The Physics of Motion Vocabulary

Vocabulary practice cards covering fundamental concepts of physics, types of motion, branches of mechanics, fundamental forces, and kinematics parameters.

Mechanics

The branch of physics that deals with the study of how objects move and the forces that act upon them.

Motion

A change in position with respect to a frame or point of reference.

Frame of Reference

A coordinate system used by an observer to measure the position of an object.

Scalar Quantity

A physical quantity described strictly by magnitude (a numerical value and its unit) without direction.

Vector Quantity

A physical quantity described by both magnitude and direction.

Statics

The study of forces acting on objects that are currently in a state of equilibrium.

Dynamics

The study of objects that are actively altering their speed or direction (accelerating).

Kinematics

A branch of dynamics focusing on how objects move by describing trajectories using quantities like distance, displacement, time, velocity, and acceleration.

Kinetics

A branch of dynamics focusing on why objects move by deeply analyzing forces and Newton's laws of motion behind changes in motion.

Translational Motion

The movement of an object along a straight line or continuous path where every part of the object moves the exact same distance in the same direction; also known as linear motion.

Rotational Motion

Movement occurring when an object spins or moves along a circular path around a fixed, central line known as an axis of rotation; also referred to as angular motion.

Oscillatory Motion

The repetitive, back-and-forth movement of an object around a central, stable position known as the equilibrium point.

Periodic Motion

Any movement that repeats itself at regular, fixed intervals of time.

Period ($T$)

The constant duration required to complete one full cycle of periodic motion.

Contact Force

A force that requires direct physical contact between interacting objects or surfaces.

Friction

A resistive contact force caused by physical interaction and rubbing between two touching surfaces that acts opposite to the direction of movement.

Tension

A pulling contact force transmitted through an object like a rope, cable, string, or wire when pulled tight from opposite ends.

Applied Force

A direct contact force exerted by one object or body onto another.

Normal Force

A perpendicular supporting contact force exerted by a solid surface onto any object resting against it.

Noncontact Force

A force that does not require physical contact between objects or matter; also known as fundamental forces of the universe.

Strong Nuclear Force

The absolute strongest fundamental force in the universe that functions like a super-glue to keep nucleons (protons and neutrons) tightly bound inside an atom's nucleus.

Weak Nuclear Force

A fundamental force responsible for certain types of radioactive atomic decay and vital in fueling nuclear fusion inside stars.

Electromagnetic Force

A fundamental force governing all physical interactions between charged particles, giving atoms structure, holding chemical bonds together, and powering electronics.

Gravitational Force

An attractive force present between objects that possess mass at a relative distance; the weakest known fundamental force.

Distance

A scalar quantity tracking the total length of the continuous path an object travels, regardless of the direction it faces.

Displacement

A vector quantity measuring the straight-line change in position from an object's initial starting point to its final destination, specifying both numerical length and direction.

Speed

A scalar parameter expressing how fast an object covers ground over a period of time without tracking direction.

Velocity

A vector quantity expressing both how fast an object is moving and its exact direction of motion.

Acceleration

A vector quantity tracking the exact rate at which an object changes its velocity over time, such as speeding up, slowing down, or shifting directions.