1
Q
Physics
A
The branch of science that studies matter, energy, and the laws that govern the universe.
2
Q
Measurement
A
The process of finding the size or amount of a physical quantity using equipment and units.
3
Q
Precision
A
How exact or finely measured a value is, limited by the measuring instrument used.
4
Q
SI Units
A
The International System of Units; the standard system of measurement used in science.
5
Q
SI Derived Units
A
Units made by combining SI base units, such as m/s for speed or m/s² for acceleration.
6
Q
Prefixes
A
Labels added to units to show powers of ten, such as kilo-, milli-, or centi-.
7
Q
Scientific Notation
A
A way of writing very large or very small numbers using powers of ten.
8
Q
Significant Figures
A
The meaningful digits in a measurement, showing its level of accuracy.
9
Q
Scalar
A
A quantity with magnitude only and no direction, such as time, distance, or speed.
10
Q
Vector
A
A quantity with both magnitude and direction, such as displacement, velocity, or acceleration.
11
Q
Magnitude
A
The size or amount of a quantity.
12
Q
Resultant Vector
A
A single vector that represents the combined effect of two or more vectors added together.
13
Q
Tip-to-Tail Method
A
A way of adding vectors by placing the tail of one vector at the tip of another.
14
Q
Distance
A
The total path travelled by an object. It is a scalar and is usually measured in metres.
15
Q
Displacement
A
The change in position of an object from its starting point. It is a vector and is usually measured in metres.
16
Q
Displacement Vector
A
A vector showing the overall change in position, often found using Pythagoras when combining perpendicular movements.
17
Q
Speed
A
The rate at which distance is covered over time. It is a scalar and is usually measured in m/s.
18
Q
Velocity
A
The rate at which displacement changes over time. It is a vector and is usually measured in m/s.
19
Q
Velocity Vector
A
A vector showing both the speed and direction of motion.
20
Q
Acceleration
A
The rate of change of velocity over time. It is a vector and is usually measured in m/s².
21
Q
Constant Acceleration
A
Acceleration that stays the same over time.
22
Q
Uniform Acceleration
A
Acceleration that changes velocity by the same amount in each equal time interval.
23
Q
Initial Velocity
A
The velocity of an object at the start of its motion.
24
Q
Final Velocity
A
The velocity of an object at the end of its motion or at a particular time.
25
Change in Velocity
The difference between final velocity and initial velocity.
26
Equations of Motion
A set of formulas used to calculate displacement, velocity, acceleration, and time when acceleration is constant.
27
Direction of Motion
The angle or compass direction in which an object is travelling.
28
Horizontal Component
The part of a vector or force acting sideways or parallel to the ground.
29
Vertical Component
The part of a vector or force acting up and down, perpendicular to the ground.
30
Projectile Motion
The motion of an object moving through the air under the influence of gravity.
31
Projectile Paths
The curved paths followed by projectiles as they move under gravity.
32
Launch Angle
The angle at which a projectile is launched relative to the horizontal.
33
Range
The horizontal distance travelled by a projectile.
34
Maximum Range
The greatest horizontal distance a projectile can travel for a given launch speed and height.
35
Time of Flight
The total time a projectile stays in the air.
36
Maximum Height
The highest vertical point reached by a projectile above its launch point.
37
Vertical Initial Velocity
The upward or downward part of a projectile’s starting velocity.
38
Gravity
The force that pulls objects toward Earth, causing a constant downward acceleration.
39
Air Resistance impact on Projectile Motion
Air resistance reduces a projectile’s horizontal and vertical velocity, lowering its height and range and changing the best launch angle.
40
Multi-Image Representation
A diagram that shows an object’s position at equal time intervals and can be used to analyse motion, collisions, and momentum.
41
Friction
A force that opposes or resists motion.
42
Drag
A type of friction that acts on an object moving through a fluid such as air or water.
43
Air Resistance
A type of drag force that acts specifically against objects moving through air.
