Force and Motion (Mechanics) - High 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. displacement
    an event in which something is shifted without rotation
  13. distance
    the size of the gap between two places
  14. drag
    pull, as against a resistance
  15. dynamics
    mechanics concerned with forces that cause motions of bodies
  16. efficiency
    the ratio of the output to the input of any system
  17. elastic potential energy
    potential energy that is stored when a body is deformed
  18. elasticity
    the tendency of a body to return to its original shape
  19. energy
    the capacity of a physical system to do work
  20. equilibrium
    a stable situation in which forces cancel one another
  21. force
    influence that results in motion, stress, etc. when applied
  22. free fall
    the ideal motion of something subject only to gravity
  23. friction
    the resistance when a body is moved in contact with another
  24. fulcrum
    the pivot about which a lever turns
  25. gear
    a toothed wheel that engages another toothed mechanism
  26. gradient
    the property of a line that departs from the horizontal
  27. gravitational force
    the force of attraction between all masses in the universe
  28. gravity
    the force of attraction between all masses in the universe
  29. Hooke's law
    (physics) the principle that (within the elastic limit) the stress applied to a solid is proportional to the strain produced
  30. impact
    the striking of one body against another
  31. impulse
    an impelling force or strength
  32. inclined plane
    a simple machine for elevating objects
  33. inertia
    the tendency of something to stay in rest or motion
  34. joule
    a unit of electrical energy
  35. kinematics
    the branch of mechanics concerned with motion without reference to force or mass
  36. kinetic energy
    the mechanical energy that a body has by virtue of motion
  37. lever
    a simple machine giving a mechanical advantage on a fulcrum
  38. lift
    the component of the aerodynamic forces acting on an airfoil that opposes gravity
  39. load
    weight to be borne or conveyed
  40. machine
    a mechanical or electrical device that transmits energy
  41. magnitude
    the property of relative size or extent
  42. mass
    the property of a body that causes it to have weight
  43. mechanical advantage
    the ratio of the force exerted by a machine to the force applied to it
  44. mechanical energy
    energy in a mechanical form
  45. moment
    a turning force produced by an object acting at a distance
  46. momentum
    the product of a body's mass and its velocity
  47. motion
    the act of changing location from one place to another
  48. newton
    force imparting acceleration of 1 m/sec/sec to 1 kilogram
  49. Newton's first law
    a body remains at rest or in motion with a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force
  50. Newton's second law
    the rate of change of momentum is proportional to the imposed force and goes in the direction of the force
  51. Newton's third law
    action and reaction are equal and opposite
  52. pendulum
    an apparatus in which an object is mounted to swing freely
  53. periodic motion
    motion that recurs over and over and the period of time required for each recurrence remains the same
  54. perpetual motion machine
    a machine that can continue to do work indefinitely without drawing energy from some external source; impossible under the law of conservation of energy
  55. pivot
    axis consisting of a shaft supporting something that turns
  56. potential energy
    energy stored by a body or system by virtue of its position
  57. power
    (physics) the rate of doing work
  58. projectile
    impelling or impelled forward
  59. pulley
    a wheel with a groove in which a rope can run
  60. reaction
    the opposite force when a force is applied to a body
  61. resistance
    any mechanical force that tends to slow or oppose motion
  62. scalar
    of or relating to a directionless magnitude (such as mass or speed etc.) that is completely specified by its magnitude
  63. screw
    a simple machine with a threaded cylindrical rod and hole
  64. simple machine
    a device for overcoming resistance at one point by applying force at some other point
  65. slope
    the property of a line that departs from the horizontal
  66. speed
    a rate at which something happens
  67. strain
    deformation of a body under the action of applied forces
  68. stress
    (physics) force that produces strain on a physical body
  69. tensile strength
    the strength of material expressed as the greatest longitudinal stress it can bear without tearing apart
  70. tension
    a stress that produces an elongation of a physical body
  71. terminal velocity
    the constant maximum velocity reached by a body falling through the atmosphere under the attraction of gravity
  72. thrust
    the act of applying force to propel something
  73. time
    the fourth coordinate required to specify a physical event
  74. torque
    a twisting force
  75. vector
    a quantity that has magnitude and direction
  76. velocity
    distance traveled per unit time in one direction
  77. wedge
    something solid that can be pushed between two things
  78. weight
    the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
  79. 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)
  80. 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
  81. work
    a manifestation of energy
Created on Tue Feb 21 19:02:44 EST 2017 (updated Wed Apr 19 09:57:38 EDT 2017)

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