Forces and Newton's Laws of Motion

A collection of flashcards covering key vocabulary and definitions related to forces and Newton's laws of motion.

Force

Any push or pull acting on an object.

Net Force

The sum of all forces acting on a single object.

Unbalanced Forces

When the net force is greater than zero, resulting in movement (acceleration).

Balanced Forces

When the net force is equal to zero, resulting in no change in movement (equilibrium).

Newton's 1st Law of Motion

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

Inertia

The reluctance to change in motion, directly related to an object's mass.

Newton's 2nd Law of Motion

Force equals mass times acceleration (F = ma).

Gravity

The acceleration due to gravity on Earth, approximately 9.8 m/s (squared).

Weight

A measure of the force of gravity on an object, calculated as mass times gravitational constant.

Momentum

Mass times velocity; cannot be created or destroyed according to the Conservation of Momentum Law.

Newton's 3rd Law of Motion

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

Friction

The force that opposes the relative motion of two surfaces in contact.

Static Friction

The friction that must be overcome to make a stationary object move.

Sliding Friction

The friction between two objects that are sliding against each other.

Rolling Friction

The friction occurring when an object rolls over a surface.

Fluid Friction

The friction between a liquid or gas and another object.

Air Resistance

A form of fluid friction that opposes the motion of an object through air.

Free Fall

A state in which the only force acting on an object is gravity.

Terminal Velocity

The maximum speed an object can reach when the force of air resistance equals the force of gravity, resulting in no acceleration.

Equilibrium

A state where balanced forces result in no change in movement.

Universal Law of Gravitation

States that all objects in the universe attract each other with a force proportional to their masses.

Acceleration

The rate of change of velocity of an object.

SI Unit of Force

The Newton, defined as kg·m/s².

SI Unit of Mass

The kilogram (kg).

SI Unit of Acceleration

Meters per second squared (m/s²).

Acceleration due to Gravity

The acceleration experienced by an object due to gravitational pull, approximately 9.8 m/s² on Earth.

Mass

A measure of the amount of matter in an object.

Velocity

The speed of an object in a particular direction.

Distance

The total movement of an object, regardless of direction.

Speed

The distance traveled per unit of time.