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MCAT Physics
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| > | when heat transfers into a system: Q __ 0 |
| < | when heart transfers out of a system: Q __ 0 |
| thermal equilibrium | the zeroth law of thermodynamics states that if Object A is in thermal equilibrium with Object B, and Object B is in thermal equilibrium with Object C, then Object A and C are in _________ __________ |
| conduction | _________ is the process by which highly agitated atoms of a heat source (Object A) bump into atoms of Object B, making them vibrate more rapidly, thus heating up Object B |
| convection | __________ is the process by which heat is transferred away from a heat source by the large-scale motion of a fluid |
| radiation | __________ if the process of absorption of energy carried by light waves |
| first | the _______ law of thermodynamics states that the total energy of the universe is constant: it can neither be created nor destroyed, only transferred |
| + | (_) W: work is being done BY the system ON the environment |
| - | (_) W: work is being done BY the environment ON the system |
| proportional | internal energy is __________ to object's absolute temperature |
| cools; heats | gas _______ as it expands; gas _________ up as it is compressed |
| - | in an insulated system, when W>0 --> E internal = (__) W |
| isobaric | _________ process is one that occurs at constant pressure |
| isochoric | __________ process is one that occurs at constant volume |
| 0 | in an isochoric process, W = ____ |
| isothermal | ___________ process is one that occurs at constant temperature |
| 0, W | in an isothermal process: ΔE = ____ and Q = ____ |
| adiabatic | __________ process is one which no heat is transferred between the system and the environment and all energy is conserved as work |
| 0, -W | For an adiabatic system, because Q = _______, ΔE = ____ |
| 0 | for an overall thermodynamic cycle, ΔE = ____ |
| clockwise | when a system converts heat to work, the cycle is __________ |
| counterclockwise | when a system converts work to heat, the cycle is ________________ |
| second | the _________ law of thermodynamics states that entropy of an isolated system either stays the same or increases in any thermodynamic process |
| 1 g/cm^3 | the density of water is equal to 1000 kg/m^3, which is also equal to _______________ |
| buoyant force | the net upward fluid force is the ___________ __________ |
| buoyant | Archimedes principle states that the magnitude of the ________ forces is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object |
| float | when ρ(obj) < ρ(fluid) --> the object will _________ |
| sink | when ρ(obj) > ρ(fluid) --> the object will |
| pascal's law | ________ ________ states that a confined fluid will transmit an externally applied pressure change to all parts of the fluid and the walls of the container without loss of magnitude |
| surface tension | ______ _____ is property of a liquid surface displayed by its acting as if it were a stretched elastic membrane |
| ideal fluid | - incompressible - negligible viscosity - flow is laminar - flow rate is steady |
| lower | The Bernoulli/Venturi effect describes that pressure is _________ where flow speed is greater |
| tension | _________ forces describe stretching forces |
| compression | __________ forces describe squeezing forces |
| shear | ___________ forces describe bending forces |
| pressure, change | Helpful mnemonic: Stress is ______________: strain is ____________ |
| strain | stress causes _________ |
| tension | bone is more resistant to _________ than to compression |
| young's | __________ modulus (E or Y) is the constant of proportionality of tensile/compressive stress |
| shear | ___________ modulus (G or S) is the constant of proportionality for shear stress |
| depth | hydrostatic gauge pressure is proportional to _________ |
| depth | total hydrostatic pressure is not proportional to ___________ |
| 10 | for each increase of 10 in decibel level, the intensity increases by a factor of _____ |
| electron | -1.6 x 10^-19 is the elementary charge of an _____________ |
| up | what direction is the arrow pointing that represents the net force felt by the (-) charge? + + - + |
| positive | when an electron falls from n2 orbital --> n1 orbital, what is the sign of work (Fe and direction of movement in same direction) |
| electric field | a vector field created by source charges that permeates the space around them E = kQ/(r)^2 |
| same | the electric field for a positive (+) charge points in the _________ direction as the charge's force |
| opposite | the electric field for a negative (-) charge points in the _________ direction as the charge's force |
