SimplyTuition AL H2 Physics Volume I. Definitions & Formulas

© 2025 Simply Tuition. All Rights Reserved. 1

© 2025 Simply Tuition. All Rights Reserved. 2

© 2025 Simply Tuition. All Rights Reserved. 3 Chapter 1: Measurement Physical quantities are measurable properties with a magnitude and a unit. Base quantities are fundamental physical quantities defined and measured independently of other quantities. Derived quantities are physical quantities calculated from base quantities using mathematical operations. Scalar quantities are physical quantities that have only magnitude. Vector quantities are physical quantities that have both magnitude and direction. Systematic errors are measurement errors that consistently cause measured values to deviate from their true value by a fixed magnitude and in one direction. Zero error is a type of systematic error that occurs when a measuring instrument does not start from exactly zero. Parallax error is a type of systematic error that occurs due to incorrect eye positioning when reading the measuring scale. Random errors are measurement errors where the measured values differ from the mean value with varying magnitudes and directions. Precision refers to the degree of closeness between repeated measurements of the same quantity under consistent conditions. Accuracy refers to the degree of closeness between a measured value and the true or accepted value of the quantity being measured. Uncertainty, 𝚫 refers to the range of possible values associated with a measured quantity due to limitations in the measurement process or instrument precision. 𝐼𝑓 𝑌 = 𝐴𝛼𝐵𝛽 𝐶𝛾 , Δ𝑌 𝑌 = 𝛼 Δ𝐴 𝐴 + 𝛽 ΔB 𝐵 + 𝛾 ΔC 𝐶 Homogeneity of physical equations refers to the principle that a valid physical equation must be dimensionally consistent, meaning all terms must have the same units or dimensions . Dimensionless constants are constants with no units.

© 2025 Simply Tuition. All Rights Reserved. 4 Chapter 2: Kinematics Distance, 𝒅 is the total length covered by a moving object regardless of its direction of motion. Displacement, 𝒔 is the distance measured in a straight line from a fixed reference point. 𝑠 = 𝑢𝑡 + 1 2 𝑎𝑡2 Speed, |𝒗| is the rate of change of distance with respect to time. |v| = |𝑢| + 𝑎𝑡 Velocity, 𝒗 is the rate of change of displacement with respect to time. 𝑣 = 𝑢 + 𝑎𝑡 𝑣2 − 𝑢2 = 2𝑎𝑠 𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 = 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 Acceleration, 𝒂 is the rate of change of velocity with respect to time. 𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝐴𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = ∆𝑣 ∆𝑡 = 𝑣 − 𝑢 𝑡 Uniform acceleration is a constant rate of change of velocity with respect to time. Free fall is the motion of an object in a gravitational field where the only force acting on the object is the gravitational force. Terminal velocity is the velocity at which a falling object experiences zero acceleration and travels at a constant speed. It occurs when the air resistance acting against the object equals its weight. Rectilinear motion is the one-dimensional motion of an object along a straight line, where the path of the object does not change direction.

