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Forces & Kinematics definitions

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  • Initial Velocity
    The speed of an object at the start of a time interval, often denoted as V initial.
  • Final Velocity
    The speed of an object at the end of a time interval, often denoted as V final.
  • Displacement
    The change in position of an object, often represented as Delta X.
  • Time
    The duration over which motion occurs, often represented as Delta T.
  • Acceleration
    The rate of change of velocity of an object, common to both motion and force problems.
  • Force
    An interaction that changes the motion of an object, calculated as mass times acceleration.
  • Mass
    The quantity of matter in an object, a key variable in force calculations.
  • Free Body Diagram
    A visual representation of forces acting on an object, used to simplify force analysis.
  • Weight
    The force exerted by gravity on an object, acting downwards.
  • Applied Force
    The force exerted on an object to cause motion, often denoted as F A.
  • Normal Force
    The perpendicular force exerted by a surface on an object in contact with it.
  • Frictionless Surface
    An idealized surface with no resistance to motion, simplifying force calculations.
  • Net Force
    The overall force acting on an object, determining its acceleration.
  • Equation of Motion
    Mathematical formulas used to calculate motion variables like velocity and displacement.
  • Newton
    The SI unit of force, equivalent to the force needed to accelerate 1 kg by 1 m/s².