Club Handouts
In-depth notes and problem sets for F=MA Olympiad preparation, written and curated by the VCHS Physics Club.
Kinematics
Position, velocity, acceleration, and projectile motion: the foundation of classical mechanics.
Dynamics
Newton's laws, free body diagrams, friction, and constraint problems with worked examples.
Work and Energy
Work-energy theorem, conservative forces, potential energy, and conservation of energy.
Springs & Circular Motion
Hooke's law, elastic potential energy, centripetal acceleration, and uniform circular motion.
Momentum
Linear momentum, impulse, elastic and inelastic collisions, and center of mass motion.
Rotation
Torque, moment of inertia, angular momentum, and rolling without slipping.
Oscillations
Simple harmonic motion, pendulums, mass-spring systems, and damped oscillations.
Gravitation
Newton's law of gravitation, gravitational potential energy, orbital mechanics, and Kepler's laws.
Fictitious Forces
Non-inertial reference frames, centrifugal and Coriolis forces, and rotating frame problems.
Problem Solving
Strategy, estimation, dimensional analysis, and olympiad-style problem-solving techniques.
Thermodynamics
Temperature, heat, ideal gas law, and thermodynamic processes: introductory slides.
Second Law of Thermodynamics
Entropy, heat engines, Carnot cycle, and the second law with applications.