Position-vs-Time Graphs
time is on the x-axis, position is on the vertical axis; slope corresponds to velocity; motion is uniform only if the slope is a straight line
Velocity-vs-Time Graphs
time is on the x-axis, velocity is on the vertical axis; slope corresponds to acceleration; motion is uniform only if the slope = 0; area under the curve = displacement
Vector Addition Process
compute the horizontal and vertical components of each vector using trig and known quantities in order to add together like parts of separate vectors for a net sum
Free Fall Acceleration
the acceleration due to gravity = -g = -9.8m/s^2
Parabolic Motion
composed of two independent motions: uniform motion at a constant velocity along the horizontal axis and free-fall motion in the vertical direction
Uniform Circular Motion
objects have a centripetal acceleration pointing from their position along the circle straight towards the center point
Newton's First Law
an object at rest will stay at rest and an object in motion will stay in motion, moving at a constant velocity along a straight line, unless acted upon by a force (inertia)
Weight
force caused by gravity that pushes objects vertically downward at a constant acceleration
Spring Force
basic contact force involving a spring that can either push or pull on an object based on the displacement of the spring from its equilibrium position and the elasticity of the spring
Tension Force
basic contact force exerted when a wire or string pulls on an object; always runs in direction of string
Normal Force
contact force exerted by a surface against which an object is pressing to push the object back up and maintain equilibrium
Friction
resistant force that occurs when one object slides across another; always parallel to the surface the object is sliding over; due to microscopic characteristics of surface; kinetic friction occurs when an object is in motion, static friction keeps an obje
Drag
resistive force on objects moving through fluids; always acts opposite to the motion of the object
Thrust
force caused by the rapid expulsion of large amounts of exhaust gas; acts opposite the direction the gas is released
Newton's Second Law
force causes acceleration; that acceleration is directly proportional to the magnitude of the force and inversely proportional to the mass of the object that the force is acting on
Newton's Third Law
for every action, there is an equal and opposite rection
Equilibrium
static equilibrium occurs when an object is at rest, because no net forces or torque is acting on it; dynamic equilibrium occurs when an object is in uniform motion, also because no net forces or torque is acting on it
Apparent Weight
the magnitude of the contact force that supports an object; the sum of the force(s) pointing in the opposite direction of the force of weight
Relationship between Kinetic Friction and Speed
kinetic friction does not depend on speed; it is a constant value based on the mass of the moving object and the smoothness of the surface on which it travels
Terminal Speed
terminal speed is the speed at which the force of gravity and the force of air resistance acting on a falling object are equal, causing it to continue falling at a constant speed until it hits the ground
Tension around Pulleys
the magnitude of the tension in a string is unchanged when moved across a massless frictionless pulley, but the tension force does change directions
Angular vs Regular Measurements
angular position, velocity, and acceleration deal with change in the position of an object around a circle, real or in a graphical representation of motion; regular measurements of position, velocity, and acceleration deal with the actual distance travele