44
Cross-Sectional Area
The area of the front-facing surface of an object as it moves through a fluid; a larger area causes more air resistance.
45
Drag Force
The resistive force caused by motion through a fluid.
46
Drag Coefficient
A value that describes how much drag a shape experiences as it moves through a fluid.
47
Density of the Medium
The mass per unit volume of the fluid the object moves through, such as air.
48
Terminal Velocity
The constant maximum speed reached when drag balances the driving force, making the net force zero.
49
Net Force
The overall force acting on an object after all forces are combined.
50
Balanced Forces
Forces that are equal in size and opposite in direction, resulting in no change in motion.
51
Collision
A short-duration interaction between two objects.
52
Momentum
The product of an object’s mass and velocity.
53
Momentum Formula
The relationship p = mv, used to calculate momentum.
54
Momentum Vector
An arrow used to show both the magnitude and direction of an object’s momentum.
55
Total Momentum
The vector sum of the momentum of all objects in a system.
56
Change in Momentum
The difference between an object’s final momentum and initial momentum.
57
Conservation of Momentum
The principle that total momentum before an interaction is equal to total momentum after the interaction, provided no external forces act on the system.
58
Kinetic Energy
The energy an object has because it is moving.
59
Kinetic Energy Formula
The relationship Ek = 1/2 mv², used to calculate the kinetic energy of a moving object.
60
Newton’s Second Law
A law stating that the acceleration of an object depends on the net force acting on it and its mass.
61
Force and Momentum Relationship
Newton’s second law can also be written as F = Δp/Δt, linking force to the rate of change of momentum.
62
Impulse
The product of force and time, equal to the change in momentum of an object.
63
Contact Time
The amount of time two objects are in contact during an interaction or collision.
64
Newton’s Third Law
A law stating that for every action force there is an equal and opposite reaction force.
65
Action-Reaction Pair
Two forces that are equal in size, opposite in direction, and act on different objects.
66
Internal Forces
Forces that act between objects within the same system.
67
External Forces
Forces acting on a system from outside the system.
68
Isolated System
A system in which no external forces act.
69
System
A collection of objects being considered together in a physics problem.
70
Total Momentum Change
The change in the combined momentum of all objects in a system.
71
Net External Force
The overall force acting on a system from outside the system.
72
Conserved Quantity
A physical quantity that remains constant in a closed or isolated system, such as momentum.
73
Vector Balance in Collision
In a conserved system, the combined momentum vectors before and after a collision are equal in magnitude and direction.
74
Spacecraft Propulsion
The motion of a spacecraft caused by expelling gas or particles in the opposite direction.
75
Rocket Propulsion
A rocket moves because gases are expelled in the opposite direction, giving equal and opposite momentum changes.
76
Thrust
The force that pushes a spacecraft or rocket forward due to expelled mass.
77
Ion Thruster
A propulsion system that expels charged particles at very high speed to gradually accelerate a spacecraft.
78
Continuous Thrust
A small force applied over a long time, allowing a spacecraft to build up high speed gradually.
79
Solar Sail
A spacecraft sail that uses photons from sunlight to create thrust.
80
Photon
A particle of light that carries energy and momentum.
81
Photon Momentum
The momentum carried by a photon, which can be transferred to a surface like a solar sail.
82
Photon Absorption
When a photon is absorbed, its momentum is transferred to the object and the photon’s momentum becomes zero.
83
Photon Reflection
When a photon bounces off a surface, the change in photon direction causes a larger momentum transfer to the object.
84
Momentum Transfer
The movement of momentum from one object or particle to another during an interaction.
85
Circular Motion
A type of motion where an object moves at constant speed in a circular path.
86
Uniform Circular Motion
Circular motion in which the speed stays constant, even though the direction of motion keeps changing.
87
Period
The time taken for an object to complete one full revolution around a circular path.
88
Radius
The distance from the centre of a circular path to the object moving around it.
89
Centre of Rotation
The fixed point around which an object moves in a circular path.
