General Concepts in Force and Motion

Front

Force

Back

A push or pull on an object.

Front

Contact Force

Back

A force that requires physical contact (e.g., friction, normal force, applied force).

Front

Non-Contact Force

Back

A force that acts at a distance (e.g., gravity, magnetic force, or electric force).

Front

Friction

Back

A contact force that opposes motion between two surfaces that touch.

Front

Normal Force

Back

The support force exerted on an object in contact with another stable object.

Front

Applied Force

Back

A force applied to an object by a person or another object.

Front

Gravity

Back

A non-contact force of attraction between any two masses.

Front

Mass

Back

The amount of matter in an object; it remains constant regardless of location.

Front

Weight

Back

The force of gravity on an object; it depends on mass and the gravitational field strength.

Front

Law of Universal Gravitation

Back

States that the gravitational force between two objects depends on their masses and the distance between them.