Newton's first law of motion (summary)
An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion at a constant velocity stays at that constant velocity unless an unbalanced force acts upon it. Basically an unbalanced force is needed to change an object's motion. (inertia)
Newton's second law of motion (summary)
The acceleration of an object depends on its mass and the net force applied to it. F= MA (mass x acceleration)
Newton's third law of motion
Every action force has a reaction force that is equal in strength but opposite in direction. A pushes B to the left so B pushes A to the right with equal force.
Balanced forces
forces are balanced when the net force (combination of all of the forces acting on an object) acting on an object is 0. The motion of the object does not change. Forces that do not cause motion.
Unbalanced forces
forces are unbalanced when the net force acting on an object is not 0. The motion of the object does change. Forces that cause motion.
momentum
a characteristic of a moving object that equals mass multiplied by velocity. A way to quantify an object's motion. Mo = MV
gravity
a force of attraction that pulls all objects in the universe towards each other
weight
a measurement of the force of gravity between an object and the planet it's on
potential energy
energy that is stored; potential energy that depends on weight and height is gravitational PE (GPE = MGH mass x acceleration due to gravity x height above surface)
kinetic energy
the energy of motion that depends on mass and velocity. (KE = 0.5MV2)
acceleration
the rate at which velocity changes - increasing speed, decreasing speed or changing direction over time
velocity
speed in a given direction
transfer of energy
occurs when work is done to an object. One object gives energy to another object.
conservation of energy
when energy is transformed (converted from one form to another form: for example KE PE) or transferred no energy is destroyed in the process. Energy cannot be created or destroyed
transfer of momentum
when one object gives momentum to another object during a collision
conservation of momentum
the total momentum of a group of objects is the same before and after the objects interact unless outside forces act on the objects.
force
a push or a pull
mass
the amount of matter in an object