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Motion and Forces
Unit 1, Lessons 1-4
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Position | the location of an object |
| Reference Point | a location to which another location is compared |
| Motion | an object's change in position relative to a reference point |
| Speed | the distance traveled divided by the time interval during which the motion occurred |
| Vector | a quantity that has both size and direction |
| Velocity | the speed of an object in a particular direction |
| Acceleration | the rate at which velocity changes over time; an object accelerates if its speed, direction, or both change |
| Centripetal Acceleration | the acceleration directed toward the center of a circular path |
| Force | a push or pull exerted on an object in order to change the motion of the object; force has size and direction |
| Net Force | the combination of all of the forces acting on an object |
| Inertia | the tendency of an object to resist a change in motion unless an outside force acts on the object |
| Gravity | a force of attraction between objects that is due to their masses |
| Free Fall | the motion of a body when only the force of gravity is acting on the body |
| Orbit | the path that a body follows as it travels around another body in space |