Physics RMS 2016

Motion

The state in which one object’s distance from another is changing.

Reference Point

A place or object used for comparison to determine if an object is in motion.

Distance

the measurement from one place to another.

Speed

The distance an object travels per unit of time.

Average Speed

The overall rate of speed at which an object moves; calculated by dividing the total distance an object travels by the total time.

Velocity

Speed in a given direction.

Slope

The steepness of a line on a graph, equal to its vertical change divided by its horizontal change.

Acceleration

The rate at which velocity changes.

Force

A push or pull exerted on an object.

Newton

A unit of measure that equals the force required to accelerate 1 kilogram of mass at 1 meter per second per second.

Net Force

The overall force on an object when all the individual forces acting on it are added together.

Unbalanced Forces

Forces that produce a nonzero net force, which changes an object’s motion.

Balanced Forces

Equal forces acting on an object in opposite directions.

Friction

The force that one surface exerts on another when the two surfaces rub against each other.

Static Friction

Friction that acts on objects that are not moving.

Sliding Friction

Friction that occurs when one solid surface slides over another.

Rolling Friction

Friction that occurs when an object rolls over a surface.

Fluid Friction

Friction that occurs as an object moves through a fluid.

Gravity

The force that pulls objects towards each other and to earth.

Mass

The amount of matter in an object.

Air Resistance

The fluid friction experienced by objects falling through the air.

Inertia

The tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion.

Momentum

The product of an object’s mass and velocity.

Work

Force exerted on an object that causes it to move.

Input Force

The force exerted on a machine.

Output Force

The force exerted on an object by a machine.

Ideal Mechanical Advantage

a machine with an efficiency of 100%

Actual (real) Mechanical Advantage

the measurement of mechanical advantage of a machine. It’s always less than 100% because of work wasted due to friction.

Efficiency

The percentage of the input work that is converted to output work.

Newton’s First Law of Motion

An object at rest will remain at rest, and an object moving at a constant velocity will continue moving at a constant velocity, unless it is acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Newton’s Second Law of Motion

Acceleration depends on the object’s mass and on the net force acting on the object.

Energy

the ability to cause changes in matter. It changes form and is never used up.

Electromagnetic Waves

waves that carry electric or magnetic energy through outer space.

Constant Speed

an object’s speed does not increase or decrease, it stays the same.

Variable Motion

different distances traveled in equal times.

Kinetic Energy

The energy of an object in motion.

Potential Energy

The energy that’s stored in a stationary object.

Electrical Circuit

A path that electrons from a voltage or current flow.

Incline Plane

a simple machine that has a sloped, flat surface.

Pulley

a simple machine that consists of a grooved wheel with a rope or cable wrapped around it.

Lever

A simple machine that consists of a rigid bar that pivots about a fixed point.

Wheel and Axle

A simple machine that consists of two attached circular objects that rotate around a common axis.

Compound Machine

A device that combines 2 or more simple machines.