Understanding Motion and Forces

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary related to motion and forces, including definitions of key concepts.

Motion

A change in position of an object with respect to a frame of reference.

Relative Motion

Movement of one object compared to another object.

Frame of Reference

A set of coordinates used to determine the position and velocity of objects.

Scalar Quantity

A quantity that has magnitude only, for example, distance and speed.

Vector Quantity

A quantity that has both magnitude and direction, such as displacement and velocity.

Distance

The total length of the path traveled by an object; a scalar quantity.

Displacement

The shortest distance between an object's initial and final position; a vector quantity.

Speed

The rate at which an object moves over a distance; a scalar quantity.

Velocity

The rate at which an object changes its position, including direction; a vector quantity.

Acceleration

The rate at which an object changes its velocity; a vector quantity measured in m/s².

Gravity

The attraction between two masses due to their mass and distance between them.

Newton's First Law

An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Newton's Second Law

The acceleration of an object depends on the net force acting upon the object and the object's mass (F=ma).

Newton's Third Law

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

Balanced Forces

Forces that are equal in size but opposite in direction, resulting in a net force of zero.

Unbalanced Forces

Forces that cause a change in motion; they do not cancel each other out.

Friction

a force that resists the motion of an object relative to another object.

Tension

A force that pulls inwards when a solid object is stretched

Normal

The force that surfaces exert to prevent solid objects from passing through them

Applied

A force exerted by