Physics Final Prep: 101 Facts You Should Know
Sample problems from the Regents named.
Mechanics
1. Displacement is the vector distance from start to finish, while distance is the scalar
measure of the total ground traveled. ('12, 1)
2. Speed is distance divided by time, while velocity is displacement divided by time. ('12, 2,
37)
3. Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.
4. Velocity, displacement, momentum, force and acceleration are vectors. ('11: 1, '11: 6669)
5. Magnitude is a term used to state how large a vector quantity is without regard to its
direction. ('11: 3)
6. An object that is slowing down has an acceleration vector that points in the opposite
direction from its velocity vector. ( )
7. Speed, distance, and time are scalar quantities. ('11: 1)
8. The slope of the velocity-time graph is acceleration. ()
9. The slope of the distance-time graph is velocity. ()
10. The area under the velocity-time graph is distance. ('11: 37)
11. An accelerating object will have a curved displacement-time graph and a linear velocitytime graph. ()
12. The kinematic equations describe the motion of uniformly accelerated objects. ('12: 6, 8,
'11: 2, 3)
13. A projectile will have a vertical velocity of zero at the top of its trajectory ('11: 5)
14. An object in free-fall has an acceleration of g=9.8 m/sec2. . ('11: 4)
15. Action-reaction. ('12: 47)
16. Constant velocity and zero velocity means the net force is zero and acceleration is zero
(Equilibrium). ('12, 7, '11:12)
17. Weight (in newtons) is mass x acceleration due to gravity (Fg = mg). Mass is not weight!
('12: 13)
18. The normal force acting on a body is perpendicular to the surface it rests upon. On a level
surface, in the absence of other unbalanced vertical forces, the normal force on an object
will be equal to the force due to gravity on that object. ('11: 53)
19. At zero (0) degrees two vectors have a resultant equal to the sum of their magnitudes. 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. ('12, 12)
20. An unbalanced force (object not in equilibrium) must produce acceleration. ('11: 6, 5152)
21. Frictional force is equal to normal force times a coefficient of friction. ('12: 11, '11: 5455)
22. Any two massive bodies have an attractive gravitational force between them. ('12: 58-59,
'11: 8)
23. Weight (force of gravity) decreases as you move away from the earth by distance
squared. ('12, 42)
24. Vectors in two dimensions can be decomposed into x and y components. ('12, 3, '11:39)
25. A body on an inclined plane has a weight vector pointing straight down, a normal force
pointing perpendicular to the plane, and a force parallel to the plane. ()
26. Mass and inertia are directly proportional. ('12, 5, '11: 13)
27. Centripetal force is equal to mass times velocity squared, divided by the radius of the
circle described. ('12: 9, '11: 7)
28. Centripetal force and centripetal acceleration vectors are toward the center of the circle
described, while the velocity vector is tangent to the circle. ('12, 16)
29. For 2-dimensional projectile problems, the acceleration in the y direction is constant and
9.8 m/s2, while the acceleration in the x-direction is zero. ('12: 56-57, '11: 11)
30. Momentum is mass times velocity. ('12: 10)
31. Momentum is conserved in all collision systems. ('12, 38)
32. Impulse is equal to both change in momentum and force times time. ('12: 54-55, '11:38)