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Forces and motion key terms
Study Forces and motion with curriculum-aligned Key Terms resources, practice links, and exam-focused support.
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key terms
Resource type
Topic
Forces and motion
Key terms
acceleration
The rate of change of velocity of an object.
direction change
A modification in the path of an object's movement, which can result in acceleration even if speed remains constant.
acceleration
The rate of change of velocity of an object.
resultant force
The overall force acting on an object, taking into account all individual forces.
constant velocity
A state of motion where an object moves at a steady speed in a straight line without changing its velocity.
velocity-time graph
A graphical representation that shows how the velocity of an object changes over time.
velocity-time graph
A graph that shows how the velocity of an object changes over time.
constant acceleration
A steady increase or decrease in velocity over time, represented by a straight sloping line on a velocity-time graph.
acceleration
The rate of change of velocity of an object.
gradient
The slope of a line on a graph, representing the rate of change of one variable with respect to another.
negative gradient
A slope on a graph that descends from left to right, indicating a decrease in the value of the variable plotted.
deceleration
The reduction in speed or velocity of an object, often represented as a negative acceleration.
Velocity-time graph
A graph that shows the relationship between the velocity of an object and the time elapsed.
Area under the graph
The region enclosed by the curve of a graph and the axes, representing a physical quantity such as distance in a velocity-time graph.
velocity-time graph
A graph that shows how an object's velocity changes over time, with time on the x-axis and velocity on the y-axis.
area under the graph
The region between the graph line and the time axis, which represents the distance travelled during the time interval.
velocity-time graph
A graph that shows the relationship between the velocity of an object and time, where the slope represents acceleration.
acceleration
The rate of change of velocity of an object, measured in metres per second squared (m/s²).
distance-time graph
A graph that shows the distance an object has traveled over a period of time, where the x-axis represents time and the y-axis represents distance.
velocity-time graph
A graph that illustrates the velocity of an object over time, where the x-axis represents time and the y-axis represents velocity.
Gradient
The slope of a line on a graph, representing the rate of change of one variable with respect to another.
Area under the graph
The space enclosed between the graph line and the axis, which can represent total quantities such as distance or energy.
velocity-time graph
A graph that shows how the velocity of an object changes over time.
acceleration
The rate of change of velocity of an object.
Uniform acceleration
Acceleration that occurs at a constant rate, where the change in velocity is consistent over time.
Final velocity
The velocity of an object at the end of a time interval, after acceleration has been applied.
final velocity
The velocity of an object at the end of a time interval.
initial velocity
The velocity of an object at the beginning of a time interval.
initial velocity
The velocity of an object at the start of a time interval.
final velocity
The velocity of an object at the end of a time interval.
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