© 2025 Simply Tuition. All Rights Reserved. 5 Chapter 3: Dynamics Newton’s first law of motion states that a body will continue in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless an external resultant force acts on it. Inertia of an object refers to the resistance of the object to change its state of rest or motion, due to its mass. Newton’s second law of motion states that the rate of change of momentum of a body with respect to time is directly proportional to the net force acting on it, and the change occurs in the same direction of the force. ∑ 𝐹 = 𝑑𝑝 𝑑𝑡 = 𝑑(𝑚𝑣) 𝑑𝑡 ∑ 𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎 (𝑖𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡) ∑ 𝐹 = 𝑣 𝑑𝑚 𝑑𝑡 (𝑖𝑓 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡) Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. 𝐹𝐴𝐵 = −𝐹𝐵𝐴 Linear momentum is the product of the mass of an object moving in a straight line and its velocity 𝑝 = 𝑚𝑣 Impulse, 𝑱 is the product of the average force, 𝐹 and duration of impact, Δ𝑡. It represents the change in momentum, Δ𝑝 of the object as a result of this force. 𝐽 = 𝐹Δ𝑡 = Δ𝑝 Principle of conservation of momentum states in a closed system, the total initial momentum of all objects before interaction is equal to the total final momentum after collision provided no resultant external force acts on the system. ∑ 𝑝𝑖 = ∑ 𝑝𝑓 𝑚1𝑢1 + 𝑚2𝑢2 = 𝑚1𝑣1 + 𝑚2𝑣2 (Perfectly) elastic collision is a type of collision in which both the total momentum and kinetic energy of the system are conserved after the collision. ∑ 𝐾𝐸𝑖 = ∑ 𝐾𝐸𝑓 1 2 𝑚1𝑢1 + 1 2 𝑚2𝑢2 = 1 2 𝑚1𝑣1 + 1 2 𝑚2𝑣2 𝑅𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ = 𝑅𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 Inelastic collision is a type of collision in which the total momentum is conserved, but the total kinetic energy of the system is not conserved after the collision. Perfectly inelastic collision is a type of collision where two objects stick together after the collision, resulting in the maximum possible loss of kinetic energy for the system.

© 2025 Simply Tuition. All Rights Reserved. 6 Field of force is a region in space where a force can be experienced by objects with certain properties such as mass, charge, magnetism. Stability of an object refers to its ability object to return to its equilibrium position after being displaced. Terminal velocity is the constant maximum velocity reached by an object falling through a fluid when the downward gravitational force acting on the object is balanced by the upward drag force due to the fluid. Static equilibrium is a state in which an object is at rest and the resultant force and resultant torque acting on it is zero. Translational equilibrium is a state in which an object is moving with constant velocity in a straight line and the resultant force acting on it is zero. Rotational equilibrium is a state in which an object does not rotate or is rotating with constant angular velocity and the resultant torque acting on it is zero.

© 2025 Simply Tuition. All Rights Reserved. 7 Chapter 4: Forces Force is the rate of change of momentum of an object with respect to time. Gravitational force, 𝑭𝑮 is the pull exerted by Earth’s gravity on any object. Electrostatic force, 𝑭𝑬 is the attractive or repulsive force between electric charges. Magnetic force, 𝑭𝑴 is the attractive or repulsive force between magnets. Friction, 𝒇 is the force that opposes or tends to oppose motion between surfaces in contact. Viscous Force (drag force), 𝒇𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒈 is the resistive force due to the fluid’s viscosity exerted by a fluid on an object moving through it. Air resistance is the frictional force exerted by air that opposes the motion of moving objects. Normal contact force, 𝑵 is the push exerted by a surface on an object pressing on it. This push is always perpendicular to the surface. Tension, 𝑻 is the pull exerted by a stretched spring, string, or rope on an object attached to it. Mass, 𝒎 is a measure of the amount of matter in a body. Weight 𝑾 is the gravitational force acting on an object that has mass. 𝑊 = 𝑚𝑔 Apparent weight is the perceived weight of an object that is influenced by the acceleration of the system that the object is placed in. Component forces are individual forces that combine to produce a resultant force in a specific direction. These components are projections of a force vector along mutually perpendicular axes, typically represented as horizontal (x-axis) and vertical (y-axis) components in two-dimensional space. 𝐹𝑥 = 𝐹 cos 𝜃 𝐹𝑦 = 𝐹 sin 𝜃 Hooke’s law states that the extension or compression of a spring, 𝑥 is directly proportional to the force exerted by the spring, 𝐹 provided the elastic limit is not exceeded. 𝐹 = 𝑘𝑥 Spring constant is a measure of a spring’s stiffness. 𝑘𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 = ( 1 𝑘1 + 1 𝑘2 ) −1 𝑘// = 𝑘1 + 𝑘2 Centre of gravity of an object is an imaginary point where the entire weight of the object seems to act. Moment of a force, 𝑴 abou