Classical Mechanics Quiz

Classical Mechanics

• Classical mechanics describes the motion of macroscopic objects.
• It's based on Newton's laws of motion.
• Newton's first law (law of inertia): A body remains at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by a net force.
• Newton's second law: 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: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
• Types of forces: Gravitational, electromagnetic, frictional, normal, applied.
• Concepts: Work, energy, momentum, impulse.
• Conservation laws: Conservation of energy, conservation of momentum.
• Systems: Closed vs. open systems; isolated systems.

Energy and Momentum

• Work: The product of force and displacement in the direction of the force.
• Kinetic energy: The energy of motion (1/2mv²).
• Potential energy: Stored energy due to position or configuration (e.g., gravitational, elastic).
• Total mechanical energy: The sum of kinetic and potential energy.
• Power: The rate at which work is done or energy is transferred.
• Momentum: The product of mass and velocity (p=mv).
• Impulse: The product of force and time interval during which the force acts (Impulse = FΔt).
• Conservation of momentum: In a closed system, the total momentum remains constant.

Rotational Motion

• Torque: A force that causes rotation.
• Moment of inertia: A measure of an object's resistance to rotational motion.
• Angular velocity: The rate of change of angular position.
• Angular momentum: The product of moment of inertia and angular velocity.
• Rotational kinetic energy: The energy associated with rotational motion (1/2Iω²).

Oscillations

• Simple harmonic motion (SHM): A periodic motion where the restoring force is directly proportional to the displacement from equilibrium.
• Examples: Pendulum, spring-mass system.
• Key characteristics: Period, frequency, amplitude, phase.
• Superposition: The combination of multiple waves or oscillations.

Waves

• Types of waves: Transverse, longitudinal, electromagnetic.
• Properties of waves: Amplitude, wavelength, frequency, period, speed.
• Wave equation: Relates speed, frequency, and wavelength.
• Superposition principle: When two or more waves overlap, the resultant displacement is the sum of the individual displacements.
• Reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference: Key wave phenomena.

Thermodynamics

• Temperature: A measure of the average kinetic energy of particles in a substance.
• Heat: The transfer of thermal energy.
• First law of thermodynamics: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed.
• Second law of thermodynamics: In any spontaneous process, the total entropy of the universe increases.
• Third law of thermodynamics: The entropy of a perfect crystal approaches zero as the temperature approaches absolute zero.
• Heat engines: Convert heat energy into mechanical work.

Fluid Mechanics

• Density: Mass per unit volume.
• Pressure: Force per unit area.
• Pascal's principle: Pressure applied to a confined fluid is transmitted equally throughout the fluid.
• Archimedes' principle: An object immersed in a fluid experiences an upward buoyant force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.
• Bernoulli's principle: In a fluid flowing horizontally, an increase in speed corresponds to a decrease in pressure.

Light

• Electromagnetic waves: Light is an electromagnetic wave.
• Speed of light: A constant in a vacuum.
• Reflection: The bouncing of light off a surface.
• Refraction: The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another.
• Diffraction: The spreading of light as it passes through an opening or around an obstacle.
• Interference: The combination of waves.
• Spectroscopy: Analyzes light to determine the composition and properties of something.

Sound

• Sound waves: Longitudinal waves that propagate through a medium.
• Frequency: Determines the pitch of the sound.
• Amplitude: Determines the loudness of the sound.
• Sound intensity: The power of sound per unit area.
• Doppler effect: The change in frequency of a wave in relation to an observer who is moving relative to the source of the wave.

Electricity and Magnetism

• Electrostatics: The study of stationary electric charges.
• Coulomb's law: Describes the force between two point charges.
• Electric fields: A region of space where an electric charge experiences a force.
• Magnetism: The force exerted by magnets.
• Electromagnetism: The combination of electric and magnetic forces.
• Circuits: Pathways for electric current.