[Programs, objectives and hopes for the next biennium]

Understanding how an object moves along a path requires distinguishing between motion over a time span and motion at a precise moment. A useful example is a vehicle traveling along a straight and level path, where its position at any given time is known. The initial step in analyzing this motion is to measure how far the vehicle travels over a fixed time period. This measurement, called average velocity, is computed by dividing the total change in position by the duration over which the change...

A neutral atom consists of a positively charged nucleus surrounded by a negatively charged electron cloud. When placed in an external electric field, the external electric force pulls the electrons and nucleus apart, opposite to the intrinsic attraction between the nucleus and the electrons. The opposing forces balance each other with a slight shift between the center of masses of the nucleus and the electron cloud, resulting in a polarized atom. On the other hand, a few molecules, like water,...

Magnetic dipoles in magnetic materials are aligned when placed under an external magnetic field. For paramagnets and ferromagnets, dipole alignment occurs in the direction of the magnetic field. However, the dipoles align opposite to the field in the case of diamagnets. This state of magnetic polarization due to the external field is called magnetization. Magnetization is defined as the dipole moment per unit volume. It plays a similar role to polarization in electrostatics.
The vector...

The moment of inertia is a quantitative measure of the rotational inertia of an object. It is defined as the sum of the products obtained by multiplying the mass of each particle of matter in a given body by the square of its distance from the axis. The total moment of inertia for compound objects can be found by determining and adding the moment of inertia of individual components together.
Consider a child of mass (mc) 25 kg standing at a distance (rc) of 1 m from the axis of a rotating...

Consider a system comprising several point masses. The coordinates of the center of mass for this system can be expressed as the summation of the product of each mass and its position vector divided by the total mass:

The universe is composed of matter in different forms, and all forms of matter contain energy.  The different forms of energy on Earth originate from the Sun — the ultimate energy source. Plants capture light energy from the Sun, and, via the process of photosynthesis, convert it into chemical energy. This stored energy from plants can be harnessed in many ways. For example, eating plant products as food provides energy for our body to function, and burning wood or coal (fossilized...