Unit 2: Force & Motion

IPC

Motion

When an object changes its position

Reference point

An indicator that orients you; the place from where you measure, record, or witness an event

Distance

How far an object has moved

Displacement

Distance and direction of an object's change in position; difference from starting to ending point

Speed

The distance an object travels per unit of time

Average speed

Total distance traveled divided by total time traveled

Velocity

The speed of an object and the direction of its motion

Instantaneous speed

The speed at any given point; what shows up on your speedometer

Acceleration

A rate of change of velocity over time

Force

Push or pull one object exerts on another

Net force

The combining of forces when two or more forces act on an object

Inertia

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

Air resistance

Resistance an object feels when traveling through the air

Law of Universal Gravitation

Any two masses exert an attractive force on each other

Law of Conservation of Momentum

Momentum is never created or destroyed in a collision, it is only transferred.

Applied force

Push or pull applied to an object

Normal force

A contact force that surfaces exert against solid objects to prevent them from passing through

Friction

Resistance to motion when two objects are in contact with one another

Weight

The force of gravity on an object

Gravity

The attraction two objects have on one another

Momentum

Mass in motion