All Flashcards
What are the differences between distance and displacement?
Distance: Total path length (scalar) | Displacement: Change in position (vector)
What is the difference between average speed and average velocity?
Average Speed: Total distance traveled divided by time (scalar) | Average Velocity: Change in position divided by time (vector)
Compare horizontal and vertical motion in projectile motion.
Horizontal (x) motion: Constant velocity (no acceleration) | Vertical (y) motion: Constant acceleration due to gravity (g)
In a Position-Time Graph, what does the slope represent?
Velocity
In a Velocity-Time Graph, what does the slope represent?
Acceleration
In a Velocity-Time Graph, what does the area under the curve represent?
Displacement
In an Acceleration-Time Graph, what does the area under the curve represent?
Change in Velocity
How is the force on a particle in simple harmonic motion (SHM) related to its displacement?
F = -mω^2 × displacement, where F is the restoring force, m is the mass, ω is the angular frequency, and displacement is the distance from the equilibrium position.
Define phase angle in simple harmonic motion (SHM).
In SHM, the phase angle (ϕ) is used in the equation x = x0 sin(ωt + ϕ) to specify the initial position of the oscillating particle. It allows the equation to accommodate any starting phase of motion.
How can the time period (T) of an oscillator be affected by spring constant (k) and mass (m)?
To investigate the effects on T, alter the mass by doubling or halving it, and for spring constant variations, join identical springs in series or parallel.
Identify the two criteria for simple harmonic motion related to restoring force and acceleration.
Restoring force and acceleration need to be directly proportional to displacement and directed towards the equilibrium position.
What is the relationship between force, spring constant, and displacement in Hooke's law?
F = -kx, where F is the force exerted by the spring, k is the spring constant, and x is the displacement from the equilibrium position.
How does acceleration relate to displacement in simple harmonic motion?
Acceleration, a, is directly proportional to and in opposite direction of displacement, x with a constant of proportionality, ω²: a = -ω²×x.
Relate the frequency of simple harmonic motion to Hertz's electromagnetic radiation frequencies.
The frequency of simple harmonic motion involves a periodic, sinusoidal motion such as a mass on a spring. Similarly, Hertz found that electromagnetic radiation exhibits oscillating electric and magnetic fields with a sinusoidal pattern at specific frequencies.
What occurs at the extreme points of mass in simple harmonic motion?
At the extreme points, the mass momentarily stops, and the acceleration is maximum towards the equilibrium, increasing speed as it moves back to the center.
Define angular frequency in simple harmonic motion.
In simple harmonic motion, angular frequency (ω) indicates the speed of oscillation, calculated as ω = 2π/T, where T is the period. Its unit is s−1 or Hz.
Why do we often disregard the radian unit in angular frequency calculations?
Radians are often disregarded in angular frequency because they represent a unitless measure, capturing the ratio of arc length to radius, simplifying calculations.