PHYSICS SEMESTER 1

DEFINITION, PRINCIPLE, LAWS & FORMULA

CHAPTER 1 - PHYSICAL QUANTITIES AND UNITS
1. Physical quantity
- physical property that can be measured.
2. Dimensions
- an expression of the character of a derived quantity in
relation to fundamental quantity, without regard for its
numerical value.
3. Empirical equation
- an equation derived from experimental observation rather
than theory.
4. Scalar quantity
- physical quantity that has magnitude only.
5. Vector quantity
- physical quantity that has both direction and magnitude.
6. Systemic error
- an error which shifts all measurements away from their
actual value by the same amount and causes the reading
to be always greater or smaller than the actual value.
7. Random error
- an error which gives rise to random deviations from the
actual value such that it is just as likely for the readings
obtained to be greater or smaller than the actual value.
CHAPTER 2 - KINEMATICS
1. Velocity
- rate of change of displacement.
2. Acceleration
- rate of change of velocity.
3. Free fall
- a body that falls under the action of gravity without air
resistance.
4. Projectile
- a body that projected at an angle to the horizontal and
moves under the action of gravity.
Equation of motion:
= +
1
=
+
2
1
= + 2
2
2 = 2 + 2

Total time :- =
Range :- =

2. Newtons second law of motion

- the rate of change of momentum of a body is directly
proportional to the resultant force on it and is in the same
direction as the resultant force.
3. Newtons third law of motion
- every action has a reaction which is of the same
magnitude but opposite in direction.
4. Impulse
- change in linear momentum of a body due to the action
of a force
=
5. Momentum
- a vector quantity of magnitude and its direction is in
the direction of velocity.
=
6. Principle conservation of linear momentum
- for a closed system, the total linear momentum is
constant.
7. Elastic collision
- a collision where kinetic energy is conserved.
1 1 + 2 2 = 1 1 + 2 2
(1 2 ) = 1 2
8. Inelastic collision
- a collision where kinetic energy is not conserved.
1 1 + 2 2 = (1 + 2 )
9. Centre of mass
- the point where the whole mass of the body is assumed
to be concentrated.

=1( )

=1( )

= 1 1 + 2 2 + +
10. Friction
- the force that opposes the relative motion of two solid
surfaces in contact.
11. Static friction
- friction between two solid surfaces before relative
motion occurs.
=

Projectile formula:
Maximum Height :- =

CHAPTER 3 - DYNAMICS
1. Newtons first law of motion
- an object that is at rest will remain at rest, a body that is
moving will continue to move with constant velocity,
unless acted by an external force.

2 sin 2
2

2 sin

2 sin

12. Kinetic friction

- friction between two surfaces that slide over each other.
=
13. Limiting static friction
- the maximum static friction between two surfaces just
before surfaces slip over each other.
Additional formula:
= tan used to find coefficient of static friction on sliding
plane

@2013 by Ooi Yoong Khang

Physics Semester 1 Definition, Principle, Laws and Formula

CHAPTER 4 - WORK, ENERGY AND POWER

1. Work done
- scalar product of force and change of displacement.
=
2. Energy
- potential to do work

CHAPTER 6 - GRAVITATION
1. Newtons law of gravitation
- the gravitational force of attraction between two particles
of masses and separated by a distance is directly
proportional to the product and inversely proportional
to 2 .

= 2

3. Kinetic energy
- energy of a body that is moving.
1
= 2
2

2. Gravitational field
- a region where gravitational force acts on massive bodies.

4. Potential energy
- energy of a body due to its position in a force field or its
physical state.
=

3. Gravitational field strength

- force of gravity per unit mass acting on a mass in
gravitational field.

= 2

5. Principle conservation of energy

- energy can neither be created nor destroyed but may be
converted from one form to another. The total energy is
always constant.
6. Work energy theorem
- work done on a system increases the mechanical energy
of the system. The work done by a system equals the
decrease in its mechanical energy.
7. Relation between force and potential energy

8. Power
- the rate of doing work.
=
9. Efficiency

100%

CHAPTER 5 - CIRCULAR MOTION
1. Angular velocity
- rate of change of angular displacement.

2
=
; =
; = 2 ; =

2. Centripetal acceleration
- acceleration of a body in circular motion and the direction
of the acceleration is towards the centre of the circle.
=

; = 2 ; =

3. Centripetal force
- the force acting towards the centre of the circle on the
body in circular motion.
=

; = 2 ; =

4. Period of circular motion

- the time taken for the particle to move round a complete
circle.

4. Gravitational potential
- work done per unit mass to bring a body from infinity to a
point.

5. Gravitational potential energy

- work done to bring a body from infinity to a point

6. Velocity of satellite
=

; =

; =

7. Keplers Third law

- for planets orbiting the Sun, the square of the period is
directly proportional to the cube of the radius of orbit.
2
4
=
3

8. Kinetic energy of satellite

1
=
,=
2

9. Total energy of satellite

1
=
,=
2

10. Weightlessness
- the apparent loss of weight experienced by an object in
free fall under gravity.
11. Synchronous satellite
- satellite that synchronize with the rotation of the Earth
about its axis.
12. Escape velocity
- minimum velocity required by a body to escape
completely from the gravitational pull of the Earth.

5. Frequency of circular motion

- the number of complete revolutions made in one second.
Additional formula:
tan =

used in motion of a cyclist going round

@2013 by Ooi Yoong Khang

Physics Semester 1 Definition, Principle, Laws and Formula

CHAPTER 7 - STATICS
1. Centre of gravity
- the point where the whole weight of the system is
assumed to act.

