Term | Definition |
Force | A push or pull exerted on an object |
Newton | A unit of measure that equals the
force required to accelerate 1 kilogram of mass at 1 meter per second |
Net Force | The overall force on an object when all the individual forces acting on it are added together |
Unbalanced Force | Forces that produce a nonzero net force, which changes an object’s motion |
Balanced Force | Equal forces acting on an object in opposite directions |
Friction | The force that one surface exerts in another when the two surfaces rub against each other |
Static Friction | Friction that acts on objects that are not moving |
Sliding Friction | Friction that occurs when one solid surfaces slides over another |
Rolling Friction | Friction that occurs when an object rolls over a surface |
Fluid Friction | Friction that occurs as an object moves through a liquid |
Gravity | The force that pulls objects toward each other |
Mass | A measure of how much matter is in an object |
Weight | A measure of the force of gravity on an object |
Free Fall | The motion of a falling object when the only force acting on it is gravity |
Air Resistance | The fluid Friction experienced by objects falling through the air |
Projectile | An object that is thrown |
Compression | The part of a longitudinal wave where the particles of the medium are close together |
Tension | Stress that stretches rock so that it becomes thinner in the middle |
Inertia | The tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion |
Momentum | The product of an object’s mass and velocity |
Law of Conservation of Momentum | The rule that in the absence of outside forces the total momentum of objects that interact does not change |
Satellite | Any object that orbits around another object in space |
Centripetal Force | A force that causes an object to move in a circle |