Forces and Motion Unit

Force

A push or a pull

Speed

the distance traveled divided by the time interval(d/t).

Velocity

the speed of an object in a particular direction

Acceleration

the rate at which velocity changes over time

Free fall

the motion of the body when only the force of gravity is acting on the body

Net Force

The combination of all forces acting on an object

Friction

The force that one surface exerts on another when the two rub against each other

Static Friction

a friction force that acts on objects that are not moving

Fluid Friction

friction that occurs as an object moves through a fluid

Rolling Friction

friction that occurs when an object rolls over a surface

Sliding friction

a friction force that opposes the motion of an object as it slides over a surface

Air Resistance

force that opposes the motion of objects that move through the air

Gravity

Attractive force between two objects that depends on the masses of the objects and the distance between them.

Inertia

Resistance of an object to a change in its motion

Mass

A measure of the amount of matter in an object

Weight

A measure of the gravitational force exerted (pushing) on an object.

Gravitational Force

an attractive force that acts between any two objects

Distance

the space that exists between two points

Terminal Velocity

the constant velocity of a falling object when the force of air resistance equals the force of gravity and the object stops accelerating toward the earth