Science: Physics

Second Law

F = M x A; describes the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration.

Weight Formula

Fg = mg; calculates weight based on mass and gravitational acceleration.

Displacement

final position - initial position; measures the change in position of an object.

Speed

distance/time; the rate at which an object moves.

Velocity

displacement/time; speed with direction.

Average Speed

total distance travelled/total time taken; indicates overall speed during a time interval.

Average Velocity

total displacement/total time; considers direction in speed calculation.

Average Acceleration

change in speed/time; measures how quickly speed changes.

Force

a push, pull, or twist acting on an object.

Magnetism

a force that enables compasses to work; can be attractive or repulsive.

Air Resistance

force acting against an object moving through air.

Gravity

attractive force between masses; greater mass results in greater gravitational attraction.

Electrostatic Force

force between charged objects; can be attractive or repulsive.

Nuclear Force

holds the nucleus of an atom together.

Tension

force experienced when a material is stretched.

Compression

force experienced when a material is squashed.

Friction

force opposing motion between two surfaces; acts in the opposite direction of movement.

Attractive Force

pulls objects closer together.

Repulsive Force

pushes objects apart.

Contact Forces

require physical contact to have an effect (e.g., friction).

Non-contact Forces

do not require physical contact (e.g., gravity).

Resistive Force

acts opposite to the action force.

Thrust

forward push force.

Upthrust

upward force in a fluid.

Balanced Forces

equal in magnitude and opposite in direction; result in no change in motion.

Unbalanced Forces

not equal; result in acceleration or deceleration.

Mass

measure of the amount of matter in an object.

Weight

measure of the gravitational pull on an object; calculated as Fg = mg.

Inertia

tendency of an object to remain at rest or in uniform motion unless acted upon.

Action Force

force applied to an object.

Reaction Force

force that is equal and opposite to the action force.

Scalar Quantity

fully described by a number (e.g., mass, speed).

Vector Quantity

described by both a number and direction (e.g., velocity, force).

Distance

total path length traveled; a scalar quantity.

Displacement

shortest path between two points; a vector quantity.

Speed

rate of motion; a scalar quantity.

Velocity

speed with direction; a vector quantity.

Acceleration

rate of change of velocity; a vector quantity.

Terminal Velocity

final constant velocity of a falling object.

Position-Time Graph

shows an object's position over time; slope indicates velocity.

Velocity-Time Graph

shows an object's velocity over time; area under the graph indicates displacement.