Physical Science Chapter 12 Vocab

Force

a push or pull that acts on an object

Newton

the force that causes a 1-kilogram mass to accelerate at a rate of one meter per second each second (m/second squared)

Net Force

the overall force acting on an object after all the forces are combined

Friction

force that opposes the motion of objects that touch as they move past each other

Static Friction

the friction force that acts on objects that aren't moving

Sliding Friction

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

Rolling Friction

the friction force that acts on rolling objects

Fluid Friction

opposes the motion of an object through a fluid

Gravity

a force that acts between any two masses

Terminal Velocity

the constant velocity of a falling object when the force of air resistance equals the force of gravity

Projectile Motion

the motion of a falling object (projectile) after it is given an initial forward velocity

Inertia

the tendency of an object to resist a change in motion

Mass

a measure of the inertia of the object and depends on the amount of matter the object contains

Weight

the force of gravity acting on an object

Momentum

the product of an object's mass and it's velocity (momentum=mass x velocity)

Law of Conservation of Momentum

if no net force acts on a system, then the total momentum of the system doesn't change

Electromagnetic Force

is associated with charged particles

Strong Nuclear Force

a powerful force of attraction that acts only on neutrons and protons in a nucleus, holding them together

Weak Nuclear Force

an attractive force that only acts over a short range

Gravitational Force

an attractive force that acts between any two masses

Centripetal Force

a center directed force that continuously changes the direction of an object to make it move in a circle