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Acceleration
Change of speed in a unit of time.
Action
The force one object applies to a second, as
in Newton’s third law of motion, which
states, "For every action, there is an equal
but opposite reaction."
Aerodynamic
Able to move through the air with as
little air resistance as possible.
Air Resistance
The force of friction on a vehicle
as it moves through the air.
Analysis
An investigation of the component parts of a
whole and their relations in making up the
whole.
Average Speed
Total distance divided by total time.
Axle
A bar or shaft on which a wheel turns.
Balanced Forces
Forces that act on an object but cancel each
other out.
Biomass Fuels
Made from material that was once part of
a living thing.
Block and Tackle
Another name for a pulley system.
Blueprint
A detailed plan or drawing that shows how
something is designed.
Catapult
A large class-3 lever system used in ancient
times to launch heavy objects.
Chain Hoist
A compound pulley system using chain
instead of rope.
Chemical Energy
• That part of the energy in a substance that
can be released by a chemical reaction.
Complex Machine
A machine that is designed using a
number of simple machines, often run by a
motor.
Compound Pulley
Two or more pulleys working together.
Constant
A condition that is not changed
in a scientific experiment.
Control Group
A group of outside subjects whose
performance or abilities are compared with
the experimental subjects.
Cost-effective
Able to produce the best results
for the least money.
Data
Information, such as that gathered
during an experiment.
Data Table
System for recording data.
Deceleration
Decreasing the speed.
Dependent Variable
A condition that responds to changes in the
independent variable in an experiment.
Also referred to as a responding variable.
Design
To imagine and create the best way to solve
a problem.
Distance
Amount of change in position.
Drag
Force that opposes the
forward movement of a vehicle.
Dynamics
The part of physics that deals with how
things move and the forces that change
their motion.
Effort
Force applied to a simple machine.
Effort Arm
The part of a lever that applies force to the
resistance arm.
Electrical Energy
A flow of electricity through a conductor.
Energy
The ability to do work or to make
something happen.
Experimental Group
In an experiment, the group that does get
the experimental treatment.
First-Class Lever
These change the direction of the force and
include seesaws and canoe paddles.
Fixed Pulley
A pulley attached in position above a load to
be lifted.
Force
Push or pull.
Friction
Force that resists movement
between two objects that are touching.
Fulcrum
The pivot point of a lever.
Gravity
A natural force that draws things toward the
earth’s surface.
Heat Energy
A form of energy that is transferred by a
difference in temperature.
Hypothesis
An explanation that is based on testable
observations and experiments, and that
can be accepted until it is disproved.
Inclined plane
A ramp or slanted surface.
Independent Variable
A condition that is deliberately manipulated
by scientists to test the response in an
experiment.
Inertia
An object’s ability to remain at rest or in
motion until a force acts upon it.
Kinetic Energy
Energy associated with motion.
Law of Acceleration
When an unbalanced force is applied to an
object, the object accelerates.
Law of Inertia
A body at rest tends to stay at rest and a
body in motion tends to stay in motion.
Laws of Motion
Three laws, formulated by Sir Isaac Newton,
that describe how objects move in relation
to the forces acting on them. For every
action, there is an equal and opposite
reaction.
Lever
A bar or board resting on a support
(fulcrum).
Lever Arm
A beam, free to pivot around a point.
Lift
An upward force.
Light Energy
The form of electromagnetic energy that is
visible to the human eye.
Load
The weight or resistance that is moved using
a simple machine.
Lubricant
A substance capable of reducing friction by
making surfaces smooth or slippery.
Machine
Something that makes work seem easier
by changing the size or the direction of a
force.
Magnetism
The force of repulsion (pushing) or
attraction (pulling) between poles of
magnets.
Mass
The amount of matter an object has.
Mechanical Energy
Energy that can be used directly to do
work, either potential or kinetic.
Model
A representation that shows the workings
of an object or system.
Momentum
The speed or force that a moving object has
because of its weight and motion.
Motion
Movement
Movable Pulley
A pulley attached to a load that is being
lifted.
Newton
The metric unit used to measure force.
Newton’s Laws of Motion
3 laws describing how and why objects
move.
Position
The location of an object.
Potential Energy
Stored energy that can be
released to become other
forms of energy.
Procedure
The step-by-step method followed to ensure
that standards are met.
Prototype
An original model or design.
Pull
Applying force to move something toward or
with you.
Pulley
A grooved wheel with a rope around it.
Qualitative Data
A value that can be described but cannot be
measured or counted.
Quantitative Data
A value that can be measured or counted.
Reaction
The force with which an object responds to
an action, as in Newton’s third law of
motion.
Resistance
Force exerted by something you’re trying to
move.
Resistance Arm
The part of a lever that applies force to the
load the machine acts against.
Screw
An inclined plane wound around a cylinder.
Scientific Law
A uniform or constant fact of nature.
Scientific Method
Systematic methods used in scientific
investigations of the natural world, which
include designing controlled experiments,
gathering data, and developing and testing
hypotheses.
Second-Class Lever
These increase the force used and include
wheel barrows and nutcrackers.
Simple Machine
A machine with few or no moving parts.
Slope
Angle at which a surface or line is inclined.
Sound Energy
The energy that you can hear that travels
in vibrating waves through the air.
Speed
A measure of how fast
something is moving.
Technological Design
The process of designing and building
products and systems to meet human
needs.
Tension
The force exerted by a stretched
object, such as a spring.
Theory
A hypothesis that has withstood extensive
testing by a variety of methods, and in
which a higher degree of certainty may be
placed.
Third-Class Lever
These increase the speed and distance over
which a force acts include fishing rods and
baseball bats.
Thread
A ridge or groove that spirals around a
screw.
Three-view Drawing
A diagram, showing top,
side, and front views.
Thrust
A forward force.
Turbine
Rotors or blades that spin when driven by
steam, gas, water or wind.
Unbalanced Forces
When unequal forces that act on an object
and cause movement.
Variable
An element in an experiment
than can be changed.
Velocity
Measure of an object’s speed in a certain
direction.
Wedge
Two inclined planes put together to form a
narrow cutting edge.
Weight
A measurement of the force of
gravity on an object.
Wheel and Axle
A simple machine. It consists of a
wheel that turns an axle,
or an axle that turns a wheel.
Winch
A wheel-and-axle system that has a cylinder
on which a rope is wound.
Windmill
A generator that extracts usable energy
from winds.
Work
The use of force to move an object a certain
distance.