Force and Motion Vocab

Front

Force

Back

A push or pull on an object that can make it start moving, stop moving, or change direction.

Front

Motion

Back

A change in an object’s position over time compared to a reference point.

Front

Speed

Back

How fast something moves, found by dividing the distance traveled by the time it takes.

Front

Velocity

Back

Speed in a specific direction (like 25 m/s east).

Front

Acceleration

Back

A change in velocity over time; this can mean speeding up, slowing down, or changing direction.

Front

Friction

Back

A force that resists motion when two surfaces are in contact.

Front

Inertia

Back

The tendency of an object to keep doing what it’s doing—stay still if it’s still, or keep moving if it’s moving—unless acted on by a force.

Front

Net Force

Back

The overall force acting on an object after all the individual forces are combined.