=1( )

=1

=1( )

=1

2. Torque
- the effect of force to rotate the rigid body about the axis
of rotation.
=
Condition for equilibrium of rigid body:
- resultant force = 0
- resultant torque = 0
CHAPTER 8 - DEFORMATION OF SOLIDS
1. Stress
- force per unit cross-sectional area.

2. Strain
=

; =

CHAPTER 9 - KINETIC THEORY OF GASES

1. Ideal gas equation
=

=
=
2. Pressure of gas equation
1 < 2 >
=
, : 3
3

= < 2 > , :
3

2
= < > , :
3

3. Mean translational kinetic energy

1
3
< 2 > =
2
2
4. Root mean square speed of molecule

3. Youngs modulus
=

Tensile Strength
- the maximum stress on a wire before the wire breaks.

4. Elasticity
- the property of a body which enables it to return
completely to its original dimension after the force on the
body is removed.
5. Elastic limit
- the maximum stress on a body which it is able to return
completely to its original dimensions on removal of the
stress.
6. Hookes law
- the restoring force is directly proportional to the extension
below the elastic limit.
7. Ductile
- material that undergo plastic deformation after exceed
elastic limit.
8. Brittle
- material that will not experience plastic deformation after
exceed elastic limit.
9. Strain energy / elastic potential energy
- the work done that is stretching the wire.
1
=
2
10. Strain energy per unit volume
1
= ( )
2

. . =

12 + 22 + 32 + 2

. . =

. . =

5. Most probable speed

- the speed which the largest number molecules have.
6. Degree of freedom
- the number of independent ways a molecule is able to
move or acquire kinetic energy.
7. Law of equipartition of energy
- the energy of gas molecules in thermal equilibrium is
equally divided among the available degrees of freedom.

=
2
8. Internal energy of a system
- sum of the kinetic energy and potential energy of the
molecules in the system. It excludes the kinetic energy
and potential energy as a whole.
Total Energy and Internal energy of molecule:
(a) Monoatomic
3
3
= (1 molecule) ; = (1 mole)
2

(b) Diatomic
5
5
= (1 molecule) ; = (1 mole)
2

Solid deformation theory:

Limit of proportionality
- below the limit of proportionality, the restoring force is
directly proportional to the extension.

(c) Polyatomic
= 3 (1 molecule) ; = 3 (1 mole)

Yield point
- point where plastic deformation starts.

@2013 by Ooi Yoong Khang

Physics Semester 1 Definition, Principle, Laws and Formula

CHAPTER 10 - THERMODYNAMICS OF GASES

1. Heat capacity
- the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of
the object by 1 K.

12. Work done by ideal gas / work done on ideal gas

= ln

2. Specific heat capacity

- the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of
1kg of the object by 1 K.

13. Equation for adiabatic changes

1 1 = 2 2

3. Molar heat capacity

- the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of
one mole of substance by 1 K.

4. Relation between , and

=

=
1000
5. Molar heat capacity of ideal gas at constant volume
- the amount of heat required to increase the temperature
of 1 mole of the gas by 1 K at constant volume.
6. Molar heat capacity of ideal gas at constant pressure
- the amount of heat required to increase the temperature
of 1 mole of the gas by 1 K at constant pressure.
7. Work done by gas
2

2
work done by gas ;
1
2
negative work done on gas ;
1
2
= 0 no work done)
1

(positive

= ( > 0 work done by gas ;

< 0 work done on gas)

8. First law of thermodynamics

- the heat energy supplied to a gas equals the sum of the
increase in internal energy of the gas and work done by
the gas.
= +
9. Relation between , and ,
, , =
10. Relation between , and , to the degree of freedom

, =
2
, =

+2

11. Ratio of principal molar heat capacities

,
=
,
=

+2

@2013 by Ooi Yoong Khang

Physics Semester 1 Definition, Principle, Laws and Formula

= ln

1 1

= 2 2

1 = 2

14. Work done in thermodynamic process

1
=

1
=

=
CHAPTER 11 - HEAT TRANSFER
1. Heat conduction / thermal conduction
- a process by which heat is transferred through solids.
2. Temperature gradient
- the temperature difference between two points divided by
the distance between the two points.

3. Rate of hear transfer / Fouriers law

- the rate of heat transfer through a material is proportional
to negative gradient in the temperature and to the area of
the cross-section at right angles to the direction of heat
flow.

4. Thermal conductivity
- the negative rate of heat flow per unit area perpendicular
to the flow per unit temperature gradient.

5. Thermal conduction in perfectly insulated rod

1 2
=

6. Thermal resistance
- the temperature difference between two points per rate of
heat flow.

7. Rate of heat flow

=

8. Heat conduction through a cross-sectional area of layer of
difference materials.

1 2
=
; = 1,2,3, . ,

9. Convection
- a process of heat transfer involving the movement of the
mass of the medium, usually liquid or gas, itself from one
place to another.
10. Radiation
- the transfer of heat by electromagnetic waves such as
visible light, infrared, ultraviolet, radio waves and
microwaves.
11. Radiant energy
- energy such as heat which is transmitted by radiation.
12. Thermal radiation
- the radiation emitted by object with temperature above
0 K.
13. Stefan-Boltzmann Equation

= = 4

= (4 4 )
14. Blackbody
- a body which absorbs all the radiation incident on it, at
all wavelengths.
15. Rate of energy radiated by blackbody
= 4
16. Thermal collision
- the collisions between molecules due to heat agitation.

@2013 by Ooi Yoong Khang

Physics Semester 1 Definition, Principle, Laws and Formula