physics vocab
forward friction
actively pushing off a surface
thrust
actively pushing off air
turning friction
actively pushing sideways off the ground
acceleration (tangential)
an object's change in speed each second
acceleration (centripetal)
an object's change in velocity each second due to changing direction
coefficient of friction
measurement of the "roughness" of surfaces
static friction
a surface resistance that prevents an object from moving across the surface
radius
distance from an object's curved path to the center of the curve
weight
gravitational pull of the earth
distance
how far an object moved during a problem.
horizontal distance
how far an object traveled, measured along the ground
speed
how fast an object is moving
vertical speed
how fast an object is moving up or down
horizontal speed
how fast an object's shadow is moving across the ground
net force (tangential)
how much extra force is pulling forward or backward
net force (centripetal)
how much more force is pulling toward the inside of an object's curved path
mass
how much stuff (protons, neutrons & electrons) an object is made of
horizontal acceleration
how quickly an object's horizontal speed is changing
vertical acceleration
how quickly an object's vertical speed is changing
tension
pull by a rope, string or cable
normal force
push due to contact with any surface such as the ground, a wall, a hand ... etc. always acts perpendicular to the surface
backward friction
resistance due to moving across a surface
drag
resistance due to moving through air
vertical distance
the height an object rose or dropped