Newton's Laws of Motion – Practice Quiz Questions

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering Newton's three laws of motion, types of forces, net force concepts, and variables in the second law equation based on 8th Grade Integrated iScience Course 3, Chapter 2.

Net Force

The overall force acting on an object after combining all individual forces acting upon it.

Newton's 1st Law of Motion

The law stating that an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion at a constant speed and in a straight line unless acted upon by a net force, explaining why dishes stay in place when a tablecloth is yanked or why dust stays put when a rug is beaten.

Newton's 2nd Law of Motion

The law stating that the acceleration of an object depends directly upon the net force acting on it and inversely upon its mass, represented by the formula $F = m \times a$.

Newton's 3rd Law of Motion

The law stating that whenever one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts an equal force in the opposite direction on the first object, forming an action-reaction force pair.

Gravitational Force ($F_g$)

The downward pull exerted on an object by gravity, commonly identified as weight.

Normal Force ($F_N$)

The upward supporting force exerted perpendicular to a surface that supports the weight of an object resting on it.

Friction / Air Resistance ($F_f$)

A contact force that opposes the motion of an object as it slides across a surface or moves through the air.

Applied Force ($F_{app}$)

A force that is applied to an object by a person or another object through direct pushing or pulling.

Tension Force ($F_T$)

The pulling force transmitted axially through a string, rope, cable, or wire when pulled tight by forces from opposite ends.

Thrust Force ($F_{thrust}$)

The propulsion force produced by an engine that pushes a vehicle, such as a car or rocket, forward.

Newton ($\text{N}$)

The standard unit of force, equivalent to $1\,\text{kg}\cdot\text{m/s}^2$.

Mass ($m$)

The amount of matter in an object, measured in kilograms ($\text{kg}$), which resists changes in acceleration when a force is applied.

Acceleration ($a$)

The rate of change of velocity per unit of time, measured in meters per second squared ($\text{m/s}^2$).

Balanced Forces

Opposing forces of equal size acting in opposite directions on an object, producing a net force of zero and no acceleration.

Force Pair

A pair of equal-sized forces that act in opposite directions simultaneously on two interacting objects, as described by Newton's 3rd law of motion.