Unit 2 Forces and Newton's Laws Vocabulary

Vocabulary review flashcards covering key terms, force definitions, and Newton's laws of motion.

Long Range Force

A force that is exerted without contact (also referred to as an at-a-distance force).

Newton's 1st Law

A body remains at rest or in motion with a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force.

Acceleration

The rate of change of velocity as a function of time. It is a vector quantity with SI units of $\text{m/s}^2$ (meters per second squared).

Force

A push or a pull; that which produces or prevents motion, or can impose a change of velocity on a material object.

Net Force

The results of a summation of all the forces acting on an object. It represents any unbalanced force remaining that will result in an acceleration (since $f = m \times a$).

Inertia

The name for the tendency of an object in motion to remain in motion, or an object at rest to remain at rest, unless acted upon by a force.

Newton's 2nd Law

The principle stating that the rate of change of momentum is proportional to the imposed force and goes in the direction of the force.

Contact Force

The force exerted when two physical objects come in direct contact with each other.

Tension

A force tending to stretch or elongate something, or the type of force transmitted through a string, rope, cable, or chain.

Weight

The force that gravitation exerts upon a body, equal to the mass of the body times the local acceleration of gravity, measured in Newtons ($\text{N}$).

Equilibrium

The state of a body or physical system at rest or in unaccelerated motion in which the resultant of all forces acting on it is zero and the sum of all torques about any axis is zero.

Newton's 3rd Law

The principle stating that for every action force there is an equal and opposite reaction force.

Terminal Velocity

The velocity at which a falling body moves through a medium, as air, when the force of resistance of the medium is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force of gravity.

Free Body Diagram

A depiction showing the sizes and direction of all forces acting on an object as though it were isolated.

Inversely Proportional Relationship

The relationship observed between mass and acceleration under a constant net force, where increasing mass causes acceleration to decrease proportionally.

Directly Proportional Relationship

The relationship observed between force and acceleration for a constant mass, where increasing the force causes a proportional increase in acceleration.