Forces and Motion Jeopardy

This law of motion states that force equals mass times acceleration.

What is Newton's second law of motion?

This law of motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

What is Newton's third law of motion?

This term describes an object's resistance to a change in its motion; the more of this an object has, the harder it is to speed up, slow down, or turn.

What is inertia?

According to Newton's second law, if you push two different objects with the same force, this quantity being larger in one of them results in a smaller acceleration for that object.

What is mass?

This 1687 book by Isaac Newton laid out his three laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation.

What is the Principia?

This is the force that pulls objects toward each other and pulls everything on Earth down toward the ground.

What is gravity?

This English scientist is said to have developed his theory of gravity after watching an apple fall from a tree.

Who is Isaac Newton?

This is the term for the pull of gravity on an object, which is why a person weighs less on the Moon than on Earth even though their mass stays the same.

What is weight?

This term describes the motion of an object falling under the influence of gravity alone, with no other forces like air resistance acting on it.

What is free fall?

This term describes the constant speed a falling object eventually reaches when the upward force of air resistance balances the downward pull of gravity.

What is terminal velocity?

This force acts between two surfaces that are touching and sliding against each other, opposing motion.

What is friction?

This type of friction acts on an object that is already sliding across a surface, like a book sliding across a table.

What is kinetic friction?

This type of friction must be overcome before a stationary object will even begin to move.

What is static friction?

This type of friction, much weaker than sliding friction, acts on a round object, like a ball or wheel, as it rolls across a surface.

What is rolling friction?

This slippery substance, such as oil or grease, is applied between moving parts to reduce friction and wear.

What is a lubricant?

This is the measure of how fast an object is moving, found by dividing the distance traveled by the time it took.

What is speed?

This measurement includes both an object's speed and the direction it is moving.

What is velocity?

This is the term for the rate at which an object's velocity changes over time, whether it is speeding up, slowing down, or turning.

What is acceleration?

This is the standard unit for measuring speed in the metric system, combining a distance unit and a time unit.

What is meters per second?

A car that slows from 60 to 0 miles per hour when the brakes are applied is undergoing this specific type of acceleration, pointed opposite its direction of motion.

What is deceleration?

This simple machine is a flat, sloped surface used to raise or lower a load, like a ramp used to load furniture into a truck.

What is an inclined plane?

This simple machine is a rigid bar that pivots around a fixed point, called a fulcrum, to lift a load.

What is a lever?

This simple machine, essentially a wheel with a groove for a rope, changes the direction of a pulling force to help lift a load.

What is a pulley?

This simple machine pairs a rod with a larger wheel that turns together around the same center, as seen in a doorknob or a steering wheel.

What is the wheel and axle?

This simple machine is essentially an inclined plane wrapped around a central post, used in structures like a spiral staircase or a screw.

What is a screw?

This safety device in a car, worn across the lap and chest, uses tension to keep passengers from flying forward during a sudden stop.

What is a seatbelt?

This force, caused by air pushing against a moving object, is why cyclists and race car drivers try to reduce their profile to go faster.

What is air resistance?

In sports, a heavier player moving at the same speed as a lighter player has more of this quantity, making them harder to stop in a tackle.

What is momentum?

Race cars use these upside-down, wing-shaped devices, along with a low, wide stance, to push the car down onto the track and increase grip at high speed.

What is a spoiler?

This inward-pulling force keeps a car from sliding off the road as it goes around a curve, provided by friction between the tires and the pavement.

What is centripetal force?