Physics Vocab List - First Week of School

Question 1

Linear Motion

Answer 1

Is a one-dimensional motion along a straight line.

Question 2

Distance

Answer 2

Is a scalar quantity that refers to “how much ground force has to be covered” during its motion.

Question 3

Displacement

Answer 3

The change in position of an object (Final minus Initial).

Question 4

Average Velocity

Answer 4

The total displacement is divided by the time interval during which the displacement occurred.

Question 5

Constant Velocity

Answer 5

An object must have a constant speed in a constant direction

Question 6

Instantaneous Velocity

Answer 6

The velocity of an object in motion at a specific point in time.

Question 7

Acceleration

Answer 7

The rate at which velocity changes overtime; an object accelerates if its speed, direction or both change.

Question 8

Free-falling Motion

Answer 8

Is any motion of a body where gravity is the only acceleration acting upon it.

Question 9

Slope

Answer 9

Is the ‘steepness’ of a line, also commonly known as rise over run.

Question 10

Y-intercept

Answer 10

Is the place where a line or curve crosses, or touches, the y-axis - the vertical, often darkened line in the center of the graph. It is also the point of which X=0.

Question 11

Motion Detectors

Answer 11

It is a device that detects moving objects, particularly people.

Question 12

Photogates

Answer 12

A device that measures the time between events that interrupt an infra-red beam.

Question 13

Accuracy

Answer 13

A description of how close a measurement is to the correct of accepted value of the quantity measured.

Question 14

Precision

Answer 14

Refers to the closeness of two or more measurements to each other.

Question 15

Independent Variable

Answer 15

It is defined as the variable that is changed or controlled in a scientific experiment (x-axis on a graph).

Question 16

Dependent Variable

Answer 16

Is the variable being tested in a scientific experiment (y-axis on a graph).

Question 17

Increments

Answer 17

Used in physics and engineering to represent a small change in parameter such as temperature, electric current, visible light intensity, or time.

Question 18

X-axis

Answer 18

Also called axis of abscissas (in a plane Cartesian coordinate system) the axis, usually horizontal, along which the abscissa is measured and from which the ordinate is measured.

Question 19

Y-axis

Answer 19

Also called axis of ordinates (in a Cartesian coordinate system) the axis, usually vertical, along which the ordinate is measured and form which the abscissa is measured.

Question 20

Data Table

Answer 20

Any display in tabular form, with rows and/or columns named.