Physics Chapter 1 Vocabulary

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards created from Chapter 1 physics lecture notes covering scientific method, experimental variables, measurement properties, and basic physics concepts.

Physics

The branch of science that studies the nature of matter and energy and how they interact.

Scientific Method

The process used by scientists to acquire new knowledge and improve our understanding of the universe.

Model

A simplified representation of a real-world physics system, removing unnecessary details to make complex topics easier to study, test, and predict.

Hypothesis

Tentative explanation to a scientific question that can be tested.

Experiment

Tests under controlled conditions designed to demonstrate something scientists already know or to test something scientists wish to know.

Independent variable

The input in an experiment that the researcher controls or changes in order to see how it affects the experiment.

Dependent variable

The output in an experiment that the researcher measures, and its value changes in response to the independent variable.

Control

The baseline of an experiment to compare results and to prove cause and effect.

Theory

Broad explanation that is widely accepted because it is supported by a great deal of evidence.

Scientific Law

A statement that summarizes the results of many observations.

System

A certain object or group of objects that were chosen for observation and analysis for an experiment.

Accuracy

How close a measurement is to the true value.

Precision

The repeatability of a measurement using a given instrument.

Significant Figures

All of the digits that can be known with certainty in a measurement plus an estimated last digit.

Uncertainty

The doubt or possible error in a measurement—how far the value might be from the measured value because no measurement tool is perfectly exact.

Base Units

The fundamental units of measurement from which all other units come.

Derived units

Units that are expressed using combinations of the fundamental units.

Central Tendency (mean, medium, mode)

Statistical concept that is used to find a single value that describes the physical outcome of a set of measurements.

Percent Error

The measurement of how close an experimental value is to the true value.

Speed

A derived unit, measured in meters per second ($\text{m/s}$).

Distance

The length traveled by an object moving in any direction or even changing direction.