ASTR 111 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Kinetic Energy, Potential Energy, Temperature Measurement

• School: George Mason University
• Department: Astronomy
• Course: ASTR 111
• Professor: Rebecca Ericson

Document Summary

Terms to describe motion: velocity, momentum and acceleration. Speed - rate at which an object moves. its units are distance divided by time (m/hr, etc. ) Velocity - combination of speed and direction of motion; can be stated as a speed in a particular direction, such as 100 km/hr due north. Acceleration - rate at which an object"s velocity changes. standard units are m/s^2. Don"t feel the effects of motion when you"re moving at a constant velocity. One of the most constant types of acceleration is acceleration of gravity. Momentum - product of an object"s mass and velocity. Force - anything that can cause a change in momentum. Net force - the overall force to which an object responds; the net force is equal to the rate of change in the object"s momentum, equivalent to mass x acceleration. Changing an object"s momentum means changing its velocity.