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Motion and Forces
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| position | the location of an object |
| speed | the distance traveled divided by the time interval during which the motion occurred |
| reference point | a location to which another location is compared |
| vector | a quantity that has both size and direction |
| motion | an object's change in position relative to a referance point |
| velocity | the speed of an object in a certain 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; has size and direction |
| net force | the combination of all 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 two objects that is due to their masses |
| free fall | the motion of a body only 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 |