science vocab (collisions unit)

Inertia

The idea that an object will continue its current motion until some force causes its speed or direction to change

Newton’s first law

An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion at constant speed (velocity), unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Newtons Second Law

An unbalanced force causes an object to accelerate. The acceleration of the object is equal to the net force acting on it divided by the object's mass.

Newtons Third Law

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

Peak force

Maximum amount of force at the point of contact

Magnitude

The maximum extent of size and direction for an object

Balanced forces

Forces that are equal in size and opposite in direction (net force is zero)

Unbalanced Forces

Forces applied in opposite directions that are not equal in size (net force is not zero)

Velocity

Velocity is the vector quantity that signifies the magnitude of the rate of change of position and also the direction of an object's movement.

Speed

Speed is the scalar quantity that Signifies only the magnitude of the rate of change of an object's movement.

Acceleration

Change in speed, direction, or both