Regents Physics Exam Prep: 101 Facts You Should Know

Compiled by Jim Davidson, High School Physics Teacher (Google: Regents physics 101)
Modified by Mr. Johnson

Mechanics
1. Weight (force of gravity) decreases as you move away from the earth by distance squared.
2. Inertia is based solely on mass.
3. Constant velocity or zero velocity means the net force is zero and acceleration is zero: We
call this equilibrium.
4. Weight (in Newtons) is mass times acceleration (w = mg). Mass (in Kg) is not weight!
5. Velocity, displacement [d], momentum, force and acceleration are vectors.
6. Speed, distance [d], time, and energy (joules) are scalar quantities.
7. The slope of the velocity-time graph is acceleration.
8. At zero (0) degrees two vectors have a resultant equal to their sum. At 180 degrees two
vectors have a resultant equal to their difference. From the difference to the sum is the
total range of possible resultants.
9. When adding vectors use the “tip to tail” method.
10. Centripetal force and centripetal acceleration vectors are toward the center of the circle-
while the velocity vector is tangent to the circle.
11. An unbalanced force (object not in equilibrium) must produce acceleration.
12. Use the coefficient of static friction if the object is not moving
13. Use the coefficient of kinetic friction if the object is moving
14. The force of friction is always opposite the velocity, or the direction it would move without
friction if it is at rest.
15. FN = Fg only when they are the only forces acting in the y direction.
16. The slope of the distance-time graph is velocity.
17. 45 degrees produces the best range.
18. For projectiles, complementary angles produce the same range.
19. For projectiles, the velocity in the x direction is constant
20. “Thrown horizontally” means the initial velocity in the y direction is zero.
21. For projectiles, the acceleration in the y direction is constant.
22. At the highest point on the parabola the velocity in the y direction is zero.

Momentum & Energy

23. In an explosion momentum is conserved. If the system was at rest before the explosion, the
total momentum of the system will be zero.
24. Momentum is conserved in all collision systems.
25. Magnitude is a term use to state how large a vector quantity is.
26. Mechanical energy is the sum of the potential and kinetic energies.
27. Unless work is being done by an outside force (not including F g), mechanical energy is constant
28. Units: a = [m/sec2], F = [kg•m/sec2] (a Newton), work = PE= KE = [kg•m2/sec2] (a Joule)
29. An eV is an energy unit equal to 1.6 x 10-19 joules
30. Gravitational potential energy increases as height increases.
31. Kinetic energy changes only if velocity changes.
32. Mechanical energy (PE + KE) does not change for a free falling mass or a swinging pendulum.
(when ignoring air friction)
33. Power [watts] is the same as the rate of change of energy [joules/sec].
34. There are numerous ways to find Power:
 Electricity
35. A coulomb is charge, an amp is current [coulomb/sec] and a volt is potential difference
[joule/coulomb].
36. Short fat cold wires make the best conductors.
37. Electrons and protons have equal amounts of charge (1.6 x 10 -19 coulombs each).
38. Adding a resistor in parallel decreases the total resistance of a circuit.
39. Adding a resistor in series increases the total resistance of a circuit.
40. All resistors in series have equal current (I).
41. All resistors in parallel have equal voltage (V).
42. If two charged spheres touch each other add the charges and divide by two to find the final
charge on each sphere.
43. Electrons cannot flow through insulators
44. Ionized gases conduct electric current using positive ions, negative ions and electrons.
45. Electric fields all point in the direction of the force on a positive test charge.
46. Electric fields between two parallel plates are uniform in strength (except at the edges).
47. Millikan determined the charge on a single electron using his famous oil-drop experiment.
48. All charge changes result from the movement of electrons not protons (an object becomes
positive by losing electrons)

