Physical Science Honors Final Exam Flashcards

A complete set of vocabulary-style practice flashcards covering SI units, Newtonian physics, work, power, and energy based on the Physical Science Honors final exam practice transcript.

SI unit for Distance, displacement, and height

meters ($m$)

SI unit for Time

seconds ($s$)

SI unit for Mass

kilogram ($kg$)

SI unit for Speed and velocity

meters per second ($m/s$)

SI unit for Acceleration

meters per second squared ($m/s^2$)

SI unit for Force

Newton = $1\,kg \times m/s^2$

SI unit for Weight

Newton

SI unit for Momentum

$$kg \times m/s$$

SI unit for Work

Joule ($J$) = $1\,n \times m$

SI unit for Power

$work/time$ ($J/s$)

SI unit for Energy

Joule ($J$)

SI unit for Temperature

Kelvin ($K$)

Vectors

The seven qualities (displacement, velocity, acceleration, force, weight, momentum) that have magnitude, direction, and acceleration due to gravity.

Independent variable axis

x-axis

Dependent variable axis

y-axis

Graph title format

y vs x

Velocity

Tells us how fast an object is going and in what direction.

Slope of a Distance v. Time graph

Speed or velocity

Centripetal acceleration

Acceleration that occurs when an object turns in a circle and changes direction but the speed remains constant.

Slope of a Velocity v. Time graph

acceleration

Friction

The force that opposes the forward motion of an object.

Static Friction

The type of friction that is generally the greatest for any two surfaces in contact.

Rolling Friction

The type of friction that is generally the least for any two surfaces in contact.

Net force equation

$$F_{net} = F_1 + F_2 + (-F_3) + (-F_4)$$

Newton's 1st law of motion

An object at rest will stay at rest and an object in motion will move at a constant velocity unless an unbalanced force acts on it.

Newton's 2nd law of motion

The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the force and inversely proportional to its mass.

Newton's 3rd law of motion

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction force.

Newton's law of universal gravitation

The force of gravitational attraction between 2 objects is directly proportional to their total mass and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the 2 masses.

Mass

The amount of matter an object has.

Weight

The measure of gravity on an object.

Little g

The acceleration of objects when the only force on them is gravity, also called freefall acceleration.

Value of g on Earth

$$9.8\,m/s^2$$

Terminal velocity

The maximum velocity an object can reach once the downward force equals the upward force of air resistance and forces become balanced.

Centripetal force

A force exerted towards the object's center due to the object's circular motion.

Elastic collision

When two objects collide and then bounce off of each other in the opposite direction.

Inelastic collision

When two objects collide and stick together.

Law of Conservation of Momentum

States that total momentum is conserved in a collision; only individual momentum changes, but the total stays the same.

Work

The result of a force exerted on an object causing it to move or be displaced in the direction of that force.

Simple machines (Lever family)

lever, pulley, and wheel

Simple machines (Inclined plane family)

ramp, wedge, and screw

Mechanical Advantage (MA) Formula

$$MA = \frac{\text{output force}}{\text{input force}}$\

Energy

The ability to do work.

Kinetic energy

Energy of motion.

Potential energy

The energy due to the position or shape of an object.

Reference level

The level where an object has little to no Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE).

Mechanical energy (ME)

The sum of the Potential Energy ($PE$) and Kinetic Energy ($KE$) in a system ($ME = PE + KE$).

Photosynthesis

The chemical process that changes electromagnetic (EM) energy into chemical energy to create glucose.