AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

Physics Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
8953944828SpeedDistance divided by Time. ALSO: A scalar quantity with units of m/s.0
8953944829AccelerationChange in Velocity divided by Time. ALSO: A vector quantity with units of m/s/s. ALSO: The slope of a Velocity vs Time graph.1
8953944830Net ForceMass x Acceleration. ALSO: The vector sum of all forces acting on an object.2
8953944832WorkForce x Distance. ALSO: The amount of energy given to an object when you push it or lift it through a distance.3
8953944833WeightMass x Acceleration due to Gravity.4
8953944834Potential EnergyMass x Acceleration due to Gravity x Height.5
8953944835Kinetic Energy1/2 x Mass x Velocity^26
8962634494Thermal EnergyThe type of energy that is due to the kinetic energy of individual molecules that make up a substance. Related to heat and temperature. Often caused by friction.7
8953944839Acceleration due to Gravity-10 m/s/s (on Earth).8
8956718695Controlled variableSomething that is NOT changed in an experiment.9
8956725279Independent variableSomething that is determined by the experimenter. Goes on the x-axis of a graph.10
8956756895Dependent variableSomething that is measured to see if it is affected by the experiment. Goes on the y-axis of a graph.11
8956769434VelocitySlope of a Position vs Time graph. ALSO: Displacement divided by Time. ALSO: A vector quantity with units of m/s north (or south, etc).12
8956779206DisplacementHow far away you are from your starting point.13
8962583538Reference point"Zero" on a number line.14
8956786422InertiaResistance to change in motion. Measured by an object's mass.15
8956790389Free fallA state of motion where an object is under the influence of only one force: Gravity. (No friction or air resistance). Objects in this state experience an acceleration of -10 m/s/s (on Earth).16
8956818628PowerWork divided by Time. ALSO: The amount of energy used each second. Has units of Watts.17
8956892417ScalarA quantity with only a magnitude. Examples: Speed (55 mph), Distance (12 km), Energy (500 J)18
8956900605VectorA quantity with magnitude AND direction. Examples: Velocity (30 m/s north), Displacement (-45 meters), Force (35 N left), Momentum (12 kg m/s right)19
8956925386Newton's First LawA Law that says "Objects at rest will stay at rest, and objects in motion will stay in motion at a constant velocity, UNLESS acted upon by an unbalanced force."20
8956933289Newton's Second LawA Law that says "The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force, and inversely proportional to the mass." As an equation: a = Fnet / m21
8956942154Newton's Third LawA Law that says "Every action force has an equal and opposite reaction force."22
8956953648Law of Conservation of EnergyA Law that says "Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only change form." ALSO: The total energy of an isolated system remains constant.23
8956978250Law of Conservation of MomentumA Law that says "The total momentum of a system remains constant in the absence of external forces."24
8962537371Elastic collisionAn interaction where two objects bounce off each other. Both total momentum and kinetic energy are conserved. Example: Billiard balls.25
8962542359Inelastic collisionAn interaction where two objects stick together. Total momentum is conserved, but kinetic energy is NOT conserved because it is transformed into thermal energy. Example: Cars crashing.26
8962550452JouleThe metric unit for work and energy.27
8962555481WattThe metric unit for power. Equal to 1 Joule per second.28
8962558725NewtonThe metric unit for force.29
8962568897KilogramThe metric unit for mass.30
8962589915Force of FrictionThe force that always acts opposite the direction of motion (or attempted motion).31
8962592941Normal forceThe force that always acts perpendicular to a surface, preventing two objects from passing through each other.32
8962595544EquilibriumAn object in _________ is experiencing balanced forces. It will therefore stay at rest or move at a constant velocity.33
8962605102Free Body DiagramA diagram where an object is represented by a box, and all forces acting on the object are represented by arrows.34
8962607300Coefficient of frictionA number with NO UNITS representing the strength of friction acting between two objects. A small number = slippery surfaces. A large number = sticky/rough surfaces.35
8962622170PendulumA mass that is free to swing back and forth. Total energy is conserved, but is transformed between PE at the highest point and KE at the lowest point.36

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!