Forces and Motion Vocabulary

Force

A push or pull that acts on an object

Inertia

The tendency of an object to resist a change in its state of motion

Friction

Opposes the motion of one object moving past another

Acceleration

A change in velocity

Speed

How fast an object's position is changing with time at any moment

Velocity

The speed and direction of a moving object

balanced forces

forces that cancel each other out when acting together on a single object

unbalanced forces

forces that do not cancel each other out when acting together on a single object

action

the force one object applies to a second as in Newton's third law of motion

reaction

the force with which an object responds to an action as in Newton's third law of motion

work

using force to move an object

simple machines

devices with few moving parts that make work easier to do

lever

consists of a rigid bar that rests on a pivot point

fulcrum

where the lever rests

effort arm

the part of the lever you apply an input effort force

resistance arm

produces an output force to lift the load

wheels and axle

a large-diameter wheel rotates in a circle around a small-diameter axle

pulley

a wheel with a groove in the rim

inclined plane

a flat, slanted surface that makes it easier to move heavy objects to higher levels

wedges

an inclined plane that is used as a tool for cutting or separating things

screws

an inclined plane wrapped in a spiral around a cylinder or cone