Sunday, April 7

Few Must Read Physics' Facts for all competitive examinations:




Mechanics 
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► Weight (force of gravity) decreases as you move away from the earth by distance squared.

► Constant velocity and zero velocity means the net force is zero and acceleration is zero.

► Weight (in newtons) is mass x acceleration (w = mg). Mass is not weight!

► Velocity, displacement [s], momentum, force and acceleration are vectors.

► Speed, distance [d], time, and energy (joules) are scalar quantities.

► The slope of the velocity-time graph is acceleration.

► At zero (0) degrees two vectors have a resultant equal to their sum. At 180 degrees two vectors have a resultant equal to their difference. From the difference to the sum is the total range of possible resultants.

► Centripetal force and centripetal acceleration vectors are toward the center of the circle- while the velocity vector is tangent to the circle.

► An unbalanced force (object not in equilibrium) must produce acceleration.

► The slope of the distance-time graph is velocity.

► The equilibrant force is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the resultant vector.

► Momentum is conserved in all collision systems.

► Magnitude is a term use to state how large a vector quantity is.


Energy 
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► Mechanical energy is the sum of the potential and kinetic energy.
Units:
a = [m/sec^2],
F = [kg*m/sec^2] (newton),
work = Pe= Ke = [kg*m^2/sec^2] (joule)

► An Ev is an energy unit equal to 1.6 x 10-19 joules

► Gravitational potential energy increases as height increases.

► Kinetic energy changes only if velocity changes.

► Mechanical energy (Pe + Ke) does not change for a free falling mass or a swinging pendulum. (when ignoring air friction)

► The units for power are [joules/sec] or the rate of change of energy.


Electricity 
---------------

► A coulomb is charge, an amp is current [coulomb/sec] and a volt is potential difference [joule/coulomb].

► Short fat cold wires make the best conductors.

► Electrons and protons have equal amounts of charge (1.6 x 10-19 coulombs each).

► Adding a resistor in parallel decreases the total resistance of a circuit.

► Adding a resistor in series increases the total resistance of a circuit.

► All resistors in series have equal current (I).

► All resistors in parallel have equal voltage (V).

► If two charged spheres touch each other add the charges and divide by two to find the final charge on each sphere.

► Insulators contain no free electrons.

► Ionized gases conduct electric current using positive ions, negative ions and electrons.

► Electric fields all point in the direction of the force on a positive test charge.

► Electric fields between two parallel plates are uniform in strength except at the edges.

► Millikan determined the charge on a single electron using his famous oil-drop experiment.

► All charge changes result from the movement of electrons not protons (an object becomes positive by losing electrons)


Magnetism
-----------------

► The direction of a magnetic field is defined by the direction a compass needle points.

► Magnetic fields point from the north to the south outside the magnet and south to north inside the magnet.

► Magnetic flux is measured in webers.

► Left hands are for negative charges and right hands are for positive charges.

► The first hand rule deals with the B-field around a current bearing wire, the third hand rule looks at the force on charges moving in a

► B-field, and the second hand rule is redundant.

► Solenoids are stronger with more current or more wire turns or adding a soft iron core.


Wave Phenomena 
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► Sound waves are longitudinal and mechanical.

► Light slows down, bends toward the normal and has a shorter wavelength when it enters a higher (n) value medium.

► All angles in wave theory problems are measured to the normal.

► Blue light has more energy. A shorter wavelength and a higher frequency than red light (remember- ROYGBIV).

► The electromagnetic spectrum (radio, infrared, visible. Ultraviolet x-ray and gamma) are listed lowest energy to highest.

► A prism produces a rainbow from white light by dispersion (red bends the least because it slows the least).

► Light wave are transverse (they can be polarized).

► The speed of all types of electromagnetic waves is 3.0 x 108 m/sec in a vacuum.

► The amplitude of a sound wave determines its energy.

► Constructive interference occurs when two waves are zero (0) degrees out of phase or a whole number of wavelengths (360 degrees.) out of phase.

► At the critical angle a wave will be refracted to 90 degrees.

► According to the Doppler effect a wave source moving toward you will generate waves with a shorter wavelength and higher frequency.

► Double slit diffraction works because of diffraction and interference.

► Single slit diffraction produces a much wider central maximum than double slit.

► Diffuse reflection occurs from dull surfaces while regular reflection occurs from mirror type surfaces.

► As the frequency of a wave increases its energy increases and its wavelength decreases.

► Transverse wave particles vibrate back and forth perpendicular to the wave direction.

► Wave behavior is proven by diffraction, interference and the polarization of light.

► Shorter waves with higher frequencies have shorter periods.

► Radiowaves are electromagnetic and travel at the speed of light (c).

► Monochromatic light has one frequency.

► Coherent light waves are all in phase.


Geometric Optics 
-------------------------

► Real images are always inverted.

► Virtual images are always upright.

► Diverging lens (concave) produce only small virtual images.

► Light rays bend away from the normal as they gain speed and a longer wavelength by entering a slower (n) medium {frequency remains constant}.

► The focal length of a converging lens (convex) is shorter with a higher (n) value lens or if blue light replaces red.


Modern Physics 
-----------------------

► The particle behavior of light is proven by the photoelectric effect.

► A photon is a particle of light {wave packet}.

► Large objects have very short wavelengths when moving and thus can not be observed behaving as a wave. (DeBroglie Waves)

► All electromagnetic waves originate from accelerating charged particles.

► The frequency of a light wave determines its energy (E = hf).

► The lowest energy state of a atom is called the ground state.

► Increasing light frequency increases the kinetic energy of the emitted photo-electrons.

► As the threshold frequency increase for a photo-cell (photo emissive material) the work function also increases.

► Increasing light intensity increases the number of emitted photo-electrons but not their KE.


Internal Energy 
----------------------

► Internal energy is the sum of temperature (ke) and phase (pe) conditions.

► Steam and liquid water molecules at 100 degrees have equal kinetic energies.

► Degrees Kelvin (absolute temp.) Is equal to zero (0) degrees Celsius.

► Temperature measures the average kinetic energy of the molecules.

► Phase changes are due to potential energy changes.

► Internal energy always flows from an object at higher temperature to one of lower temperature.


Nuclear Physics 
----------------------

► Alpha particles are the same as helium nuclei and have the symbol 4He2.

► The atomic number is equal to the number of protons (2 for alpha)

► Deuterium (2H1) is an isotope of hydrogen (1H1)

► The number of nucleons is equal to protons + neutrons (4 for alpha)

► Only charged particles can be accelerated in a particle accelerator such as a cyclotron or Van Der Graaf generator.

► Natural radiation is alpha (4He2), beta (0e-1) and gamma (high energy x-rays)

► A loss of a beta particle results in an increase in atomic number.

► All nuclei weigh less than their parts. This mass defect is converted into binding energy. (E=mc^2)

► Isotopes have different neutron numbers and atomic masses but the same number of protons (atomic numbers).

► Geiger counters, photographic plates, cloud and bubble chambers are all used to detect or observe radiation.

► Rutherford discovered the positive nucleus using his famous gold-foil experiment.

► Fusion requires that hydrogen be combined to make helium.

► Fission requires that a neutron causes uranium to be split into middle size atoms and produce extra neutrons.

► Radioactive half-lives can not be changed by heat or pressure.

► One AMU of mass is equal to 931 meV of energy (E = mc^2).

► Nuclear forces are strong and short ranged.

Courtesy : http://regentsprep.org/regents/physics/101facts/101facts.cfm

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