Forces and Newton's Laws of Motion Flashcards

Grade 10 · Science · Flashcards

Study key terms, laws, and concepts from Newtonian mechanics.

Flashcards

Newton's First Law: An object at rest stays at rest; an object in motion stays in motion unless acted on by a net force.
Newton's Second Law: Net force = mass × acceleration (F = ma). More force → more acceleration; more mass → less acceleration.
Newton's Third Law: For every action force, there is an equal and opposite reaction force, acting on a different object.
Inertia: Resistance to changes in motion; proportional to mass. Described by Newton's First Law.
Net force: The vector sum of all forces acting on an object. Determines whether the object accelerates.
Equilibrium: The state when net force on an object is zero; object is either at rest or moving at constant velocity.
Normal force: The perpendicular contact force a surface exerts on an object resting on it.
Friction force: A contact force opposing the relative motion or tendency of motion between two surfaces.
Weight: The gravitational force on an object's mass: W = mg (g ≈ 9.8 m/s² on Earth). Measured in Newtons.
Free body diagram: A visual tool showing all forces acting on an object as arrows (vectors) with magnitude and direction.
Mass vs. weight: Mass is the amount of matter (kg); weight is the gravitational force on that mass (N). Mass stays constant; weight varies by gravity.
Action-reaction pair: Two forces in Newton's Third Law: equal in magnitude, opposite in direction, acting on different objects.