Archimedes Principle – Definition, Formula and Explanation
Have you ever watched a cruise ship—one that weighs thousands of tons—glide effortlessly across the ocean and wondered, how does it not sink? Why does a small stone plummet straight to the bottom of a lake, but a giant metal vessel floats? The answer lies in one of the most fascinating concepts in physics: Archimedes […]
Newtons Law of Gravitation – Definition, Derivation and Formula
Newtons law of gravitation states that every body in this universe attracts every other body with a force which is directly proportional to the product of their masses and is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Suppose there are two bodies A and B of masses $m_1$ and $m_2$. Let $r$ […]
Elastic Collision in One Dimension
Elastic collision in one dimension involves two bodies moving initially along the same straight line, striking each other without losing kinetic energy, and continuing to move along the same straight line after the collision. Suppose two balls A and B, of masses $m_1$ and $m_2$, are moving initially along the same straight line with velocities […]
Potential Energy
Potential energy refers to the energy a body possesses due to its position or configuration in a force field. This energy is connected to how objects in a system are arranged and the forces they exert on each other. If the arrangement or configuration changes, so does the potential energy. There are two main types […]
Potential Energy of a Spring or Elastic Potential Energy
When we perform work on the spring, whether by compressing or stretching it, this energy is stored within the spring as elastic potential energy. Therefore, the potential energy of a spring is tied to how much it is compressed or expanded. There are various types of springs, but two that stand out are helical springs and […]
Collision – Definition and Types of Collision
The term “collision” often brings to mind images of objects crashing into each other. Common examples include cars crashing on a highway, a hammer hitting a nail, or billiard balls striking each other on a pool table. Collisions occur across a vast range of scales—from tiny particles like atoms colliding at microscopic levels to massive […]
Gravitational Field and Its Intensity
The space surrounding a material body in which its gravitational force of attraction can be measured is called its gravitational field. The gravitational force between two masses or the electrostatic force between two charges or the magnetic force between two magnetic poles does exist between them, even when they are at a distance from each […]
Inelastic Collision in One Dimension
An inelastic collision in one dimension is defined by some loss of kinetic energy during the event. Most everyday collisions result in some kinetic energy loss, making them inelastic by nature. If colliding bodies remain joined post-collision, such as mud sticking to a wall after being thrown, the collision is termed perfectly inelastic. This is […]
Principle of Conservation of Energy
This principle of conservation of energy states that in an isolated system, the total amount of energy remains constant over time. This means that energy cannot be created or destroyed; it only changes form. For example, the energy used in one form will always be balanced by an equal amount of energy transformed into other […]
Acceleration Due to Gravity
Acceleration due to gravity is defined as the constant acceleration produced in a body when it falls freely under the effect of gravity alone. The earth attracts every other body lying near or on its surface towards its center. The origin of this force between the earth and a body is due to the gravitational […]
