Unit 2: Forces and Newton's Laws Flashcards
Acceleration
the rate at which velocity changes over time
( speeding up, slowing down, changing direction)
Applied Force
a force that is exerted on an object by another object or person
Balanced Force
two forces acting that are opposite in direction and equal in size (the net force is 0)
Contact force
forces require contact to act on an object
Noncontact force
forces that do not have to come into contact with an object to exert a force on the object
Support force
a contact force that is perpendicular to the surface that an object contacts
Force
a push or pull exerted on an object
Friction
force that opposes the sliding motion between two touching surfaces
Free fall
occurs whenever an object is acted upon by gravity alone
Gravity
attractive force between two objects that depends on the masses of the objects and the distance between them
Mass
the amount of matter in an object
Average speed
the total distance traveled by the object divided by the elapsed time to cover that distance
Instantaneous speed
the speed of an object at a particular moment (instant) in time
Terminal Velocity
the constant speed that a freely falling object eventually reaches when the resistance of the medium through which it is falling prevents further acceleration
Newton’s 1st Law
an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force