| away | the arrows denoting the electric field of a (+) point charge points __________ from the point charge |
| toward | the arrows denoting the electric field of a (-) point charge points __________ the point charge |
| decreases | as distance from the point charge increases, the strength of the electric field ____________ |
| electric potential | a scalar field created by a source charge that permeates the space around them φ = k (Q/r) |
| potential | electric ___________ energy is equal to qΔφ |
| positive | for _________ charges: - tend to accelerate towards areas of low electric potential (-)ΔPE = q(-)Δφ |
| negative | for _________ charges: - tend to accelerate towards areas of high electric potential (+)ΔPE = q(+)Δφ |
| batteries | ___________ are a source of voltage (potential difference) I ---I I-------- I |
| capacitors | ______________ are circuit elements used to store charge or energy; two conducting surfaces separated by an insulator ----I I------ |
| closed | when a capacitor is connected to a battery in a ______ circuit, it will store charge |
| slope | on a Q v. V graph, __________ represents C |
| potential energy | the area under the curve on a Q v. V graph is equal to the ________ _________ of a capacitor |
| dielectric | insulation material of a capacitor; polarizes the E field between the plates, meaning it creates an induced electric field that opposed the external E field |
| more | a dielectric allows a capacitor to hold more charge |
| breakdown | dielectric ___________ - when the charge stored in a capacitor becomes too large it moves through the insulator |
| is not | when a capacitor (is/is not) connected to the battery, Q is fixed |
| is | when a capacitor (is/is not) connected to the battery, V is fixed |
| increase | an increase in dielectric results in an ____________ in capacitance |
| conductor | material in which charges more freely; no net movement of charge (I = O); eg. copper, aluminum |
| current | this describes the voltage across a conductor; measured in (A); flow rate of charge |
| positive | current is defined by the movement of __________ charge |
| ohm's law | name the law: V=IR |
| resistance | this describe show much an object opposed flow of charge; measured in (Ω); R = ⍴(L/A) |
| resistivity | (⍴) describes how much a specific material opposed a charge through it |
| resistors | segments in a circuit with known resistance; use up E in circuit; ------/\/\/\/------- |
| series | resistors in ___________: R eq = R1 + R2 + R3 V in = V1 + V2 + V3 I in = I1 = I2 = I3 |
| parallel | resistors in __________ 1/R eq = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3 V in = V1 = V2 = V3 I in = I1 + I2 + I3 |
| voltage | the battery affects what parameter |
| charge | the capacitor affects what parameter |
| current | the resistor affects what parameter |
| giga | the prefix for 10^9 |
| mega | the prefix for 10^6 |
| kilo | the prefix for 10^3 |
| mili | the prefix for 10^-3 |
| micro | the prefix for 10^-6 |
| nano | the prefix for 10^-9 |
| velocity | the slope of a position v. time graph represents________ |
| acceleration | the slope of a velocity v. time graph represents________ |
| displacement | the area under the curve of a velocity v. time graph represents ________ |
| first | newton's _______ law (law of inertia) states that an object in motion will tend to stay in motion and an object at rest will tend to stay at rest unless acted upon by an external force |
| 1.4 | √2 = ______ |
| 1.7 | √3 = _______ |
| 0 | sin(180°) |
| 1 | cos(180°) |
| second | newton's __________ law states that force = mass x acceleration |
| third | newton's __________ law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction |
| magnitude, direction | forces in an action-reaction pair are equal in __________ but opposite in ____________; can only involve F exerted between two objects; they cannot cancel out; they cannot act on the same object |
| kinetic | ___________ friction - slipping/sliding - direction of force ALWAYS opposed velocity |
| static | ____________ friction - no movement relative to contact surface, rolling without slipping, walking - direction of force opposed other forces |
| constant | in uniform circular motion, speed is ____________ but velocity is not due to the change in direction |
| perpendicular | centripetal force acts ______________ to velocity |
| torque | this is a force's effectiveness at making an object spin or rotate, it is a vector |
| clockwise | negative torque spins in what direction (CW/CCW) |
| counterclockwise | positive torque spins in what direction (CW/CCW) |
| 90 | torque is maximized when θ = ________ degrees because force is completely perpendicular to radius |
