All Flashcards
What is position?
Where an object is located; its 'address'.
What is displacement?
The change in position; a vector quantity.
What is velocity?
The rate of change of position; a vector quantity.
What is acceleration?
The rate of change of velocity; a vector quantity.
What is centripetal acceleration?
Acceleration directed towards the center of the circular path in uniform circular motion.
What is centripetal force?
The net force that causes centripetal acceleration; it's directed towards the center of the circle.
What is the center of mass (COM)?
The average position of all the mass in a system; the point where the system would balance.
What is the difference between uniform and non-uniform motion?
Uniform motion: constant velocity, zero acceleration. Non-uniform motion: changing velocity, non-zero acceleration.
What is the difference between speed and velocity?
Speed is the rate of motion. Velocity is the rate and direction of motion.
What is the effect of a net force acting towards the center of a circular path?
It causes centripetal acceleration, resulting in uniform circular motion.
What is the effect of doubling the radius on centripetal acceleration, given constant speed?
The centripetal acceleration is halved (a_c = v^2/r).
What happens to the center of mass if one mass in a two-mass system is increased?
The center of mass shifts closer to the heavier mass.
What happens when an external force acts on a system of particles?
The center of mass of the system accelerates.