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Physics – Skare – Sem1 – Final exam topics:
o graphs
 naming
 equations and units
 meaning of equations
o
motion and relative motion
 how do you know if something is "moving"
 determining relative velocities given a situation (moving sidewalk)
 knowing what happens if you know the velocity and acceleration directions
 time vs. time interval vs. final time
 remember, I had several people tell me during the video analysis lab and quiz that the time interval was the
final time on the graph, even though the initial time the data was for was not t=0s
o
understanding definitions (including what +/-/0 values of each mean and why)
 distance
 displacement
 average speed
 average velocity
 average acceleration
 free-fall
 force
 net force
 inertia
o
interpreting graphs of motion
 x vs. t, you should be able to:
 describe motion with directions
 find distance
 find displacement
 find average speed
 find average velocity
 find instantaneous velocity at a point
 determine if the acceleration is constant or not.
 draw v vs. t graph from the x vs. t
 v vs. t, you should be able to
 describe motion with directions
 find change in velocity
 find change in speed
 find average acceleration
 find displacement
 find distance travelled
 find average velocity
 find average speed
 find instantaneous acceleration at a point
 determine if acceleration is constant or not
 draw both the x vs t and a vs t graphs from it
 a vs. t
 determining instantaneous acceleration at a point
 describing what could be happening
 determine if the acceleration is constant or not.
o
Understanding free fall
 Definition
 when during an object’s motion is an object in free fall
 How is that different than the colloquial definition
 which directions do the velocity and acceleration point at various points in free fall
 what is the acceleration due to gravitational forces in free fall on Earth
 does mass of the object affect this value
o
GUESS C
 G:
 be able to pull out givens and explain reasons for any that are not directly stated
 use correct symbols and variables
o t is not the same as T, v is not the same as V, a is not the same as A, f is not the same as F, there is no such
thing as iV (I see people writing that as initial velocity all the time). Show scientific literacy.
 if you are breaking a motion up into parts (total vs highest point vs any random point) use subscripts to avoid
confusion
 U:
 find what you're looking for with subscripts if necessary, use correct variables again.
 E
 This is where a lot of the physics comes into play, this is your plan make it clear
 even though the letter is E, it doesn't have to be an equation it can be a conceptual way.
 if there is a conceptual way you are planning on doing it, explain the conceptual way.
 if you are using an equation that has limitations, explain why you can use them
 SS:
 substitute in and solve.
 again you don't always need to do math to solve the problem if you explained a conceptual way use it.
Otherwise solve
you can do your math anyway you like, but your method must be clear to me. Remember I can't read your mind, show me
your steps and work!
 Even if you use your calculator to solve the equation you need to tell me and show what you entered as the
equation.
 C:
 Make sure to check your answer
 Best way is to solve the problem using a different method (there is always more than one way to do it)
 Be smarter than your calculator, if you know something is moving downwards and you get a + velocity,
realize you made a mistake somewhere.
 If your check doesn't work out, don't just leave it like that, at the very minimum acknowledge you realize
something when wrong.
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o
Forces
 what is a force
 how do you name a force
 how do you combine forces and what does that give you
 how do you know if the "force" you might think is there is actually not a real force?
o
Newton's 1st Law
 what is inertia
 how is inertia measured
 is inertia a force or not
 what is the difference between mass and weight