Science Vocabulary
Physics
Motion
The action or process of moving or being moved.
Mass
A coherent, typically large body of matter with no definite shape.
Force
Strength or energy of physical action or movement.
Balanced Forces
Equal forces acting on an object in opposite directions.
Unbalanced Forces
An equal force acting on an object causing it to move in one direction.
Work
Force exerted on an object that causes it to move.
Speed
Distance travelled per unit time.
Distance
The amount of space between two things or people or the length of a race.
Time
The amount of time that is left, has past, or currently is.
Velocity
A variable that tells you both speed and direction.
Acceleration
Change in velocity divided by the time it takes for the change to occur.
Deceleration
A decrease in speed.
Energy
Capacity to do work.
Newton's Law of Inertia
An object in motion (or at rest) will tend to stay in motion (or at rest) until it is acted upon by an outside force.
Newton's Law of Force and Acceleration
The force acting on a body is proportional to its mass times acceleration.
Newton's Law of Action/Reaction
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction force.
Displacement
Distance and direction of an object's change in position from the starting point.
Friction
A force that opposes motion between two surfaces that are in contact.
Free Fall
The motion of a falling object when the only force acting on it is gravity.
Momentum
The quantity of motion of a moving body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity.
Projectile
An object thrown into the air with great force.
Period
A length or portion of time.
Frequency
The amount of times something happens in a certain amount of time.
Centripetal Force
A force that causes an object to move in a circle.
Centripetal Acceleration
Acceleration toward the center of a curved or circular path.
Newton
A unit of measure that equals the force required to accelerate 1 kilogram of mass at 1 meter per second.
Inertia
Resistance of an object to a change in its motion.