Flashcards for:
Overview of Fundamental Physics Concepts

Two masses attract each other based on their mass and distance, with a larger mass exerting a greater pull and a greater distance resulting in a lesser pull, described by the inverse square law.

Thermodynamics primarily focuses on how energy is transferred within systems and transformed from one form to another, along with understanding how these changes relate to heat, work, and entropy.

Work is the application of force over a distance. Lifting an apple involves converting chemical energy from muscles into gravitational potential energy stored in the apple's elevated position.

The double-slit experiment demonstrates wave-particle duality, showing that particles like electrons can display characteristics of both waves and particles by creating interference patterns when not observed.

Einstein's theory of relativity posits that the speed of light is constant and that time is relative to the speed of movement, implying that mass and energy are interchangeable as outlined in E=mc².

The conservation of energy principle states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another, highlighting the constancy of total energy in isolated systems.

Coulomb's Law quantifies the electric force between charged objects, indicating that like charges repel and opposite charges attract, with the force proportional to the charge magnitudes and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Light exhibits particle characteristics as photons, explaining phenomena like photoelectric effect, and wave characteristics seen in its ability to produce interference patterns, representing its dual nature.

Maxwell's equations describe the fundamental relationship between electric and magnetic fields, including how moving magnets generate electric fields, which is the basis of electromagnetic induction.

According to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, the position and velocity (momentum) of an electron cannot be measured precisely at the same time due to the inherent limitations in observing quantum particles.

Entropy is a measure of disorder within a system. As entropy increases, the energy becomes less useful for doing work, reflecting a universal tendency towards higher disorder.

Isotopes are variants of elements that differ in neutron number but have the same number of protons. Some isotopes are unstable and undergo radioactive decay, emitting ionizing radiation over a characteristic half-life.

Kinetic energy is the energy an object possesses due to its movement, whereas potential energy is stored energy based on an object's position or configuration, like a phone held at a height.

Mass remains constant regardless of location, while weight is dependent on gravitational force. An object on the Moon weighs less than on Earth due to the Moon's weaker gravity.

Newton's second law (Force = Mass x Acceleration) allows prediction of a basketball's trajectory by analyzing the forces acting on it, such as gravity and any applied force, in relation to its mass and acceleration.