| 0 | torque is equal to ______ when nothing is angularly accelerating or the system is in static equilibrium |
| lever arm | this property of a system is the shortest distance from pivot to line of action of force; [perpendicular to the line of action |
| negative | the sign of work done by kinetic friction is ___________ because friction always acts against motion |
| 0 | work done by centripetal force is always ___________ because centripetal force is always perpendicular to motion |
| power | this is the rate at which work is done; = Fv |
| < | positive (+) work done by a system on its environment: E (</=/>) 0 |
| > | positive (+) work done on a system by an external agent: E (</=/>) 0 |
| simple machines | these are used to decrease the amount of force required to do something |
| inclined plane | this type of simple machine is used to make moving an object up a height easier; mechanical advantage = 1/sinθ |
| pulley | this type of simple machine reduces the force required to lift something by a factor; mechanical advantage = cumulative number of this simple machine in the system |
| mechanical advantage | this is the factor by which a F can be decreased by a simple machine; F resistance/ F effort |
| efficiency | this is the ratio of useful work accomplished based on the energy supplied to do work; (%) = W output/E input |
| equal | Kirchoff's law states that currents into and out of any point in a circuit must __________ each other; conservation of charge |
| 0 | the sum of voltages (V) around a closed loop in a circuit must equal ________ |
| parallel | elements in _________ to each other have the same voltage |
| electrical | the type of energy that is the power output of a battery |
| thermal | the type of energy that is the power dissipated across resistors |
| perpendicular | magnetic force is always situated ___________ to velocity and strength of magnetic field |
| into | the sign ⊗ denotes that the arrow,representing some factor on a magnetic field diagram) is pointing (into/out of) the page |
| out of | the sign ⵙ denotes that the arrow, representing some factor on a magnetic field diagram, is pointing (into/out of) the page |
| motion | magnetic fields are created by charges that are in __________ |
| conservative | spring force is a type of ___________ force |
| period | the time it takes to complete 1 complete cycle of a wave; constant over time; independent of amplitude |
| frequency | number of cycles of a wave that occur in 1 second; measured in Hz; = 1/T |
| transverse | in this type of wave, the medium oscillates perpendicularly to the direction of wave propagation; eg. ocean waves, waves on a string, EM waves |
| longitudinal | in this type of wave, the medium oscillates parallel to direction of wave propagation; eg, sound waves |
| velocity | in a given, uniform medium, the __________ of a wave is constant regardless of wavelength or frequency |
| frequency | when a wave is moving between two different media, the _________ stays the same |
| increases | as a sound wave moves from a gas --> liquid --> solid, the speed of the sound wave ____________ (in space, no one can hear you scream) |
| standing | ___________ waves are waves that are trapped; common in musical instruments like the guitar; endpoints determine which wavelengths can be trapped |
| intensity | the __________ of a wave is the energy is the power of the wave divided by the area |
| 10 | in human ears, for every increase in intensity by a factor of 10 (10^2, 10^3, etc.) you add _______ to B (strength of the magnetic field) |
| doppler | the __________ shift is the shift in the detected frequency of a wave due to relative motion between the detector and the sound source |
| increases | as the detector and the source move closer to each other, the frequency (pitch) ______________ |
| decreases | as the detector and the source move farther from each other, the frequency (pitch) ______________ |
| velocities | if the _________ of the detector and the sound source remain constant, then the frequency detected stays the same |
| reflection | when light encounters an interface between 2 media and bounces off of it, this is referred to as ____________ |
| = | the law of reflection states that θ of incident is (</=/>) to the θ of reflection |
| surface normal | the angle of incidence, reflection, and refraction are all measured according to the ___________ _______________ with is perfectly perpendicular to the interface between the two media |
| 1 | the index of refraction (n) for air and a vacuum both equal ____ |
| increases | for 0°<θ<90°, as θ increases, sinθ ________________ |
| 90 | the critical angle of refraction occurs when θ = ____°, in which the refraction is completely parallel with he interface of the two media |