Magnetism
49. The direction of a magnetic field is defined by the direction a compass needle points.
50. Magnetic field lines are always loops
51. Magnetic fields point from the north to the south outside the magnet and south to north
inside the magnet.
52. Left hands are for negative charges and right hands are for positive charges.
53. The first hand rule deals with the B-field around a current bearing wire, the second hand rule
is for solenoids, and the third hand rule looks at the force on charges moving in a B-field,
54. Solenoids are stronger with more current or more wire turns or adding a soft iron core.
55. Pulling a portion of a loop of wire perpendicularly through a magnetic field produces a
current

Wave Phenomena
56. Sound waves are longitudinal and mechanical.
57. The speed of sound at STP (standard temperature and pressure is 331 m/s.
58. Light slows down, bends toward the normal and has a shorter wavelength when it enters a
higher (n) value medium. Remember: “SOFA & FAST”
59. Light rays bend away from the normal as they gain speed and a longer wavelength by
entering a slower (n) medium {frequency remains constant}.
60. All angles in wave problems are measured to the normal.
61. In a plane mirror the image is virtual, the same size as the object. It appears as far behind
the mirror as the image is in front of the mirror.
62. Blue light has more energy than red light. A shorter wavelength and a higher frequency than
red light (remember- ROYGBV).
63. The electromagnetic spectrum (gamma, x-ray, Ultraviolet, visible, infrared, microwave and
radio) are listed lowest highest energy to lowest.
64. A prism produces a rainbow from white light by dispersion (red bends the least because it
slows the least).
65. Light wave are transverse (they can be polarized).
66. The speed of all types of electromagnetic waves is 3.0 x 10 8 m/sec in a vacuum.
67. The amplitude of a sound wave determines its energy for sound: loudness; for light brightness
68. Amplitude is the maximum displacement from the rest position.
69. Constructive interference occurs when two waves are zero (0) degrees out of phase or a
whole number of wavelengths (360 degrees.) out of phase.
70. According to the Doppler Effect if a wave source moving toward you, you will “experience”
waves with a shorter wavelength and higher frequency than what is being produced.
71. Double slit diffraction works because of diffraction and interference.
72. As the frequency of a wave increases its energy increases and its wavelength decreases.
73. Transverse wave particles vibrate back and forth perpendicular to the wave direction.
74. Wave behavior is proven by diffraction, interference and the polarization of light.
75. Shorter waves with higher frequencies have shorter periods.
76. Radio waves are electromagnetic and travel at the speed of light (c).
77. Monochromatic light has one frequency.
Modern Physics
78. The particle behavior of light is proven by the photoelectric effect.
79. A photon is a particle of light {wave packet}.
80. All electromagnetic waves originate from accelerating charged particles.
81. The frequency of a light wave determines its energy (E = hf).
82. The lowest energy state of an atom is called the ground state.
83. Increasing light frequency increases the kinetic energy of the emitted photo-electrons.
84. The atom will emit a photon with an exact amount of energy as an electron falls to a lower
energy level
85. The atom must absorb a photon with an exact amount of energy for an electron to go to a
higher energy level
86. Increasing light intensity increases the number of emitted photo-electrons but not their KE.
87. Neutrons and protons are examples of baryons, the heaviest hadrons.
88. Baryons are made of three quarks
89. Mesons are made of a quark and an anti-quark. They are mid-weights
90. There are 12 fundamental particles (6 quarks and 6 leptons)
91. Leptons are the lightest particles. The electron is the most common lepton.
92. All hadrons and leptons have charges that are whole number multiples of e.
93. A line above a particle symbol means it is an antiparticle.
94. Antiparticles have the same mass but the opposite charge.
95. Annihilation is when a particle and its antiparticle are converted to energy.
96. Alpha particles are the same as helium nuclei and have the symbol .
97. All nuclei weigh less than their parts. This mass defect is converted into binding energy.
(E=mc2)
98. Rutherford discovered the positive nucleus using his famous gold-foil experiment.
99. The atom is mostly empty space with most of the mass and all of the positive charge in the
small central nucleus.
100. One AMU, the mass of a proton or neutron, is equal to 931 MeV of energy (E = mc 2).
101. The nuclear strong forces are incredibly strong yet short ranged; they only can be exerted
within the nucleus.