Essential Physics Terms To Know For Your Test

Physics is a difficult subject, but it doesn’t have to be. Knowing these basic physics terms will help you understand the test and know what information to look for in each question.

Potential Energy

Potential Energy is the stored energy of an object due to its position relative to other objects.

For example, a ball at the top of a hill has more potential energy than one at the bottom because it can roll down and do work (move other objects). The force required for this change in position is called “gravitational potential energy”. The amount of gravitational potential energy depends on how high up on the hill you are standing and how far away from Earth’s center you are located.

If you throw something straight up into space with no air resistance or friction then it will travel all around earth before returning back again after an indefinite amount of time–the distance travelled will be equal to 2pr where r is half circumference length around Earth’s surface (or circumference) so if we assume radius 1m then total distance travelled would be 2 x p x R = 4pR

Kinetic Energy

Kinetic energy is the energy that an object has due to its motion.

It can be calculated as:

K = 1/2 * m * v^2

Gravitational Force

Gravitational force is the attraction between two objects due to their masses. The strength of this force is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Gravitational force is always attractive, no matter what direction you’re moving in or what kind of motion you’re going at (up, down, sideways).

Newton’s Second Law of Motion

Newton’s second law of motion states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the force … Continue reading >>>>