science vocab Flashcards
reference point
starting point you choose to describe the location or position of an object
position
is an objects distance and direction from a reference point
motion
the process of changing position
displacement
the difference between the initial position and the final position of an object
speed
a measure of the distance an object travels per unit of time
constant speed
the rate of change of position in which the same distance is traveled each second
instantaneous speed
the speed at a specific instant in time
average speed
the total distance traveled divided by the total time taken to travel that distance
average speed equation
total distance (m) / total time (s) = d
velocity
the speed and direction of a moving object
acceleration
a measure of the change in velocity during a period of time
acceleration equation
m/s2 = final speed (m/s) - initial speed (m/s) / total time (s)
force
a push or pull on an object
contact force
a push or pull on an object by another that is touching it
non contact force
a force that one object can apply to another object without contact
gravity
an attractive force that exists between all objects that have mass
mass
the amount of matter in an object
weight
the gravitational force exerted on an object
friction
a force that resists the motion of two surfaces that are touching
net force
the combination of all the forces acting on an object
balanced forces
forces acting on an object that combine and form a net force of zero
unbalanced forces
forces acting on an object that combine and form a net force that is not zero
inertia
the tendency of an object to resist change in its motion
newtons second law
the acceleration of an object is equal to the net force acting on the object divided by its mass
circular motion
any motion in which an object is moving along a circular path
centripetal force
a force that acts in a circular motion perpendicular to the direction of motion, toward the center of the curve
newtons third law of motion
every action has an equal opposite reaction ex. gymnast
force pair
forces two objects apply on each other
momentum
the measure of how hard it is to get an object to stop moving
law of conservation of momentum
the total momentum of a group has the same momentum unless outside forces act on the group
