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Mechanics

Essential Question

What are the laws that govern the motion of objects?

Table of Contents

 

Motion is Relative

Speed

Velocity

Acceleration

Free Fall: How Fast

Free Fall: How Far

Graphs of Motion

Air Resistance and Falling Objects

 

Vector and Scalar Quantities

Velocity Vectors

Components of Vectors

Projectile Motion

Upwardly Launched Projectiles

Fast Moving Projectiles - Satellites

 

Aristotle on Motion

Copernicus and the Moving Earth

Galileo on Motion

Newton's Law of Inertia

Mass - A Measure of Inertia

Net Force

Equilibrium - When Net Force Equals Zero

Vector Addition of Forces

The Moving Earth Again

 

Force Causes Acceleration

Mass Resists Acceleration

Newton's Second Law

Friction

Applying Force - Pressure

Free Fall Explained

Falling and Air Resistance

 

Forces and Interactions

Newton's Third Law

Identifying Action and Reaction

Action and Reaction on Different Masses

Do Action and Reaction Forces Cancel?

The Horse and Cart Problem

Action Equals Reaction

 

Momentum

Impulse Changes Momentum

Bouncing

Conservation of Momentum

Collisions

Momentum Vectors

Energy

 

Work

Power

Mechanical Energy

Potential Energy

Kinetic Energy

Conservation of Energy

Machines

Efficiency

Energy for Life

Circular Motion

 

Rotation and Revolution

Rotational Speed

Centripetal Force

Centripetal and Centrifugal Force

Centrifugal Force in a Rotating Reference Frame

Simulated Gravity

Center of Gravity

 

Center of Gravity

Center of Mass

Locating Center of Gravity

Toppling

Stability

Center of Gravity of People

Rotational Mechanics

 

Torque

Balanced Torques

Torque and Center of Gravity

Rotational Inertia

Rotational Inertia and Gymnastics

Angular Momentum

Conservation of Angular Momentum

Universal Gravitation

 

The Falling Apple

The Falling Moon

The Falling Earth

Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation

Gravity and Distance: The Inverse-Square Law

Universal Gravitation

Gravitational Interactions

 

Gravitational Fields

Gravitational Field Inside a Planet

Weight and Weightless

Ocean Tides

Tides in Earth and the Atmosphere

Black Holes

Satellite Motion

 

Earth Satellites

Circular Orbits

Elliptical Orbits

Energy Conservation and Satellite Motion

Escape Speed

Special Relativity - Space and Time

 

Space-Time

Motion is Relative

The Speed of Light is Constant

The First Postulate of Special Relativity

The Second Postulate of Special Relativity

Time Dilation

The Twin Trip

Space Time Travel

Special Relativity - Length, Momentum, and Energy 

 

Length Contraction

Momentum and Inertia in Relativity

Equivalence of Mass and Energy

Kinetic Energy in Relativity

The Correspondence Principle

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