Newton’s Laws
What is Newton’s First Law?
An object in motion stays in motion, and an object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
What is the formula for speed?
Speed = Distance ÷ Time
What are the two main types of mechanical energy?
Kinetic Energy and Potential Energy
What type of wave is sound?
Longitudinal wave (Mechanical)
What is conduction?
The transfer of heat through direct contact between particles (touch).
Which law explains why a rocket launches upward when gas is expelled downward?
Newton’s Third Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
What does a horizontal line on a position-time graph mean?
The object is at rest (no change in position over time).
What is the formula for kinetic energy?
KE = ½ × mass × velocity²
What does frequency mean in a wave?
The number of wave cycles that pass a point per second (measured in Hertz).
What happens to the particles of a substance as it heats up?
They move faster, increasing kinetic energy.
A 10 kg object accelerates at 2 m/s². What is the net force?
20 N (Force = mass × acceleration)
How can you find acceleration from a velocity-time graph?
Acceleration is the slope of the velocity-time graph.
A 2 kg ball is lifted 3 meters. How much gravitational potential energy does it gain? (g = 10 m/s²)
60 J (PE = mass × gravity × height)
What is the relationship between wavelength and frequency?
They are inversely related; as frequency increases, wavelength decreases.
What does the formula q=mcΔT represent?
The calculation of heat energy transferred, where q = heat, m = mass, c = specific heat, and ΔT = change in temperature.
Why do you lurch forward in a bus when it suddenly stops?
Due to inertia (Newton’s First Law), your body continues moving forward as the bus stops.
A car goes from 0 to 20 m/s in 4 seconds. What’s its acceleration?
5 m/s² (Acceleration = Δvelocity ÷ time)
What is the Law of Conservation of Energy?
Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transformed from one form to another.
A wave has a frequency of 10 Hz and a wavelength of 2 m. What is its speed?
20 m/s (Speed = frequency × wavelength)
If 800 J of heat is added to 2000 g of water with a specific heat of ~4 J/g°C, how much will its temperature change?
Approximately 0.1°C (ΔT = q / (m × c)
Describe how all three of Newton’s laws apply when bowling.
First Law: The ball stays at rest until you apply a force. Second Law: The force you apply accelerates the ball (F=ma). Third Law: The force you exert on the ball is met with an equal and opposite force on your hand.
A 100 N force is applied over a 2-second interval to accelerate two boxes, one with a mass of 5 kg and one with a mass of 1 kg. If both boxes were initially at rest, how do the momenta of the two boxes compare after the force was applied?
They will be the same due to the impulse-momentum theorem. FΔt=mΔv
A ball is bouncing in a vacuum. Explain the energy transformations occuring. Also answer: Will the ball stop bouncing?
The total energy remains the same for the system. The mechanical energy (only KE and PE) decreases as heat builds up. The ball will stop bouncing
Which wave property shows that light behaves as a particle?
The photoelectric effect.
Describe what happens at the particle level during as you add more heat at the boiling point of a substance.
Particles gain energy, move faster, and overcome intermolecular forces, transitioning from liquid to gas.