AP Physics 1 kinematics and Newton's laws concepts explained conceptually, separate from the formula deck.
38 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- Difference between displacement and distance
- Displacement is straight-line distance from start to end (vector); distance is total path length traveled (scalar).
- Velocity vs speed
- Speed is how fast; velocity is how fast plus direction.
- What does acceleration measure?
- Rate of change of velocity over time, including changes in speed or direction.
- Can an object have zero velocity but nonzero acceleration?
- Yes; at the top of a throw, velocity is zero but gravity still accelerates downward.
- Can an object accelerate while moving at constant speed?
- Yes; if direction changes, such as circular motion at constant speed.
- What characterizes free fall?
- An object falling under gravity alone, experiencing constant downward acceleration of about 9.8 m/s squared.
- Key feature of projectile motion
- Horizontal and vertical components are independent: horizontal velocity stays constant while vertical velocity changes due to gravity.
- Newton's first law of motion
- An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion at constant velocity unless a net force acts on it.
- What is inertia?
- The tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion; more massive objects have greater inertia.
- Newton's second law conceptually
- The net force on an object equals its mass times its acceleration; greater forces or less mass produce greater accelerations.
- Newton's third law
- For every action force, there is an equal and opposite reaction force acting on a different object.
- What is a net force?
- The vector sum of all forces acting on an object; determines the object's acceleration.
- What is the normal force?
- The contact force exerted by a surface on an object, perpendicular to the surface.
- What causes friction?
- Microscopic interactions between surfaces in contact; always opposes relative motion or potential motion.
- Why does a person lurch forward in a decelerating car?
- Inertia; the person tends to maintain constant velocity while the car slows, creating relative forward motion.