Classical Mechanics and Thermodynamics Quiz

Classical mechanics describes the motion of macroscopic objects, from planets to cars.
It is based on Newton's laws of motion and universal gravitation.
Key concepts include: force, mass, acceleration, momentum, energy, and work.
Newton's first law states that an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
Newton's second law states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass. (F = ma)
Newton's third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Applications include calculating trajectories, predicting planetary orbits, and designing machines.

Thermodynamics deals with heat, work, and temperature.
Key concepts include: temperature, heat, work, internal energy, enthalpy, entropy, and the laws of thermodynamics.
The zeroth law of thermodynamics defines thermal equilibrium.
The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or changed from one form to another. (ΔU = Q - W)
The second law of thermodynamics states that the total entropy of an isolated system can only increase over time.
The third law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of a perfect crystal approaches zero as the temperature approaches absolute zero.
Applications include power generation, refrigeration, and understanding phase transitions.

Electromagnetism describes the interaction between electric and magnetic fields.
Key concepts include: electric charge, electric field, magnetic field, electric potential, and electromagnetic waves.
Electric forces act between charged particles.
Magnetic forces act between moving charged particles.
Electric and magnetic fields can influence each other, creating electromagnetic forces.
Applications include radio waves, television, microwaves, and X-rays.

Optics deals with the behavior and properties of light.
Key concepts include: reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference, and polarization.
Reflection is the bouncing of light off a surface.
Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another.
Diffraction is the spreading of light as it passes through an aperture or around an obstacle.
Interference is the combination of two or more waves to create a resultant wave with a greater or smaller amplitude.
Polarization is a property of light waves that describes the direction of oscillation of the electric field vector.
Applications include lenses, telescopes, microscopes and understanding the nature of light.

Quantum mechanics deals with the behavior of matter and energy at the atomic and subatomic levels.
Key concepts include: wave-particle duality, quantization, uncertainty principle, and quantum numbers.
Wave-particle duality states that particles like electrons can exhibit wave-like properties, and waves like light can exhibit particle-like properties.
Quantization means that certain physical quantities, such as energy and angular momentum, can only take on discrete values.
The Heisenberg uncertainty principle states there is a fundamental limit to the precision with which certain pairs of physical properties of a particle, like position and momentum, can be known simultaneously.
Quantum numbers describe the properties of quantum states.
Applications include lasers, semiconductors, transistors, and understanding the structure of atoms.

Modern physics encompasses theories beyond classical physics, dealing with relativistic effects, quantum mechanics and particle physics.
Key concepts include: relativity, quantum mechanics, and cosmology.
Special relativity deals with the relationship between space and time for objects moving at constant velocities, leading to concepts like time dilation and length contraction.
General relativity deals with the effects of gravity on spacetime.
Cosmology studies the universe as a whole.
Applications include understanding the nature of black holes, the Big Bang theory, and the structure of the universe.