Physics: Inertia, Mass, and Force

Inertia and Mass

• Inertia: the tendency of an object to resist changes in its motion
• Mass: a measure of an object's resistance to changes in its motion
• Inertial Mass: the measure of an object's resistance to acceleration
• Gravitational Mass: the measure of an object's response to gravity

Force and Acceleration

• Force: a push or pull that causes an object to change its motion
• Acceleration: the rate of change of velocity
• Newton's Second Law: F = ma (force equals mass times acceleration)
• Units of Force: Newtons (N) = kg·m/s²

Frictional Forces

• Friction: a force that opposes motion between two surfaces in contact
• Static Friction: the force that prevents an object from moving when a force is applied
• Kinetic Friction: the force that opposes motion between two surfaces in contact
• Types of Friction:
  • Static Friction: prevents motion
  • Kinetic Friction: opposes motion
  • Rolling Friction: opposes rolling motion
  • Fluid Friction: opposes motion through a fluid (e.g. air, water)

Gravity

• Gravity: a force that attracts two objects with mass towards each other
• Universal Gravitation: every point mass attracts every other point mass by a force acting along the line intersecting both points
• Gravitational Force: F = G * (m₁ * m₂) / r² (Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation)

Motion

• Types of Motion:
  • Translational Motion: motion in a straight line
  • Rotational Motion: motion around a fixed axis
  • Circular Motion: motion in a circular path
• Displacement: the distance an object travels from its initial to its final position
• Velocity: the rate of change of displacement
• Acceleration: the rate of change of velocity

Inertia and Mass

• Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its motion.
• Mass is a measure of an object's resistance to changes in its motion.
• Inertial mass measures an object's resistance to acceleration.
• Gravitational mass measures an object's response to gravity.

Force and Acceleration

• Force is a push or pull that causes an object to change its motion.
• Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.
• Newton's Second Law states that force equals mass times acceleration (F = ma).
• The unit of force is Newtons (N), which is equivalent to kg·m/s².

Frictional Forces

• Friction is a force that opposes motion between two surfaces in contact.
• Static friction prevents an object from moving when a force is applied.
• Kinetic friction opposes motion between two surfaces in contact.
• There are four types of friction: static friction, kinetic friction, rolling friction, and fluid friction.

Gravity

• Gravity is a force that attracts two objects with mass towards each other.
• Universal Gravitation states that every point mass attracts every other point mass by a force acting along the line intersecting both points.
• The gravitational force is calculated by Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation (F = G * (m₁ * m₂) / r²).

Motion

• There are three types of motion: translational motion, rotational motion, and circular motion.
• Displacement is the distance an object travels from its initial to its final position.
• Velocity is the rate of change of displacement.
• Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.