Classical Mechanics & Thermodynamics

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. This means that a larger force will produce a larger acceleration, and a larger mass will result in a smaller acceleration for the same force.

The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. The second law states that the entropy of an isolated system will always increase over time, meaning that disorder or randomness will increase.

Moving electric charges create magnetic fields, and changing magnetic fields induce electric fields. This interconnectedness between electricity and magnetism forms the foundation of electromagnetism.

<p>Coulomb's Law states that the force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. This means that the force is stronger for larger charges and decreases rapidly as the distance between the charges increases.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Faraday's Law describes the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction, where a changing magnetic field induces an electric field. This principle is crucial for understanding the operation of generators, transformers, and many other electrical devices.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Reflection is the bouncing back of light from a surface, while refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another. These phenomena occur due to the interaction of light with the medium it encounters.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Classical mechanics is applied in calculating the trajectory of projectiles, such as a ball thrown in the air or a rocket launched into space. By considering the forces acting on the projectile, such as gravity and air resistance, we can predict its path and motion.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Thermodynamics is central to engine design, as it governs the conversion of heat into useful work. The efficiency of an engine is determined by the laws of thermodynamics, which dictate the maximum amount of work that can be extracted from a given amount of heat.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Wave-particle duality states that light exhibits both wave-like and particle-like properties. It can behave as a wave when it undergoes interference and diffraction, but it also acts as a particle, like a photon, when it interacts with matter. This duality challenges our classical understanding of light as solely a wave or a particle, instead suggesting a more complex and nuanced nature.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Lenses use refraction, bending light as it passes through different mediums, to either converge or diverge light. Mirrors utilize reflection, bouncing light off their surface, to achieve the same effects. Telescopes use lenses or mirrors to focus light from distant objects, creating a magnified image.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle states that it is impossible to simultaneously know both the position and momentum of a particle with perfect accuracy. This means that the more precisely we know one quantity, the less accurately we can know the other. It challenges our classical notion of deterministic systems and highlights the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Time dilation in special relativity occurs when an object is moving at a significant fraction of the speed of light. Time passes slower for the moving object relative to a stationary observer. This effect is utilized in GPS satellites, as their high speeds require adjustments to their clocks to account for the time dilation experienced in space.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>General relativity describes gravity as a curvature of spacetime caused by mass and energy. Massive objects warp the fabric of spacetime, creating the effect of gravity. Black holes, incredibly dense objects with immense gravitational pull, provide a powerful example of this concept. Their strong gravity bends light around them, making them appear as dark regions in space.</p> Signup and view all the answers