Forces and Motion

Flashcards based on lecture notes about Forces and Newton's Laws

Force

A push or a pull acting on an object. It requires an agent and is a vector quantity.

Non-Contact Force

A force acting between objects not in physical contact, caused by a field.

Gravitational Force

A force between objects with mass. It is always attractive.

Magnetic Force

A force between magnetic objects or objects that can become magnetic. Can be attractive or repulsive.

Electrostatic Force

A force between charged objects. Can be attractive or repulsive.

Contact Force

A force that occurs when objects are physically touching.

Normal Force

The perpendicular support force a surface exerts on an object in contact with it.

Frictional Force

A force that opposes the motion of an object, acting parallel to the surface.

Air Resistance / Drag

A frictional force experienced by an object moving through air or another fluid.

Tension

A force transmitted through a rope, cable, or string when it is pulled tight.

Static Friction

The frictional force when an object is not moving. It resists the start of motion.

Kinetic Friction

The frictional force when an object is sliding or moving. Always less than static friction.

Inertia

The resistance of an object to a change in its state of rest or constant motion.

Net Force

The overall (resultant) force acting on an object after all forces are combined.

Free Body Diagram

A diagram that shows all forces acting on a single object with labeled arrows.

Newton’s First Law

An object remains at rest or in constant velocity unless acted upon by a net force.

Newton’s Second Law

When a net force acts on an object, it accelerates in the direction of the net force.

Newton’s Third Law

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, on different objects.