MCAT: Physics Essentials

What is Newton's First Law of Motion?

An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with a constant velocity unless acted upon by a net external force.

What is the formula for Ohm's Law?

V = IR, where V is voltage, I is current, and R is resistance.

How is Work defined in physics when force and displacement are at an angle?

Work (W) = Fd cos(theta), where F is force, d is displacement, and theta is the angle between them.

State Archimedes' Principle regarding buoyancy.

The buoyant force on an object submerged in a fluid is equal to the weight of the fluid that the object displaces.

What is the formula for Kinetic Energy?

KE = 1/2 mv^2, where m is mass and v is velocity.

What is the SI unit of Power and its definition in terms of work?

The Watt (W), which is defined as one Joule per second (J/s).

According to Bernoulli's Principle, what happens to the pressure of a fluid as its velocity increases?

As the velocity of a fluid increases, the static pressure exerted by the fluid decreases.

How do you calculate the total capacitance for capacitors connected in parallel?

C_total = C1 + C2 + C3 + ..., where you sum the individual capacitances directly.

Describe the Doppler Effect regarding frequency shifts.

The perceived frequency increases as the source and detector move toward each other and decreases as they move apart.

What is Snell's Law of Refraction?

n1 sin(theta1) = n2 sin(theta2), relating the indices of refraction and the angles of incidence and refraction.