Overview

This topic explores the principles of energy, forces, and the laws that govern motion and heat. It includes classical mechanics, forms of energy, Newton's laws, work, power, and the laws of thermodynamics that describe how energy moves and changes.

Key Concepts and Laws

• Energy: The capacity to do work. Exists in forms such as kinetic, potential, thermal, chemical, and nuclear energy.
• Force: A push or pull on an object. Measured in newtons (N).
• Newton’s Laws of Motion:
  • 1st Law (Inertia): An object remains at rest or in motion unless acted upon by an external force.
  • 2nd Law: Force = mass × acceleration (F = ma).
  • 3rd Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
• Work: Occurs when a force moves an object. Work = force × distance
• Power: The rate at which work is done. Power = work / time
• Temperature: A measure of the average kinetic energy of particles in a substance.
• Heat: The transfer of thermal energy due to temperature difference. Always flows from hotter to cooler areas.
• 1st Law of Thermodynamics: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed (conservation of energy).
• 2nd Law of Thermodynamics: In any energy transfer, some energy becomes unusable (entropy increases).
• States of Matter: Solid, liquid, gas — each with different particle arrangements and energy levels.

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