8/2/2019 Physics 4-6 Vocab

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Kathryn Krieger

Mr. Pollok

Physics Block 4B

February 3, 2012

Chapters 4-6 Vocabulary

Force Any influence that tends to accelerate an object; a push or pull; measured in newtons. A vector

quantity.

Friction The force that acts to resist the relative motion (or attempted motion) of objects or materials

that are in contact.

Newtons First Law Every body continues in its state of rest, or of motion in a straight at constant speed,

unless it is compelled to change that state by a net force exerted upon it.

Law of InertiaSee Newtons First Law.

Kilograms The fundamental SI unit of mass. One kilogram is the amount of mass in one liter of water at

4o

Celsius.

Mass A measure of an objects inertia; also a measure of the amount of matter in an object. Depends

only on the amount of and kind of particles that compose an object not on its location (as weight

does).

Weight The force on a body due to the gravitational attraction of another body (commonly Earth)

Newton SI unit of force. One newton is the force applied to a one-kilogram mass that will produce an

acceleration of one meter per second per second.

Net Force The combination of all the forces that act on an object.

Support Force Force that completely balances the weight of an object at rest.

Normal Force For an object resting on a horizontal surface, the upward force that balances the weight of

the object; also called the support force.

Equilibrium In general, a state of balance. Examples: The state of a body on which no net force acts. Thestate of a body on which no net force acts. The state of a body on which no net torque acts. The state of

a liquid in which the processes of evaporation and condensation are taking place at equal rates.

Inertia The reluctance of any body to change its state of motion. Mass is the measure of inertia.

Air Resistance Friction, or drag, that acts on something moving through air.

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