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AP Physics Key Terms

Mechanics, waves, electricity, magnetism, fluids, thermal and modern physics vocabulary.

96 cardsGrades 9–12, College#ap#physics

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  • ScalarTerm
    A quantity with magnitude only
  • VectorTerm
    A quantity with magnitude and direction
  • DisplacementTerm
    Change in position, a vector
  • VelocityTerm
    Rate of change of position, with direction
  • AccelerationTerm
    Rate of change of velocity
  • Free fallTerm
    Motion under gravity alone; about 9.8 m/s^2 near Earth
  • Projectile motionTerm
    Horizontal and vertical motions analyzed independently
  • Newton's first lawTerm
    An object keeps its motion unless a net force acts
  • Newton's second lawTerm
    Net force equals mass times acceleration
  • Newton's third lawTerm
    Forces come in equal and opposite pairs on different objects
  • InertiaTerm
    Resistance to change in motion; related to mass
  • Normal forceTerm
    Contact force perpendicular to a surface
  • FrictionTerm
    Force opposing relative motion between surfaces
  • TensionTerm
    Pulling force transmitted by a rope or string
  • WeightTerm
    Gravitational force on an object, mg
  • Free-body diagramTerm
    A sketch showing all forces on one object
  • Centripetal accelerationTerm
    Acceleration toward the center of a circle, v^2/r
  • Universal gravitationTerm
    F = Gm1m2/r^2
  • WorkTerm
    Force times displacement in the force direction
  • Kinetic energyTerm
    Energy of motion, 1/2 mv^2
  • Gravitational potential energyTerm
    Energy of position in a field, mgh near Earth
  • Elastic potential energyTerm
    Energy stored in a spring, 1/2 kx^2
  • Hooke's lawTerm
    Spring force is proportional to stretch: F = -kx
  • Work-energy theoremTerm
    Net work equals change in kinetic energy
  • Conservation of energyTerm
    Total energy of an isolated system stays constant
  • PowerTerm
    Rate of doing work
  • MomentumTerm
    Mass times velocity
  • ImpulseTerm
    Force times time; equals change in momentum
  • Elastic collisionTerm
    Kinetic energy is conserved
  • Inelastic collisionTerm
    Kinetic energy is not conserved
  • Center of massTerm
    The average position of an object's mass
  • TorqueTerm
    A force's turning effect, rF sin theta
  • Rotational inertiaTerm
    Resistance to change in rotation
  • Angular momentumTerm
    Rotational inertia times angular velocity
  • EquilibriumTerm
    Net force and net torque are zero
  • Simple harmonic motionTerm
    Oscillation with restoring force proportional to displacement
  • PeriodTerm
    Time for one cycle
  • FrequencyTerm
    Cycles per second, measured in hertz
  • AmplitudeTerm
    Maximum displacement from equilibrium
  • Pendulum periodTerm
    About 2 pi sqrt(L/g) for small swings
  • WavelengthTerm
    Distance between matching points on a wave
  • Wave speedTerm
    v = f times wavelength
  • Transverse waveTerm
    Vibration perpendicular to travel direction
  • Longitudinal waveTerm
    Vibration parallel to travel direction
  • SuperpositionTerm
    Waves add together where they overlap
  • InterferenceTerm
    Combining waves to reinforce or cancel
  • Standing waveTerm
    A pattern with fixed nodes and antinodes
  • Doppler effectTerm
    Change in observed frequency due to relative motion
  • DiffractionTerm
    Spreading of waves around obstacles or through openings
  • RefractionTerm
    Bending of waves when speed changes between media
  • Snell's lawTerm
    n1 sin theta1 = n2 sin theta2
  • Total internal reflectionTerm
    Light fully reflects at a boundary beyond the critical angle
  • Converging lensTerm
    A lens that brings parallel rays together
  • Electric chargeTerm
    A property causing electric force; positive or negative
  • Coulomb's lawTerm
    Electric force between charges varies as q1q2/r^2
  • Electric fieldTerm
    Force per unit charge
  • Electric potentialTerm
    Potential energy per unit charge, in volts
  • CapacitorTerm
    A device that stores charge and energy in an electric field
  • CurrentTerm
    Rate of flow of charge, in amperes
  • ResistanceTerm
    Opposition to current, in ohms
  • Ohm's lawTerm
    V = IR
  • Electric powerTerm
    P = IV
  • Series circuitTerm
    Components in one path; same current
  • Parallel circuitTerm
    Components on separate branches; same voltage
  • Kirchhoff's junction ruleTerm
    Current in equals current out at a junction
  • Kirchhoff's loop ruleTerm
    Voltage changes around a closed loop sum to zero
  • Magnetic fieldTerm
    A region where moving charges or magnets feel force
  • Magnetic force on a chargeTerm
    F = qvB sin theta
  • Faraday's lawTerm
    A changing magnetic flux induces an emf
  • Lenz's lawTerm
    Induced current opposes the change that caused it
  • PressureTerm
    Force per unit area
  • DensityTerm
    Mass per unit volume
  • Buoyant forceTerm
    Upward force equal to the weight of displaced fluid
  • Bernoulli's principleTerm
    Faster fluid flow goes with lower pressure
  • Continuity equationTerm
    A1v1 = A2v2 for incompressible flow
  • TemperatureTerm
    A measure of average kinetic energy of particles
  • HeatTerm
    Energy transferred due to temperature difference
  • Zeroth law of thermodynamicsTerm
    Systems in thermal equilibrium with a third are in equilibrium with each other
  • First law of thermodynamicsTerm
    Change in internal energy = heat added minus work done by the system
  • Second law of thermodynamicsTerm
    Entropy of an isolated system never decreases
  • Heat engineTerm
    Converts heat into work
  • Ideal gas lawTerm
    PV = nRT
  • Photoelectric effectTerm
    Light ejecting electrons from a metal, showing its particle nature
  • PhotonTerm
    A packet of light energy, E = hf
  • Work functionTerm
    Minimum energy to free an electron from a metal
  • de Broglie wavelengthTerm
    Wavelength of a particle: h/p
  • Wave-particle dualityTerm
    Matter and light show both wave and particle behavior
  • Energy levelsTerm
    Atoms have only certain allowed energies
  • Emission spectrumTerm
    Light at specific wavelengths from excited atoms
  • Mass-energy equivalenceTerm
    E = mc^2
  • Binding energyTerm
    Energy holding a nucleus together
  • Half-lifeTerm
    Time for half of a radioactive sample to decay
  • FissionTerm
    Splitting of a heavy nucleus
  • FusionTerm
    Joining of light nuclei
  • Alpha decayTerm
    Emission of a helium nucleus
  • Beta decayTerm
    A neutron becomes a proton, emitting an electron and antineutrino

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