Motion & Forces - Section 1 Study Guide

Flashcards covering key motion and forces concepts including motion, distance, displacement, speed definitions, and speed calculations.

Newton's First Law of Motion

An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by a net external force.

Newton's Second Law of Motion

The acceleration of an object depends on its mass and the net force applied, expressed as $F = m a$.

Newton's Third Law of Motion

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

Static friction

The force that prevents two stationary surfaces from sliding past each other; example: a heavy cabinet remaining still when pushed gently.

Sliding friction

The force that opposes two surfaces sliding past each other; example: a sled moving across ice.

Rolling friction

The resistive force that opposes a circular object moving across a surface; example: a bicycle tire rolling on asphalt.

Fluid friction

The resistive force that opposes motion through a liquid or gas; example: a swimmer moving through water.

Linear motion

Movement of an object along a straight path.

Circular motion

Movement of an object along a curved or circular path.

Oscillatory motion

Repetitive back-and-forth movement around a central position.

Speed

The rate at which an object covers distance, calculated as $v = \frac{d}{t}$.

Velocity

The speed of an object in a specific given direction.

Acceleration

The rate of change of velocity over time, calculated as $a = \frac{\Delta v}{t}$.

Direction

The path along which an object moves relative to a frame of reference.

Force

A push or pull acting upon an object resulting from its interaction with another object.

Inertia

The tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion.

Centripetal force

The net inward force required to keep an object moving in a circular path.

Centripetal acceleration

The inward acceleration directed toward the center of a circular path.