Unit 6 Vocabulary
Review Words
Friction – a force that slows or stops motion when objects rub
together
Gravity – the force of attraction that pulls objects towards each
other
Mass – the amount of matter in an object
Pendulum – a mass (bob) on a string that is allowed to swing freely
Simple Machine – devices that reduce the amount of force
needed to move an object
X-axis – the horizontal line with labels on a coordinate grid
Y-axis – the vertical line with labels on a coordinate grid
Content Words
Acceleration – change of an object’s speed or direction
Air resistance – an opposing or slow force caused by air
Average speed – average distance covered by an object by unit
time
Balanced forces – forces of an object that do not change the
motion of an object
Conservation of Energy – energy cannot be created nor
destroyed; it changes from one form to another
Direction – the path that an object is moving or facing
Energy – what is needed to do work or cause change
Force – a push or a pull that changes the motion or position of an
object
Inclined plane – a simple machine that is sloping at a particular
angle
Kinetic energy – energy in motion
Load- amount of work done or expected to be done
Motion – a change in an object’s position, direction, or location
Net force – the sum of all the forces acting on an object
Newton – the SI unit for force
Position – the point or area occupied by a physical object
Potential energy – energy that is stored in a system
Pulley – a device consisting of a wheel over which a rope or chain
is pulled in order to lift heavy objects
Speed – the measurement of the rate of change of position with
respect to time
Unbalanced forces – forces on an object that cause change in the
motion of the object
Weight – the pull of gravity on an object