PHYSICAL SCIENCE

1. PLUTO was not considered a planet – it couldn’t clear away objects its orbital path
2. DOPPLER TECHNIQUE can detect…
a. the orbital periods of a planet having repeating stellar motion
b. velocity change of the star as a measure of a planet’s mass and orbital distance
3. COSMIC BACKGROUND RADIATION is…
a. nearly equally bright in all directions
b. currently brightest in the radio (microwave) part of the spectrum
c. came from glowing gas at the time the universe became transparent
4. BLUE SHIFT – object is moving toward the observer
5. RED SHIFT – object is moving away from the observer
6. EINSTEIN’S SPECIAL RELATIVITY – PRINCIPLE: the laws of Physics are the same in moving and
non-moving frames of reference
a. SECOND POSTULATE OF SPECIAL RELATIVITY: the speed of light is constant regardless
of the speed of the observer or the light source
7. According to the Theory of Special Relativity, relative to a stationary observer, a moving clock
always runs slower than normal time
8. TIME DILATION - the amount by which measured time interval is greater than corresponding
proper time interval
9. COULOMB’S SECOND LAW - The force of attraction or repulsion between two magnetic poles is
inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
10. SUNSETS ARE RED - Because there are more atmospheric particles that scatter red and orange
light
11. CLOUDS ARE WHITE - Because the air and droplets of water in clouds do not absorb light
12. RAINBOWS – form a spectrum of light (rainbows act like prisms separating light into different
colors)
Causes:
a. Diffraction
b. Reflection
c. Refraction
13. Warmer colors of a shirt exposed in artificial light – more red and yellow reflected
14. Q: Why does red laser light pass through a red cellophane but not in green?
A: Because red cellophane reflects red light
15. MIRRAGE – occurs due to the total internal reflection by layers of air
16. CONCAVE LENS – create upright and smaller image
17. DIFFRACTION – light enters a small opening and gets dispersed
18. Young’s Double Slit Experiment and Photoelectric Experiment – demonstrates wave-particle
duality of light
19. LAW OF INERTIA – an object in motion tends to be in motion, an object at rest will remain at
rest unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
Ex. Being thrown out of the window of a car during a collision
20. FORCE (f) = Mass (m) x Acceleration (a) or f =ma
21. ACCELERATION – increase in speed. If speed does not change, it is said to be in CONSTANT
MOTION
22. NEWTON’S LAWS
 First Law: LAW OF INERTIA
Second Law: LAW OF ACCELERATION
Third Law: LAW OF PUSH or PULL (for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction)
23. SOUND WAVE is a LONGITUINAL WAVE
24. VISIBLE SPECTRUM is what you see when light passes through a prism, or when a rainbow is
formed
25. ELASTIC COLLISION is when two objects that collide move separately after collision
26. POROJECTILE MOTION is parabolic motion of objects thrown
27. TYCHO BRAHE’s collection of data of the ORBITAL PATH OF MARS became Johannes Kepler
basis for his study of the elliptical motion of the planets
28. KEPLER’S LAWS:
First Law: LAW OF ELLIPSES
Second Law: LAW OF EQUAL AREA AND TIME
Third Law: LAW OF PERIODS OR HARMONY
29. Galileo observed FIXED STARS
30. TYCHO BRAHE’S model, the Earth is seen at the center of the universe
PTOLEMY’S model – Earth is the center of the planetary system
COPSERNICUS’ model – the Sun is the center of the solar system
31. What terrestrial motion is exhibited by the daily motion of the stars and other celestial objects
across the sky?

32. How many years does the Earth complete a cyclical wobble in its axis during precession?
33. If the Earth is a disc or flat, things moving away from an observer will appear smaller until it
disappears
34. RETROGRADE motion is the apparent backward motion of planets
35. Once an object reaches maximum upward acceleration without air resistance, the acceleration
at its highest point is downward