermodynamic change at constant temperature.

Adiabatic Process

Process with no heat exchange; temperature changes via pressure change.

Viscosity

Internal fluid friction; thickness; decreases with temperature in liquids.

Specific Gravity

Weight of substance / weight of equal volume of water.

Speed of Sound

≈ 331 m s⁻¹ at 0 °C; proportional to √T(K).

Subsonic Speed

Velocity less than local speed of sound.

Supersonic Speed

Velocity greater than local speed of sound (Mach > 1).

Hypersonic Speed

Velocity > 5 × speed of sound (Mach > 5).

Speed of Light

3 × 10⁸ m s⁻¹ in vacuum; constant for EM waves.

Visible Spectrum

VIBGYOR colours between roughly 400–700 nm wavelengths.

Reflection

Light bouncing off surface; angle of incidence = angle of reflection.

Refraction

Bending of light when passing between media of different density.

Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)

Oscillation where acceleration proportional to displacement and opposite in sign.

Amplitude

Maximum displacement from equilibrium in SHM.

Frequency

Number of cycles per second; unit Hertz (Hz).

Wavelength

Physical length of one wave cycle; λ = v/f.

Longitudinal Wave

Particle oscillations parallel to direction of travel (e.g., sound).

Transverse Wave

Oscillations perpendicular to direction of travel (e.g., light).

Atom

Smallest unit of an element retaining its properties.

Ion

Atom with net electric charge due to electron loss/gain.

Element

Substance of identical atoms with same atomic number.

Molecule

Smallest particle of a compound retaining its properties.