Physics Quiz: Classical Mechanics and Thermodynamics

Definition: Study of the motion of objects and the forces acting on them.
Key Concepts:
- Newton's Laws of Motion:
  1. An object at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by a force.
  2. Force equals mass times acceleration (F = ma).
  3. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
- Kinematics: Describes motion using terms like displacement, velocity, acceleration.
- Dynamics: Examines forces and their effect on motion.
- Work-Energy Theorem: Work done on an object equals the change in its kinetic energy.
- Conservation Laws: Conservation of energy, momentum, and angular momentum.

Definition: Study of heat, energy, and the transformation between them.
Key Concepts:
- Laws of Thermodynamics:
  - Zeroth Law: If two systems are in thermal equilibrium with a third system, they are in equilibrium with each other.
  - First Law: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed (ΔU = Q - W).
  - Second Law: Entropy of an isolated system always increases; heat cannot spontaneously flow from cold to hot.
  - Third Law: As temperature approaches absolute zero, entropy approaches a constant minimum.
- Heat Transfer: Conduction, convection, radiation.
- Thermodynamic Cycles: Includes Carnot cycle, refrigerators, and heat engines.

Definition: Study of electric charges, electric fields, magnetic fields, and their interactions.
Key Concepts:
- Coulomb's Law: Describes the electrostatic force between charged particles.
- Electric Field (E): A field around a charged object where forces exerted on other charges can be felt.
- Magnetic Field (B): A field around a magnet where magnetic forces can act on other magnets or moving charges.
- Maxwell's Equations: Set of four fundamental equations governing electromagnetism, governing electric and magnetic fields.
- Electromagnetic Induction: The process by which a changing magnetic field can induce an electric current in a conductor (Faraday's Law).

Definition: Theory describing the behavior of objects in high-speed motion and gravitation.
Key Concepts:
- Special Relativity:
  - Introduced by Einstein, it states that the laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames.
  - Key results: Time dilation and length contraction.
  - Mass-energy equivalence: E = mc².
- General Relativity:
  - Extends special relativity to include gravity as a curvature of spacetime caused by mass.
  - Describes how massive objects influence the path of light (gravitational lensing).
  - Predictions include black holes and gravitational waves.

These study notes provide a concise summary of fundamental concepts in the four key areas of physics.

The study of how objects move and the forces that cause this motion.
Newton's three laws of motion:
- Objects at rest stay at rest unless acted upon by a force.
- Force equals mass times acceleration (F = ma)
- For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Kinematics: Describes motion using quantities like displacement, velocity, and acceleration.
Dynamics: Focuses on forces and how they affect motion.
Work-Energy Theorem: Work done on an object equals the change in its kinetic energy.
Conservation Laws: These laws describe the constant quantities in physical systems:
- Conservation of energy means that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.
- Conservation of momentum means that the total momentum of a closed system remains constant.
- Conservation of angular momentum means that the total angular momentum of a closed system remains constant.

The study of heat, energy, and the processes of energy transformation.
Laws of Thermodynamics:
- Zeroth Law: If two systems are in thermal equilibrium with a third system, they are in equilibrium with each other.
- First Law: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed (ΔU = Q - W).
- Second Law: Entropy of an isolated system always increases (heat cannot spontaneously flow from cold to hot).
- Third Law: As temperature approaches absolute zero, entropy approaches a constant minimum.
Heat transfer: This occurs between objects through conduction, convection, and radiation.
Thermodynamic Cycles: These cycles describe processes in engines, refrigerators, and other thermodynamic systems. The Carnot cycle is a theoretical ideal cycle used to measure efficiency.

The study of electric charges, electric fields, magnetic fields, and their interactions.
Coulomb's Law: This law describes the electrostatic force between charged particles.
Electric fields (E) are areas around charged objects where electric forces on other charges can be felt.
Magnetic fields (B) are areas around magnets or moving charges where magnetic forces can be felt.
Maxwell's Equations: These four fundamental equations describe all electromagnetic phenomena.
Electromagnetic Induction: This process occurs when a changing magnetic field induces an electric current in a conductor. This is described by Faraday's Law.

A theory explaining the behavior of objects at very high speeds and in strong gravitational fields.
Special Relativity:
- Proposed by Einstein, it states that the laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames of reference.
- This theory leads to interesting consequences, such as time dilation and length contraction.
- Another key result is the mass-energy equivalence: E = mc².
General Relativity:
- Extends special relativity to include gravity as a curvature of spacetime caused by mass.
- This theory explains how massive objects bend the path of light (gravitational lensing).
- General Relativity has predicted phenomena like black holes and gravitational waves.