90
Centripetal Acceleration
The acceleration of an object in circular motion that always points toward the centre of the circle.
91
Centripetal Force
The net force required to keep an object moving in a circular path, directed toward the centre of rotation.
92
Gravity as Centripetal Force
Gravity can provide the inward force needed to keep objects such as planets or satellites in orbit.
93
Tension as Centripetal Force
Tension can provide the inward force needed for circular motion, such as when an object is swung on a string.
94
Friction as Centripetal Force
Friction can provide the inward force needed for circular motion, such as a car turning on a flat road.
95
Normal Force as Centripetal Force
The normal force can provide or help provide the inward force needed for circular motion, especially on banked curves.
96
Static Friction
The friction force that acts between surfaces that are not sliding past each other.
97
Coefficient of Static Friction
A value that describes how much static friction can act between two surfaces.
98
Flat Curve
A level road bend where friction provides the centripetal force for a turning vehicle.
99
Maximum Safe Speed
The greatest speed at which a vehicle can travel around a curve without sliding outward.
100
Banked Curve
A curve where the road or track is tilted so the outer edge is higher than the inner edge.
101
Optimal Speed on a Banked Curve
The speed at which a vehicle can move around a banked curve without needing friction to help provide centripetal force.
102
Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation
The law stating that every mass attracts every other mass with a force proportional to the product of the masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
103
Gravitational Force
The attractive force between two masses.
104
Gravitational Constant
The constant G used in calculations of gravitational force. This is 6.67x10^-11
105
Acceleration Due to Gravity
The acceleration an object experiences because of the gravitational pull of a planet or other massive body.
106
Gravitational Acceleration
Another name for acceleration due to gravity; often represented by g.
107
Gravitational Field
A region in space around a mass where another mass experiences a gravitational force.
108
Vector Field
A field that has both magnitude and direction at each point.
109
Gravitational Field Strength
The gravitational force per unit mass at a point in a field.
110
Strong Gravitational Field
A region where a mass experiences a large gravitational force per unit mass.
111
Weak Gravitational Field
A region where a mass experiences a smaller gravitational force per unit mass.
112
Orbit
The path followed by an object moving around another object under the influence of gravity.
113
Satellite
A smaller object that orbits a larger object in space due to gravity.
114
Circular Orbit
An orbit in which the satellite moves around the central body in a circle at constant distance.
115
Elliptical Orbit
An orbit shaped like an ellipse rather than a perfect circle.
116
Orbital Radius
The distance from the centre of the planet or central body to the satellite in orbit.
117
Orbital Speed
The speed required for an object to remain in orbit at a given radius.
118
Orbital Period
The time taken for a satellite or planet to complete one full orbit.
119
Satellite Balance of Gravity and Motion
The idea that a satellite remains in orbit because gravity pulls it inward while its forward motion carries it around the planet.
120
Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion
Three laws that describe how planets and satellites move in orbit.
121
Kepler’s First Law
The law stating that planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun at one focus.
122
Law of Ellipses
Another name for Kepler’s First Law.
123
Focus (plural: Foci)
A special point in an ellipse; in planetary motion, the Sun lies at one focus.
124
Kepler’s Second Law
An imaginary line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps equal areas of space during equal time intervals as the planet orbits. Basically, that planets do not move with constant speed along their orbits.
125
Law of Equal Areas
Another name for Kepler’s Second Law.
126
Kepler’s Third Law
The law showing a relationship between orbital period and average distance from the Sun or central body.
127
Law of Harmonies
Another name for Kepler’s Third Law.
128
Geostationary Satellite
A satellite that stays above the same point on Earth’s surface by orbiting in the same direction as Earth’s rotation with a 24-hour period.
129
Equatorial Orbit
An orbit in which a satellite travels above the equator.
130
Polar Orbit
An orbit in which a satellite passes over the North and South poles as Earth rotates beneath it.
Year 12 SACE Physics
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