Physics Terms Flashcards

Key Physics Terms and Concepts

• Acceleration: Rate of change of velocity; indicates how quickly an object speeds up or slows down.

• Agent: Refers to natural forces or objects that produce specific effects or outcomes.

• Archimedes' Principle: States buoyant force on a submerged object equals the weight of fluid displaced, crucial for understanding buoyancy.

• Balanced Force: Equal forces acting on an object in opposite directions, resulting in no change in motion.

• Center of Gravity: The specific point where an object's weight is evenly distributed, affecting stability and balance.

• Centripetal Force: Force directing an object toward the center of a circular path, crucial for circular motion.

• Chemical Energy: Energy stored in chemical bonds; potential energy that can be released during reactions.

• Electrical Energy: Form of energy resulting from the movement or arrangement of charged particles, fundamental in circuits.

• Force: A push or pull acting on an object; can cause changes in motion or shape.

• Free Fall: Describes the motion when only gravity acts on an object, resulting in a weightless state.

• Friction: The resistance encountered when two surfaces interact, opposing motion between them.

• Gravity: Universal force of attraction between two objects based on their mass and distance.

• Inertia: The property of matter that causes it to resist changes in its state of motion; greater mass means greater inertia.

• Kinetic Energy: Energy possessed by an object due to its motion, dependent on mass and velocity.

• Law of Conservation of Energy: Principle that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.

• Mass: Quantity of matter in an object; defines the object's resistance to acceleration.

• Mechanical Energy: Total energy of an object due to its motion (kinetic) and position (potential).

• Momentum: Quantity derived from multiplying an object’s mass by its velocity; indicates the object’s motion characteristics.

• Net Force: The resultant force acting on an object from the vector sum of all individual forces; determines acceleration and motion.

• Newton's 1st Law: Law of inertia; an object remains in its current state (at rest or in uniform motion) unless compelled by an unbalanced force.

• Newton's 2nd Law: Acceleration of an object is proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass (F = ma).

• Newton's 3rd Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction; explains interaction between objects.

• Potential Energy: Energy stored in an object due to its position or arrangement, often convertible to kinetic energy.

• Power: Measure of the rate at which work is done or energy is transformed over time.

• Projectile: Any object that is thrown or projected into the air, influenced by gravity and possibly other forces.

• Receiver: Device meant to detect electromagnetic waves; plays a key role in communication technologies.

• Speed: Measure of how fast an object moves, calculated as distance traveled over a specific time frame.

• Thermal Energy: Total energy (kinetic and potential) possessed by particles within an object, related to temperature.

• Unbalanced Forces: Forces that lead to a net force greater than zero, thereby causing a change in an object’s motion.

• Velocity: Speed of an object in a specific direction; provides both magnitude and direction for motion analysis.

• Weight: Force of gravity acting on an object, generally dependent on its mass and the local gravitational acceleration.

• Work: Action of force causing displacement; defined as the product of force and distance moved in the direction of the force.

Test your understanding of key physics concepts with these flashcards. This quiz covers terms such as acceleration, Archimedes' Principle, and balanced forces. Perfect for students aiming to reinforce their knowledge in physics.