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Physics Vocab

Action-Reaction - a scalar quantity that describes how the energy of a physical system has changed over time, a force that acts in the opposite direction to an action force

Coefficient of Friction - ratio of the frictional force resisting the motion of two surfaces in contact to the normal force pressing the two surfaces together

Contact Forces - any force that occurs as a result of two objects making contact with each other

Dynamic Equilibrium - a state of balance between continuing processes.

Equilibrant - a force capable of balancing another force and producing equilibrium

Equilibrium - If the size and direction of the forces acting on an object are exactly balanced, then there is no net force acting on the object and the object is said to be in equilibrium.

Field Force - the region of space surrounding a body, such as a charged particle or a magnet, within which it can exert a force on another similar body not in contact with it:

Force - a push or pull upon an object resulting from the object's interaction with another object.

Free Body Diagram - In physics and engineering, a free body diagram is a graphical illustration used to visualize the applied forces, moments, and resulting reactions on a body

Friction - force that resists the sliding or rolling of one solid object over another.

Gravitational Field Strength - the gravitational force in newtons that acts on a mass of one kilogram

Gravitational Force - the universal force of attraction acting between all matter, a force that attracts any two objects with mass

Kinetic Friction - a force that acts between moving surfaces.

Inertia - an object's resistance to change in its “state”

Net Force - the sum of all the forces acting on an object.

Newton - force necessary to provide a mass of one kilogram with an acceleration of one meter per second

Newton’s 1st Law - every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force.

Newton’s 2nd Law - the acceleration of an object is directly related to the net force and inversely related to its mass.

Newton’s 3rd Law - for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Normal Force - the force that surfaces exert to prevent solid objects from passing through each other. Perpendicular supportive force.

Projectile - an object upon which the only force is gravity

Resolution of Forces - a process of splitting the forces or dividing the forces into two or more parts which ultimately creates the same effect on the body that the single force would have created.

Resultant - is the vector sum of two or more vectors

Spring Force - The force exerted by spring to restore its relaxed state 

Static Equilibrium - the physical state in which a system's components are at rest and the net force is zero through the system

Static Friction - a force that keeps an object at rest

Tension - a force along the length of a medium, especially a force carried by a flexible medium, such as a rope or cable.

Thrust - a force or a push(mostly reactive)

Torque - a measure of the force that can cause an object to rotate about an axis.

Trajectory - A trajectory is a path taken up by a moving object that is following through space as a function of time.

Unbalanced Force - the force applied in one direction is greater than the force applied in the opposite direction.

Vector Component - A vector is a quantity that has both magnitude and direction. Vector components allow us to break a single vector quantity into two (or more) scalar quantities.

Weight - Weight is a force that acts at all times on all objects near Earth. The Earth pulls on all objects with a force of gravity downward toward the center of the Earth. (In Newtons)

Physics Vocab

Action-Reaction - a scalar quantity that describes how the energy of a physical system has changed over time, a force that acts in the opposite direction to an action force

Coefficient of Friction - ratio of the frictional force resisting the motion of two surfaces in contact to the normal force pressing the two surfaces together

Contact Forces - any force that occurs as a result of two objects making contact with each other

Dynamic Equilibrium - a state of balance between continuing processes.

Equilibrant - a force capable of balancing another force and producing equilibrium

Equilibrium - If the size and direction of the forces acting on an object are exactly balanced, then there is no net force acting on the object and the object is said to be in equilibrium.

Field Force - the region of space surrounding a body, such as a charged particle or a magnet, within which it can exert a force on another similar body not in contact with it:

Force - a push or pull upon an object resulting from the object's interaction with another object.

Free Body Diagram - In physics and engineering, a free body diagram is a graphical illustration used to visualize the applied forces, moments, and resulting reactions on a body

Friction - force that resists the sliding or rolling of one solid object over another.

Gravitational Field Strength - the gravitational force in newtons that acts on a mass of one kilogram

Gravitational Force - the universal force of attraction acting between all matter, a force that attracts any two objects with mass

Kinetic Friction - a force that acts between moving surfaces.

Inertia - an object's resistance to change in its “state”

Net Force - the sum of all the forces acting on an object.

Newton - force necessary to provide a mass of one kilogram with an acceleration of one meter per second

Newton’s 1st Law - every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force.

Newton’s 2nd Law - the acceleration of an object is directly related to the net force and inversely related to its mass.

Newton’s 3rd Law - for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Normal Force - the force that surfaces exert to prevent solid objects from passing through each other. Perpendicular supportive force.

Projectile - an object upon which the only force is gravity

Resolution of Forces - a process of splitting the forces or dividing the forces into two or more parts which ultimately creates the same effect on the body that the single force would have created.

Resultant - is the vector sum of two or more vectors

Spring Force - The force exerted by spring to restore its relaxed state 

Static Equilibrium - the physical state in which a system's components are at rest and the net force is zero through the system

Static Friction - a force that keeps an object at rest

Tension - a force along the length of a medium, especially a force carried by a flexible medium, such as a rope or cable.

Thrust - a force or a push(mostly reactive)

Torque - a measure of the force that can cause an object to rotate about an axis.

Trajectory - A trajectory is a path taken up by a moving object that is following through space as a function of time.

Unbalanced Force - the force applied in one direction is greater than the force applied in the opposite direction.

Vector Component - A vector is a quantity that has both magnitude and direction. Vector components allow us to break a single vector quantity into two (or more) scalar quantities.

Weight - Weight is a force that acts at all times on all objects near Earth. The Earth pulls on all objects with a force of gravity downward toward the center of the Earth. (In Newtons)