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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

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Vector and Scalar Quantities

Velocity Vectors

Components of Vectors

Projectile Motion

Upwardly Launched Projectiles

Fast Moving Projectiles - Satellites

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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

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Force Causes Acceleration

Mass Resists Acceleration

Newton's Second Law

Friction

Applying Force - Pressure

Free Fall Explained

Falling and Air Resistance

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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

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Momentum

Impulse Changes Momentum

Bouncing

Conservation of Momentum

Collisions

Momentum Vectors

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Energy

 

Work

Power

Mechanical Energy

Potential Energy

Kinetic Energy

Conservation of Energy

Machines

Efficiency

Energy for Life

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Circular Motion

 

Rotation and Revolution

Rotational Speed

Centripetal Force

Centripetal and Centrifugal Force

Centrifugal Force in a Rotating Reference Frame

Simulated Gravity

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Center of Gravity

 

Center of Gravity

Center of Mass

Locating Center of Gravity

Toppling

Stability

Center of Gravity of People

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Rotational Mechanics

 

Torque

Balanced Torques

Torque and Center of Gravity

Rotational Inertia

Rotational Inertia and Gymnastics

Angular Momentum

Conservation of Angular Momentum

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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

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Gravitational Interactions

 

Gravitational Fields

Gravitational Field Inside a Planet

Weight and Weightless

Ocean Tides

Tides in Earth and the Atmosphere

Black Holes

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Satellite Motion

 

Earth Satellites

Circular Orbits

Elliptical Orbits

Energy Conservation and Satellite Motion

Escape Speed

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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

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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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