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