Forces Unit Vocabulary

4. the unique point in a system where the mass-weighted average of all the points is zero
6. the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion
8. the perpendicular contact force exerted by a surface on an object resting on it
9. the force of gravity acting on an object's mass
12. a state where an object has zero net force and zero net torque
13. a push or pull that can alter an object's motion (change its speed or direction) or deform it
14. the rate of change of an object's velocity over time

1. the SI unit of force, defined as the force required to accelerate a one-kilogram mass at a rate of one meter per second squared
2. a single vector that is the equivalent of a set of vectors, representing their combined effect
3. a measure of an object's inertia, or its resistance to changes in motion, and is also a measure of the amount of matter in an object
5. a graphical representation in physics that shows all the forces acting on a single object, which is drawn as an isolated "free" body
7. a quantity that has both magnitude (size) and direction
10. the vector sum of all individual forces acting on an object
11. the rate at which an object covers distance
13. a contact force that opposes the relative motion or attempted motion between surfaces