Chapter 3: Force and Motion

Vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental definitions, laws, and equations of Force and Motion from Chapter 3 notes.

Force

A vector quantity used to produce a change in motion or velocity, scientifically described as a push or pull, with SI units of Newtons ($N$).

Balanced Force

The condition that occurs when the net force acting on an object is equal to zero.

Unbalanced Force

The condition that occurs when the net force acting on an object is anything other than zero.

Newton's First Law of Motion

The law stating that an object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted on by an external, unbalanced force; also known as the law of inertia.

External Force

An applied force exerted on or to an object or system from the outside.

Internal Force

A force exerted within a system (such as pushing on the floor or dashboard inside an automobile) that has no effect on the system's velocity.

Inertia

The natural tendency of an object to remain in a state of rest or in uniform motion in a straight line, which depends directly on the object's mass.

Newton's Second Law of Motion

The law explaining the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration, expressed mathematically as $F = m \times a$.

Mass

The amount of matter that an object contains.

Weight

The force of gravity acting on an object, measured in Newtons ($N$) and calculated using the formula $W = m \times g$.

Acceleration due to Gravity ($g$)

The standard gravitational acceleration of $9.8$, which is independent of the mass of a freely falling object.

Newton's Third Law of Motion

The law stating that forces always occur in pairs and for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction ($F_1 = -F_2$).

Newton's Law of Gravitation

The law stating that every particle in the universe attracts every other particle with a force directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Linear Momentum

A vector quantity defined as the product of an object's mass and velocity ($p = m \times v$), sharing the same direction as velocity, with SI unit $kg \times m/s$.

Angular Momentum

The momentum that arises when objects move in paths around a center of motion or axis of rotation, defined as $L = m \times v \times r$ with SI unit $kg \times m^2/s$.