Force and Motion (Mechanics) - Middle School

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. acceleration
    (physics) a rate of increase of velocity
  2. action
    something done (usually as opposed to something said)
  3. axle
    a shaft on which a wheel rotates
  4. center of gravity
    the point within something at which gravity can be considered to act; in uniform gravity it is equal to the center of mass
  5. centripetal force
    the inward force on a body moving in a curved path around another body
  6. collision
    a brief event in which two or more particles come together
  7. compression
    the process of becoming smaller or pressed together
  8. conservation
    maintenance of constant physical or chemical quantities
  9. conservation of momentum
    the principle that the total linear momentum in a closed system is constant and is not affected by processes occurring inside the system
  10. deceleration
    a decrease in rate of change
  11. direction
    relation between something and the course on which it moves
  12. distance
    the size of the gap between two places
  13. drag
    pull, as against a resistance
  14. dynamics
    mechanics concerned with forces that cause motions of bodies
  15. efficiency
    the ratio of the output to the input of any system
  16. elasticity
    the tendency of a body to return to its original shape
  17. energy
    the capacity of a physical system to do work
  18. equilibrium
    a stable situation in which forces cancel one another
  19. force
    influence that results in motion, stress, etc. when applied
  20. free fall
    the ideal motion of something subject only to gravity
  21. friction
    the resistance when a body is moved in contact with another
  22. fulcrum
    the pivot about which a lever turns
  23. gear
    a toothed wheel that engages another toothed mechanism
  24. gravitational force
    the force of attraction between all masses in the universe
  25. gravity
    the force of attraction between all masses in the universe
  26. Hooke's law
    (physics) the principle that (within the elastic limit) the stress applied to a solid is proportional to the strain produced
  27. impact
    the striking of one body against another
  28. inclined plane
    a simple machine for elevating objects
  29. inertia
    the tendency of something to stay in rest or motion
  30. joule
    a unit of electrical energy
  31. kinetic energy
    the mechanical energy that a body has by virtue of motion
  32. lever
    a simple machine giving a mechanical advantage on a fulcrum
  33. lift
    the component of the aerodynamic forces acting on an airfoil that opposes gravity
  34. load
    weight to be borne or conveyed
  35. machine
    a mechanical or electrical device that transmits energy
  36. magnitude
    the property of relative size or extent
  37. mass
    the property of a body that causes it to have weight
  38. mechanical advantage
    the ratio of the force exerted by a machine to the force applied to it
  39. mechanical energy
    energy in a mechanical form
  40. moment
    a turning force produced by an object acting at a distance
  41. momentum
    the product of a body's mass and its velocity
  42. motion
    the act of changing location from one place to another
  43. newton
    force imparting acceleration of 1 m/sec/sec to 1 kilogram
  44. Newton's first law
    a body remains at rest or in motion with a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force
  45. Newton's second law
    the rate of change of momentum is proportional to the imposed force and goes in the direction of the force
  46. Newton's third law
    action and reaction are equal and opposite
  47. pendulum
    an apparatus in which an object is mounted to swing freely
  48. periodic motion
    motion that recurs over and over and the period of time required for each recurrence remains the same
  49. pivot
    axis consisting of a shaft supporting something that turns
  50. potential energy
    energy stored by a body or system by virtue of its position
  51. power
    (physics) the rate of doing work
  52. projectile
    impelling or impelled forward
  53. pulley
    a wheel with a groove in which a rope can run
  54. reaction
    the opposite force when a force is applied to a body
  55. resistance
    any mechanical force that tends to slow or oppose motion
  56. screw
    a simple machine with a threaded cylindrical rod and hole
  57. simple machine
    a device for overcoming resistance at one point by applying force at some other point
  58. slope
    the property of a line that departs from the horizontal
  59. speed
    a rate at which something happens
  60. strain
    deformation of a body under the action of applied forces
  61. stress
    (physics) force that produces strain on a physical body
  62. tensile strength
    the strength of material expressed as the greatest longitudinal stress it can bear without tearing apart
  63. tension
    a stress that produces an elongation of a physical body
  64. terminal velocity
    the constant maximum velocity reached by a body falling through the atmosphere under the attraction of gravity
  65. thrust
    the act of applying force to propel something
  66. time
    the fourth coordinate required to specify a physical event
  67. torque
    a twisting force
  68. vector
    a quantity that has magnitude and direction
  69. velocity
    distance traveled per unit time in one direction
  70. wedge
    something solid that can be pushed between two things
  71. weight
    the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
  72. wheel
    a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
  73. wheel and axle
    hoist so arranged that a rope unwinding from a wheel is wound onto a cylindrical drum or shaft coaxial with the wheel
  74. work
    a manifestation of energy
Created on Tue Feb 21 20:30:49 EST 2017 (updated Wed Apr 19 09:32:26 EDT 2017)

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