Physics Vocab Review

Momentum

the force with which something moves ( \=mass x velocity)

mass

the amount of matter in an object

Velocity

the speed of an object in a particular direction

Inertia

The tendency of an object to resist a change in motion

Newton's Second Law

Force equals mass times acceleration

Newton's Third Law

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction

Newton's First Law

An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Force

A push or pull exerted on an object

Net Force

The sum of all forces acting on an object

Free Body Diagram

a diagram showing all the forces acting on an object

Newtons

The unit of measurement for force

Speed

The distance an object travels per unit of time

Motion

An object's change in position relative to a reference point.

reference point

A place or object used for comparison to determine if an object is in motion

Friction

A force that opposes motion

rolling friction

friction that occurs when an object rolls over a surface

static friction

a friction force that acts on objects that are not moving

sliding friction

friction that occurs when one solid surface slides over another

fluid friction

friction that occurs as an object moves through a fluid

Acceleration

The rate at which velocity changes

Balanced forces

All forces acting on an object are equal, resulting in no change in motion

Unbalanced forces

Forces that produce a nonzero net force, which changes an object's motion

Rest

The state of an object when it is not in motion