| faster | sound waves move __________ in water than it does in air |
| slower | light waves move ___________ in water than it does in air |
| toward | when a light wave moves between 2 media in with n(1) < n(2), the ray would bend ________ the surface normal once it crosses into the second media |
| away | when a light wave moves between 2 media in with n(1) > n(2), the ray would bend ________ the surface normal once it crosses into the second media |
| diffraction | this is the bending of waves around obstacles or through openings and occurs when waves encounter an obstacle that is comparable in size to their wavelength |
| dispersion | this refers to the way that waves of different wavelengths are separated as they pass through a medium; allows prisms to split up white light into the colors of the rainbow |
| decrease, away | for dispersion: as the frequency of a wave ___________ --> n will decrease --> ray will refract (bend) _________ from the surface normal |
| increase, toward | for dispersion: as the frequency of a wave ___________ --> n will increase --> ray will refract (bend) _________ the surface normal |
| polarization | this is the attribute that a wave’s oscillations have a definite direction relative to the direction of propagation of the wave; only occurs for transverse waves; 2 types: plane and circular |
| plane | ___________ polarization is the removal of all electric field oscillations except from those along 1 plane parallel to the direction of propagation |
| circular | ___________ polarization is when 2 perpendicular electric field oscillations oscillate 90 degrees out of phase with each other --> the superposition of these creates a field that rotates in a plane perpendicular to the direction of propagation |
| focal length | this is the intrinsic property of a mirror/lens and is equal to the radius of curvature/2; (f) |
| magnification | this is the size of the image compared to the size of the object; (m) |
| inverted | if the magnification (m) is negative, then the image is _________ |
| upright | if the magnification (m) if positive, then the image is _____________ |
| positive | the sign of the focal length (f) for a concave mirror { ) } and a convex lens { () } is __________; converging optics |
| negative | the sign of the focal length (f) for a convex mirror { ( } and a concave lens { )( } is ______________; diverging optics |
| same | for a mirror: if image distance (i) is positive (+), then the location of the image is on the __________ side as object |
| opposite | for a mirror: if image distance (i) is negative (-), then the location of the image is on the __________ side of as object |
| opposite | for a lens: if image distance (i) is positive (+), then the location of the image is on the __________ side of as object |
| same | for a lens: if image distance (i) is negative (-), then the location of the image is on the __________ side of as object |
| real | a _________ image is produced when light rays actually converge; formed where light goes |
| >, <, inverted | for a real image • i (</=/>) 0 • m (</=/>) 0 • the image is (inverted,upright) |
| <, >, upright | for a virtual image • i (</=/>) 0 • m (</=/>) 0 • the image is (inverted,upright) |
| virtual | a __________ image is produced when it seems like the light rays converge but they actually don't; formed where light doesn't go |
| positive | the sign of the object distance (o) is always ______________ |
| myopia, short | aka. near-sightedness --> can't see far away because the focal length of the eye's lens system is too ___________ and doesn't properly hit the retina |
| concave | in order to correct myopia, a ___________ (diverging) lens is needed in order to lengthen the focal point so that it aligns with the retina |
| hyperopia, long | aka. far-sightedness --> can't see up close because the focal length of the eye's lens system is too _________ and doesn't properly hit the retina |
| convex | in order to correct hyperopia, a ____________ (converging) lens is needed in order to shorten the focal point so that it aligns with the retina |
| intensity | _____________ (brightness) of a wave is proportional to the number of photons |
| frequency | the ____________ of a wave is directly proportional to the energy of a photon |
| particle | Einstein states that light behaves like a ______________ |
| wave | Heisenberg states that particles (electrons) behave like a _________ |
| frequency, current | if you wanted to find the work function (ϕ) for an electron experimentally, your independent variable would be ___________ and your dependent variable would be __________ |
Created by:
coletty218
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