AP Physics 1: Algebra Based College Board

This subject is broken down into 40 topics in 10 modules:

  1. Circular Motion and Gravitation 8 topics
  2. DC Circuits 4 topics
  3. Dynamics 7 topics
  4. Electric Charge and Electric Force 3 topics
  5. Energy 3 topics
  6. Kinematics 2 topics
  7. Mechanical Waves and Sound 3 topics
  8. Momentum 4 topics
  9. Simple Harmonic Motion 2 topics
  10. Torque and Rotational Motion 4 topics
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  • 10
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  • 40
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  • 15,788
    words of revision content
  • 2+
    hours of audio lessons

This page was last modified on 28 September 2024.

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Physics 1: Algebra Based

Circular Motion and Gravitation

Applications of Circular Motion and Gravitation

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Applications of Circular Motion and Gravitation

Basics of Circular Motion and Gravitation

  • Objects move in a circular path due to a force that pulls them towards the centre, known as centripetal force.
  • Centripetal Force refers to the 'centre-seeking' force that makes body follow a curved path, its direction is always orthogonal to the velocity of the body
  • Circular motion obeys Newton’s Laws of Motion, similar to linear motion.
  • An object will continue moving in a uniform circular motion until an external force acts upon it.

Applications of Circular Motion

  • Satellites moving around a planet follow a circular path due to gravity, showcasing an application of circular motion.
  • The spin of the Earth represents circular motion, with gravity holding everything towards the Earth’s centre.
  • Roller coasters and Funfair rides like the 'rotor ride' or 'pirate-ship' are real life examples where circular motion principles are employed.
  • In sports, discus throw, long jump, hammer throw and other athletic games involve the principles of circular motion.
  • Technologies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) use principles of circular motion and rotation of atoms.

Understanding Gravitation

  • Every particle in the universe attracts every other particle with a force directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them - This is the Law of Universal Gravitation.
  • The force of gravity decreases as the square of the distance increases between two objects.
  • Acceleration due to gravity is the uniform acceleration produced in a freely falling object due to gravitational pull of earth. It is represented by ‘g’, and on the surface of the earth, the value of ‘g’ is approximately 9.8 m/s².
  • Gravitational potential energy is energy an object possesses because of its position in a gravitational field.

Applications of Gravitational Force

  • Planetary orbits are maintained by the balance of gravitational forces and the inertia of the planets.
  • GPS technology relies on understanding gravitational forces to calculate precise locations.
  • Gravitational principles are used in designing structures: bridges, buildings, etc, to resist gravitational force.
  • Aerospace technology heavily depends on the understanding of gravitational force.

Course material for Physics 1: Algebra Based, module Circular Motion and Gravitation, topic Applications of Circular Motion and Gravitation

Physics 1: Algebra Based

Electric Charge and Electric Force

Electric Charge

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Electric Charge

Electric Charge

  • A fundamental property of particles such as electrons and protons is electric charge.
  • Charge can exist in two forms, referred to as positive and negative.
  • Protons are positively charged and electrons are negatively charged. Neutrons are neutral, meaning they have no charge.
  • Like charges repel each other, while unlike charges attract each other. This interaction is known as the electrostatic force.
  • The unit of charge is the coulomb (C). Protons and electrons each carry a charge of approximately ±1.6 x 10^(-19) C.

Quantisation of Charge

  • Charge is considered to be quantised. This means it comes in discrete amounts based on the charge of a single electron or proton.
  • Any observable charge is an integer multiple of this elementary charge.

Conductors and Insulators

  • Conductors are materials that allow easy flow of electric charge. Typically, they have loosely held electrons that can move freely.
  • Insulators restrict the flow of electric charge. Their electrons are tightly held, preventing free movement.
  • Semiconductors have properties between those of conductors and insulators.

Coulomb's Law

  • Coulomb’s Law describes the force between two charged particles.
  • It states that the force is directly proportional to the product of the two charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
  • This force can be either attractive or repulsive, depending on the nature of the charges.

Electric Field

  • An electric charge creates an electric field around it. This field exerts a force on other charges within it.
  • The direction of the electric field is taken to be the direction in which a positive test charge would be forced.
  • The strength of the electric field is given by the force experienced by the test charge per unit of its charge.

Applications of Electric Charge

  • Understanding electric charge allows prediction and explanation of the behaviour of a wide range of phenomena, from static electricity to the functioning of electronic devices.
  • Concepts of charge and related principles are fundamental to fields like electronics, communications, and electromagnetism.

Course material for Physics 1: Algebra Based, module Electric Charge and Electric Force, topic Electric Charge

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