Physics students will begin studying the concept of momentum this week in class. As I was collecting my thoughts about how I plan to introduce momentum, it occurred to me that we use the word
momentum in regular (English) language. In physics, momentum is defined quantitatively as the product of mass and velocity. Dictionary.com defines momentum (in common language, at least) as "impetus, as of a physical objector course of events." These two definitions--the physics one and the English one--complement each other nicely. Just as in common usage, an object in physics with a lot of momentum will be difficult to stop!
Can you think of other physics words or terms that also appear in the common vernacular? Do these words have similar meanings, or are they considerably different? Please give specific examples in your comments.
shouldnt displacement and distance work?..one is a measure of how far something has traveled and the other is a measure of the amount of space between an object and another object.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I understand the question but an easier deff for momentum for me would be the direction and speed of an object due too it's mass.....this could be wrong
ReplyDeleteI believe another word that has alternate physics and English meanings would be quantum. According to the free dictionary website, the word quantum can mean a specified portion, and(in the physics viewpoint) the smallest quantity of some physical property, such as energy, that a system can possess according to the quantum theory. In my opinion both definitions lie along the same key idea, an amount. So they are quite similar!
ReplyDeleteI thought of the word strangeness which in Physics is A quantum number equal to hypercharge minus baryon number, indicating the possible transformations of an elementary particle upon strong interaction with another elementary particle according to an online dictionary. But in vernacular it means being strange or weird. I thought that it was neat:).
ReplyDeletethe two words are different because the physics version is an equation to solve for momentum, while the english version of momentum is not an equation; just simply a regular definition
ReplyDeleteanother word that means the same in english and in physics is wave speed. in english it means the speed of the wave, or how fast it is moving. but in physics, wave speed = wavelenghtx frequency.
ReplyDeletethey are kind of close, but one is words, and one is a formula.
I think that a word that fits this topic excellently is weight. In physics, it is a measure of the effect of gravity on an object's mass, as evident by the equation Fg=mass*acceleration due to gravity. But in the English vernacular, it is a measure (sort of) of the effect that an object or idea has on another idea or person, as in "The vote this Wednesday carries enormous weight on the reelection of the senators." Or "The weight of the speaker's words greatly affected his audience." The word shows the effect that something has on something else, just like the physics definition, though the physics definition is a bit more straightforward, while the English idea is almost abstract.
ReplyDeleteAnother word that is present in physics that has a "Koine" meaning is acceleration; this one is much more obvious. In physics, it is any time that direction or speed change, such as when your heading changes from 270 degrees to 280, or when your speed changes from 50 mph to 60 mph. But in the vernacular version, specifically relating to automobiles, the only time you are accelerating is when your speed is changing, and even then, only if you are speeding up, not slowing down; in English, there is no negative acceleration, though it is quite common in physics. If you have cruise control on, and go around a curve, in vernacular language, you are not accelerating, though according to physics you are.
My third word is velocity. In physics it is the counterpart of a vector; it measures both distance and speed, while in vernacular it is only a measure of speed, like the Feet Per Second numbers on the back of a box of bullets.
Finally, my last word is work. In physics, it is the amount of energy transferred by a force acting through a distance. It is also a scalar quantity, meaning that it is not affected by direction, or heading. In the vernacular, work is any task that a person or animal or machine does. You "go to work", do "homework", "schoolwork", and sometimes even "Hardly" work. Two very different definitions. In english, you can work for hours without accomplishing anything. In physics, this is an example of friction triumphing over an opposing force, and you have merely wasted energy. I much prefer the English definition. ;P
Thanks for all the comments this week. Great examples, roseDesire!
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