Term | Definition |
Force | A push, pull, or change in direction |
magnitude | the strength of a force (greater magnitude = bigger force) |
gravity | the force of 1 object with mass pulling on another object with mass |
mass | the amount of "stuff" or matter in an object |
Newtons | The unit of measurement for force (N) |
Acceleration | speeding up, slowing down, or changing direction |
Speed | Distance divided by time or how far an object travels in a certain amount of time (Units = m/s or any distance/time) |
Friction | A force that exists between two objects and is always the opposite of motion. |
Balanced Force | When an object is not moving or moving with constant speed |
Unbalanced Force | When an object is accelerating (speeding up, slowing down, or changing direction) |
Newton's 1st Law | The Law of Inertia - an object that is moving will keep moving and an object at rest will stay at rest UNLESS another force acts on the object |
Newton's 2nd Law | F=m x a When mass increases, force will increase. When acceleration increases, force will increase. |
Newton's 3rd Law | For every force there is another force acting in the opposite direction but equal in size |
Net Force | The difference between forces acting in opposite directions or combined forces if acting in the same direction |
inertia | an object wants to keep doing what it is doing (stay still or move) unless another force acts on the object |
motion | a change in the position of an object compared to another object (moving) |
position | specific point in space |
center of mass | The point around which an object balances |