Force
A push or pull exerted on an object. Measured in Newtons. Friction & gravity are forces. There are balanced and unbalanced forces.
Friction
The force that one surface exerts on another in opposite directions like when 2 objects rub together.
Gravity
On Earth, it is the force that pulls objects to the center of the Earth. Everything that has mass, has gravity. The more mass, the higher the gravitational pull. The force of attraction that exists between 2 objects.
Inertia
A tendency of objects to resist any change in motion. The more mass an object has, the greater the inertia it has or the greater its tendency to resist motion.
Speed
The distance covered within a certain unit of time. Rate of Speed = Distance/Time (e.g., 50 mph; 1,000,000,000 miles per second; 10 meters per second)
Momentum
The product of an object's mass & its velocity. Momentum = Mass * Velocity
Momentum is defined as the power of a moving object to keep moving.
Velocity
The rate at which an object is traveling a certain direction. Speed in a given direction, and usually the direction is stated (e.g., North at 45 mph; Southeast at 350 mph).
Acceleration
The rate at which an object changes its velocity. Change in speed over time (e.g., your car is stationary when you first get in, then it begins moving 5 mph for 2 seconds, then it goes 10 mph for 2 seconds, then it goes 15 mph for 2 seconds).
Balanced Force
One force is balanced by the other; will not change the object's motion. Equal forces pushing or pulling = no movement.
Unbalanced Force
Forces are not equal which causes an object to move, stop moving, or change direction (e.g., tug of war with one side being stronger).
Newton's First Law of Motion
The law of inertia" - if an object is in motion, it will stay in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force and an object will stay at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force.
Newton's Second Law of Motion
Force = mass * acceleration. The acceleration of an object depends upon its mass and the force applied to it. Larger mass will move less with the same amount of force applied to it.
Newton's Third Law of Motion
Forces occur in pairs. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. An airplane force moving forward, engines pushing air backward. Swimming - you move forward, water moves backward.
mass
The amount of matter in an object
centripetal
The type of force that keeps objects moving in a circle or arc.
kinetic
The energy of motion or the energy an object has as a result of its motion.
newton
A unit of measurement for force.
weight
The amount of force exerted on an object due to gravity.