Forces

Front

Force Noun

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[forss]

Back

Force

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Any push or pull exerted on an object that causes a change in its velocity or state of motion.

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Example: A person applies a force (a push) to move an object, with the arrow showing the direction of the force.

Front

Vector Noun

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[vek-ter]

Back

Vector

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A physical quantity that is defined by possessing both a magnitude and a specific direction, such as force or velocity.

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Example: A force vector (F) can be shown as an arrow. This diagram also shows it broken into its horizontal (Fx) and vertical (Fy) vector components.

Front

Newton (N) Noun

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[noo-tun]

Back

Newton (N)

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The standard international unit of force, required to accelerate a one-kilogram mass at one meter per second squared.

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Example: This diagram shows the formula F=ma, explaining that Force (measured in Newtons, N) is calculated by multiplying an object's mass (kg) by its acceleration (m/s²).

Front

Net Force Noun

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[net forss]

Back

Net Force

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The vector sum of all individual forces acting upon a single object, which determines the object's resulting acceleration.

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Example: An object is pulled down by a 600N force of gravity and pushed up by a 200N force of air resistance, requiring calculation of the combined (net) force.

Front

Inertia Noun

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[in-ur-shuh]

Back

Inertia

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The natural tendency of an object to resist any change in its state of motion, which is directly proportional to its mass.

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Example: When the car suddenly stops, the box continues to move forward because its inertia resists the change in motion.

Front

Mass Noun

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[mass]

Back

Mass

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The measure of the amount of matter contained within a physical body and the quantitative measure of its inertia.

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Example: This image shows a balance beam comparing a large sphere to four smaller spheres, illustrating that mass is the amount of matter, not just size.

Front

Applied Force Noun

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[uh-plide forss]

Back

Applied Force

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A force that is directly applied to an object by another object or person through physical contact to cause motion.

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Example: A person pushes a box, demonstrating an applied force. An arrow shows the direction of the push, which is the force being applied to the object.

Front

Frictional Force Noun

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[frik-shun-ul forss]

Back

Frictional Force

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A contact force that opposes the relative motion or tendency of motion between two surfaces that are touching each other.

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Example: This diagram shows a force pushing a box, while frictional force opposes this motion. A magnified view reveals that friction is caused by the microscopic roughness of the two surfaces in contact.

Front

Kinetic Friction Noun

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[ki-net-ik frik-shun]

Back

Kinetic Friction

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The frictional force that opposes the motion of an object that is already sliding or moving across a surface.

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Example: This diagram shows a cart moving across a rough surface, illustrating kinetic friction as a force that acts in the opposite direction of motion.

Front

Static Friction Noun

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[stat-ik frik-shun]

Back

Static Friction

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The frictional force that prevents a stationary object from starting to move when an external force is applied to it.

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Example: When a person applies a force to push a heavy box, static friction is the opposing force that prevents the box from moving.