easy physic terms

test

Acceleration

The rate at which velocity changes; speeding up, slowing down, or changing direction.

Action- reaction forces

A pair of forces that act on different objects and are equal in size but opposite in direction

Average speed

Total distance travelled / total time taken

Balanced forces

Forces that are equal in size and opposite in direction, giving a net force of zero

Constant speed

Motion where speed does not change over time

Constant velocity

Motion at constant speed in a straight line

Deceleration

Acceleration that reduces speed

Displacement

The change in position of an object in a given direction

Distance

The total length of the path travelled, regardless of direction

Distance-time graph

A graph showing how distace travelled changes with time

Force

A push or pull that can change motion

Free body diagram

A diagram showing all the forces acting on an object

Gradient (slope)

How steep a graph is; shows speed on a distance-time graph and acceleration on a velocity-time graph

Inertia

Resistance of an object to a change in its motion

Instantaneous speed

Speed at a specific moment in time

Mass

The amount of matter in an object (kg)

Momentum

Mass x Velocity

Motion

Change in position of an object over time

Net force (resultant force)

The sum of all forces action on an object

Newton(N)

Unit used to measure force

Newton’s First Law (Law of inertia)

An object remains at rest or in uniform motion unless acted on by an unbalanced force

Newton’s Second Law

Acceleration depends on force and mass: F=ma

Newton’s third law

For every action force, there is an equal and opposite reaction force.

Position

Location of an object relative to an origin

Position-time graph (displacement-time graph)

Shows how position changes with time

Resultant force

Another term for net force

Scalar quantity

A quality with magnitude (size) only(e.g. distance, speed, time)

Speed

Distance travelled per unit time

Stationary

Not moving; zero speed

Time

Duration of motion

Unbalanced force

Forces that cause a change in speed or direction

Uniform motion

Motion at constant velocity

Vector quantity

A quantity with magnitude and direction (e.g. displacement, velocity, force)

Velocity

displacement per unit time; speed in a given direction

Velocity- time graph

Shows how velocity changes with time

Area under a velocity-time graph

Represents displacement

Negative direction

Motion opposite to a chosen positive direction

Zero gradient

Indicates no change in motion (constant speed or stationary)