Force, Motion, and Newton's Laws Flashcards

Grade 7 · Science · Flashcards

Key terms for force, motion, Newton's three laws, and related physics concepts.

Flashcards

Force: A push or pull that can change an object's motion; measured in Newtons (N).
Newton's First Law: Objects remain at rest or in uniform motion unless acted on by a net (unbalanced) force.
Inertia: The tendency of an object to resist any change in its state of rest or motion.
Newton's Second Law: F = ma; net force equals mass times acceleration.
Acceleration: Change in velocity over time; can be a change in speed or direction.
Newton's Third Law: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction on a different object.
Net force: The sum of all forces acting on an object; determines whether and how the object accelerates.
Balanced forces: Forces that are equal in size and opposite in direction; result in no change in motion (net force = 0).
Unbalanced forces: Forces that do not cancel out; result in a change in motion (acceleration).
Friction: A force that opposes motion between two surfaces in contact.
Gravity: An attractive force between all objects with mass; gives objects weight.
Mass: The amount of matter in an object; determines how much inertia it has.
Weight: The force of gravity on an object; Weight = mass × gravitational acceleration.
Newton (N): SI unit of force; 1 N = the force needed to accelerate 1 kg at 1 m/s².