Newton's Laws and Concepts

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to Newton's laws, motion, and forces.

Force

A push or pull exerted on an object, measured in Newtons (N).

f=m X a

Newton (N)

A unit of measure that equals the force required to accelerate 1 kilogram of mass at 1 meter per second.

Net Force

The overall force on an object when all the individual forces acting on it are added together.

Balanced Force

When the net force on an object is 0 N; all the forces on the object cancel out, and the object's motion doesn't change.

Unbalanced Forces

When the net force on an object is not 0 N; the forces on the object do not cancel out, and the object's motion changes.

Motion

An object's change in position compared to a reference point.

Newton's First Law of Motion

An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains in motion at a constant velocity unless acted on by a nonzero net force.

Newton's Second Law of Motion

An object's acceleration depends on its mass and on the net force acting on it (F=ma).

Newton's Third Law of Motion

If one object exerts a force on another object, then the second object exerts a force of equal strength and opposite direction on the first object.

Constant Velocity

A speed that does not change; this includes how fast it is and the direction it is in.

Inertia

The tendency of an object to resist a change in motion.

Momentum

The product of an object's mass and velocity, typically expressed as p = mv.

Law of Conservation of Momentum

In the absence of outside forces, the total momentum of interacting objects does not change.

Buoyant Force

The upward force exerted by a fluid on a submerged object.

Mass

The amount of matter in an object, measured in kilograms (kg).

m=f/a

Acceleration

The rate at which velocity changes over time; an object accelerates if its speed, direction, or both change, measured in m/s².

a=f/m

Calculus

A branch of mathematics that was developed by Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.

Optics

The area of science that studies light, which was also studied by Isaac Newton.

Velocity

The speed of an object in a specific direction, e.g., 55 mph East.