Investigating Mass, Weight, Forces, and Motion

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering fundamental concepts of mass, weight, forces, vector quantities, and motion from Accelerated PCP physics labs.

Mass

A measure of the amount of matter in an object.

Balance

The instrument used to measure mass.

Kilogram

The SI unit for mass.

Weight

A measure of the force of gravity acting on an object ($F_G$).

Spring Scale

The instrument used to measure force.

Newton ($N$)

The SI unit for force.

Force

An interaction between two objects.

Vector Quantity

A physical quantity, such as force, that is described with vector notation.

Net Force

The sum of all the forces acting on an object.

Balanced Forces

A state where the sum of forces on each side is equal, resulting in no change in motion (e.g., an object not moving).

Unbalanced Forces

A state where there is a bigger force acting in one direction, producing a non-zero net force and causing motion (e.g., speeding up in the positive direction).