Physics Mechanics Overview

Matter and Energy:
- Matter is anything that has mass and occupies space.
- Energy is the capacity to do work, existing in various forms (kinetic, potential, thermal, etc.).
Forces:
- A force is any interaction that, when unopposed, will change the motion of an object.
- Types of forces: gravitational, electromagnetic, strong nuclear, weak nuclear.

Newton's Laws of Motion:
- 1st Law (Inertia): An object at rest stays at rest; an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by a net external force.
- 2nd Law (F=ma): The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass.
- 3rd Law (Action-Reaction): For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Work and Energy:
- Work = Force × Distance × cos(θ)
- Kinetic Energy (KE) = 1/2 mv²
- Potential Energy (PE) = mgh (mass × gravity × height)
Momentum:
- Momentum (p) = mass × velocity
- Law of Conservation of Momentum: The total momentum before an interaction equals the total momentum after.

Laws of Thermodynamics:
- 0th Law: If two systems are in thermal equilibrium with a third system, they are in equilibrium with each other.
- 1st Law: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed (Conservation of Energy).
- 2nd Law: The total entropy of an isolated system always increases; energy transformations are not 100% efficient.
- 3rd Law: As temperature approaches absolute zero, the entropy of a perfect crystal approaches zero.

Wave Properties:
- Waves transfer energy without transferring matter.
- Types of waves: mechanical (sound, water) and electromagnetic (light, radio).
- Key Characteristics: wavelength, frequency, amplitude, speed.
Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM):
- Motion of oscillators described by sinusoidal functions.
- Key features: period (T), frequency (f), and restoring force proportional to displacement.

Electric Forces and Fields:
- Coulomb's Law: Electrostatic force between two charges is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
- Electric Field (E) = Force per unit charge (E = F/q).
Magnetic Forces and Fields:
- Magnetic field (B) affects moving charges and current-carrying conductors.
- Faraday's Law of Induction: A change in magnetic flux induces an electromotive force (EMF).

Quantum Mechanics:
- Describes physical phenomena at atomic and subatomic levels.
- Key principles: wave-particle duality, uncertainty principle, quantization of energy.
Relativity:
- Special Relativity: Laws of physics are the same for all inertial observers; speed of light is constant.
- General Relativity: Gravity is the curvature of spacetime caused by mass.

Engineering and Technology:
- Application of physics principles in building structures, machinery, and electronics.
Medicine:
- Use of physics in medical imaging (MRI, X-rays) and radiation therapy.
Environmental Physics:
- Study of physical processes in the environment and their impacts (e.g., climate change, energy sustainability).

Matter is made up of anything that has mass and occupies space.
Energy is the capacity to do work, and it exists in various forms including kinetic, potential, thermal, and more.
A force is any interaction that, when unopposed, will change an object’s motion.
Forces can be categorized into four fundamental forces: gravitational, electromagnetic, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear.

Newton’s Laws of Motion describe the relationship between forces and how objects move.
- The First Law states that objects at rest will stay at rest, and objects in motion will stay in motion at a constant velocity unless acted upon by a net external force. This is also known as the law of inertia.
- The 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 is represented by the equation F=ma.
- The Third Law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Work, in physics, is done when a force causes an object to move. It’s calculated by multiplying the force, distance, and the cosine of the angle between the force and the displacement of the object.
Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. It is calculated by 1/2 * mv², where m is the object's mass and v represents its velocity.
Potential energy is stored energy due to an object’s position or configuration. A common example includes gravitational potential energy, which is calculated by mgh, where m is the mass, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h represents the height.

Momentum is a measure of an object’s mass and velocity. It is calculated by multiplying an object’s mass and velocity.
The law of conservation of momentum states that the total momentum before an interaction equals the total momentum after.

Thermodynamics is the study of how energy is transferred and transformed.
The Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics states that if two systems are in thermal equilibrium with a third system, they are in equilibrium with each other.
The First Law states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. This is known as the conservation of energy.
The Second Law states that the total entropy of an isolated system always increases. This means that energy transformations are not 100% efficient, and some energy is always lost as heat.
The Third Law states that as temperature approaches absolute zero, the entropy of a perfect crystal approaches zero.

Waves transfer energy without transferring matter. There are two types of waves: mechanical and electromagnetic waves.
- Mechanical waves require a medium to travel through, such as sound waves.
- Electromagnetic waves can travel through a vacuum, such as light waves.
All types of waves have characteristics like wavelength, frequency, amplitude, and speed.
Simple harmonic motion (SHM) is a type of periodic motion where the restoring force is proportional to the displacement and acts in the opposite direction. This is described by sinusoidal functions. SHM has key features, including period (T), frequency (f), and the restoring force proportional to displacement.

Electromagnetism is the study of how electric and magnetic fields interact.
Coulomb’s Law states that the electrostatic force between two charges is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
An electric field is a force per unit charge, meaning E=F/q, where E is the electric field, F is the force, and q is the charge.
A magnetic field (B) affects moving charges and current-carrying conductors.
Faraday’s Law of Induction states that a change in magnetic flux induces an electromotive force (EMF).

Quantum Mechanics explores the behavior of matter and energy at the atomic and subatomic levels.
- Some key principles are wave-particle duality, the uncertainty principle, and quantization of energy.
Relativity is the study of how gravity and motion affect spacetime.
- Special Relativity states that the laws of physics are the same for all inertial observers, and the speed of light is constant.
- General Relativity holds that gravity is the curvature of spacetime caused by mass.
The uncertainty principle suggests that it is impossible to know both the position and momentum of a particle with perfect accuracy.

Physics is used in engineering and technology for developing structures, machinery, electronics, and more.
Medical applications of physics include medical imaging (MRI, X-rays) and radiation therapy.
Environmental physics studies physical processes in the environment and their impacts, such as climate change and energy sustainability.