| A | B |
|---|
| Scalar Quantity | Provides only the magnitude (size) of the motion; always positive |
| Vectory Quantity | Provides both the magnitude (size) of the motion and the direction; can be positive or negative |
| Speed | How far something travels in a given amount of time |
| Velocity | How far something travels in a given amount of time and in a given direction |
| Position | The location of an object at any given moment |
| Distance | How far something has traveled; the entire journey |
| Displacement | How far something has traveled in a given directions; straight line from start to finish |
| Time | How long it takes something to occur |
| Acceleration | The rate at which velocity changes; caused when an object speeds up, slows down, or changes directions |
| Momentum | Mass in motion; the quantity of a moving mass |
| Frame of Reference | Provides a context for motion |
| Force | A push or pull that has the potential to cause a change in an object's motion |
| Mass | How much stuff an object contains |
| Weight | The force of gravity acting on a mass |
| Gravity | The force of attraction between two objects that is directly proportional to their masses and inversely proportional to the distance between them |
| Friction | A force that always acts in the opposite direction of motion |
| Static Friction | Type of friction that applies to objects that are standing still and must be overcome to make an object start moving |
| Sliding Friction | Type of friction that applies to moving objects where there is full surface contact |
| Rolling Friction | Type of friction that applies to moving objects where there is a single point of contact |
| Fluid Friction | Type of friction that applies to things moving through a liquid or gas |
| Newton's 1st Law of Motion | An object in motion tends to stay in motion while an object at rest tends to stay at rest until acted on by an outside force |
| Inertia | A measure of an object's resistance to changing its motion; a statement of Newton's 1st Law of Motion |
| Newton's 2nd Law of Motion | The acceleration of an object is a result of a force applied to its mass; F = ma |
| Newton's 3rd Law of Motion | For every action there is an equal (in size) and opposite (in direction) reaction |
| Balanced Forces | Forces that act on the same object and cancel out, creating a net force of 0; equal in size and opposite direction, acting on the same object |
| Unbalanced Forces | Forces that act on the same object but do not cancel out, causing a net force of something other than 0; forces that cause an object to accelerate |
| Net Force | The sum (total) of the forces acting on an object |
| Terminal Velocity | The maximum velocity a falling object can achieve because air resistance and acceleration due to gravity are equally impacting the object |
| Action-Reaction Forces | Forces that do not cancel out, despite being equal in size and opposite in direction, because they act on different objects |
| Work | The transfer of energy cause by moving an object through a distance |
| Power | The rate at which work is done |
| Ideal Mechanical Advantage | How much effort a machine could save if it was 100% efficient |
| Actual Mechanical Advantage | How much effort is actually saved by using a machine after friction has been accounted for |
| Efficiency | The ratio of work output to work input in a machine; it is expressed as a percentage |
| Simple Machine | A device that makes work easier by trading off decreased force for increased distance |
| Gravitational Potential Energy | Energy stored due to height |
| Kinetic Energy | Energy of moving things |
| Thermal Energy | Energy associated with heat |
| Wave | Disturbance that transfers energy but not matter |
| Electromagnetic Waves | Waves produced by changing electric and magnetic fields that are capable of traveling through a vacuum, move fastest through a vacuum, and are always transverse; light waves |
| Mechanical Waves | Waves that require a medium to travel through such as sound; move fastest through solids; can be transverse, longitudinal, or surface |
| Transverse Waves | Waves that travel perpendicular to the transfer of energy in an up-and-down motion |
| Longitudinal Waves | Waves that travel parallel to the energy transfer in a back-and-forth motion; also know as compression waves |
| Surface Waves | Waves that travel in a circular pattern |
| Crests | The high points on transverse waves |
| Troughs | The low points on transverse waves |
| Amplitude | The distance from the normal rest position to a crest or trough; associated with the amount of energy released by the wave |
| Wavelength | The distance from one point on a wave to the next like point on the wave, such as crest to crest |
| Compression | Part of a longitudinal wave where the particles are closer together than normal |
| Rarefaction | Part of a longitudinal wave where the particles are more spread out than normal |
| Wave Velocity | How far a wave travels in a give amount of time |
| Frequency | How often something occurs |
| Period | How long it takes something to occur |
| Reflection | When a wave hits a smooth, shiny surface, it bounces back at the same angle; causes glare |
| Refraction | When a wave enters a new medium, its velocity changes, causing it to bend |
| Diffraction | When a wave hits a bumpy or dull surface, it bounces back at several smaller angles |
| Opaque | Light cannot pass through; you cannot see what is on the other side |
| Translucent | Some light can pass through, but not all; you can see the outline of what is on the other side, but not the details |
| Transparent | All light can pass through; you can see the details of what is on the other side |
| Conduction | Transfer of heat by touch; primarily applies to solids |
| Convection | Transfer of heat by mass movement; only applies to fluids |
| Radiation | Transfer of heat by waves |
| Alternating Current | Type of current in which electrons regularly reverse directions; capable of traveling longer distances, but also more dangerous |
| Direct Current | Type of current in which electrons always flow in the same directions; not capable of traveling as far, and therefore, less dangerous; batteries |
| Series Circuit | Type of circuit in which the electrons have only one path to take; if any part of the circuit breaks, the entire circuit stops working |
| Parallel Circuit | Type of circuit in which the electrons have multiple paths to take; the bulbs on lights in this type of circuit are usually brighter because each has a direct connection to the power source; if one part of the circuit breaks, the electrons will find an alternative path |
| Voltage | The difference in the electrical potential at two points in a circuit |
| Current | The rate at which an electrical charge flows through a circuit |
| Resistance | The slowing down of electrons in a circuit |
| Electrical Power | The rate at which electrical energy is transferred within a circuit |
| Electromagnet | Temporary magnet created by wrapping an insulated wire around a metal core and attaching it to a power source; can be easily turned on and off |
| Solenoid | An electromagnet with a moveable core |
| Transistor | A device that magnifies an electrical signal by acting as an amplifier or a switch |
| Step-Up Transformer | A device that increases electrical current by having more turns of wire on the outgoing side than the incoming one |
| Step-Down Transformer | A device that decreases electrical current by having less turns of wire on the outgoing side than the incoming one |
