Physics Chapter 6 Flashcards

Force and Motion Concepts

• Force: A push or pull experienced by an object, influencing its motion.
• System: An object subject to a force.
• Environment: Surroundings that exert forces on an object.

Characteristics of Force

• Magnitude and Direction: Forces are characterized by both their strength (magnitude) and the direction in which they act.
• Contact Force: A force that directly affects an object through physical touch.
• Long Range Force: A force that acts over a distance without direct contact.

Types of Forces

• Force of Gravity: An attractive force acting between all masses, crucial in determining weight.
• Agent: The identifiable cause of a particular force acting on an object.

Visual Representation of Forces

• Free Body Diagram: A graphical representation showing all forces acting on an object, depicted with arrows indicating direction and magnitude.
• Net Force: The overall force acting on an object, obtained by vector summation of all individual forces.

Laws of Motion

• Newton's First Law: Objects remain at rest or in uniform motion unless acted upon by a net force — introduces the concept of inertia.
• Inertia: The resistance of any physical object to any change in its state of motion.
• Equilibrium: A state in which an object remains at rest or moves at a constant velocity due to balanced forces.

Weight and Free Fall

• Apparent Weight: The force exerted by a scale measuring an object's weight.
• Weightlessness: A condition where no contact forces are acting, not necessarily implying zero mass.

Friction and Motion

• Static Friction Force: Prevents an object from starting to move under an applied force unless opposed by another greater force.
• Kinetic Friction Force: Resists motion between surfaces in contact when they are sliding against each other.

Motion Dynamics

• Terminal Velocity: The steady speed achieved when the drag force matches the gravitational pull, leading to no further acceleration.
• Simple Harmonic Motion: Describes oscillatory motion where the restoring force is directly proportional to displacement.

Motion Parameters

• Period: Duration required for one complete cycle of motion.
• Amplitude: Maximum extent of motion from the equilibrium position.
• Mechanical Resonance: An increase in an object's amplitude due to synchronization with its natural frequency.

Interaction and Resistance

• Interaction Pair: Two opposing forces that are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction, such as the force exerted by a ball on a catcher’s hand.
• Newton's Third Law: States that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Specific Forces

• Friction (Ff): A resistance force that opposes sliding between surfaces.
• Normal Force (Fn): The support force exerted by a surface against the weight of an object resting on it.
• Spring Force (Fsp): A restoring force provided by a spring when it is compressed or stretched.
• Tension (Ft): The pulling force transmitted through a rope, string, or cable.
• Thrust (Fthrust): Forces generated to propel objects such as vehicles or rockets.
• Weight (Fg): A long-range gravitational force acting between two masses, typically an object and the Earth.

Test your understanding of key concepts in physics with these flashcards from Chapter 6. Each card covers fundamental terms such as force, system, and environment. Perfect for students looking to reinforce their grasp of physical principles.