PHY104 – Forces, Motion & Waves Complete
Physics Study Guide | Laws, Equations & Real-
World Examples
Acceleration - The rate of change in velocity. Can be a change in direction, positive (speeding up)
or negative (slowing down).
Balanced Force - Two forces in opposite directions. Net force is zero and the motion of the
object does not change.
Friction - The force between objects that resists motion - always slows down motion
Newton - A measurement of force
Magnitude - The strength or size of an object or force.
Mass - The total amount of matter in something.
Energy - The capacity for doing work.
Force - A push or pull on an object that can cause a change in movement
Net Force - The total of all the forces acting on an object
Gravity - A force that pulls objects together
F = m x a - Formula for Force
Displacement vs Time Graph - Shows the distance an object travels in a certain amount of time.
slope is velocity
Inertia - the tendency of a body to maintain is state of rest or uniform motion unless acted upon
by an external force
Kinetic Energy - The energy an object possess due to its motion.
Motion - A change in the position of an object over time.
Newton's First Law of Motion (Definition) - an object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon
by an outside unbalanced force; an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an
outside unbalanced force.
, Newton's First Law of Motion (Example) - when a car suddenly stops and your head continues to
move foward even though your body is stopped by the seat belt
Newton's Second Law of Motion (Definition) - the greater the force applied to an object, the
greater the acceleration; the smaller the mass of an object, the greater its acceleration when
force is applied; only an unbalanced force can cause objects to accelerate
Newton's Second Law of Motion (Example) - the force applied to a roller coaster car in addition
to the mass of the car determines the acceleration of the car; more force = more
acceleration
Newton's Third Law of Motion (Definition) - for every action there is an equal and opposite
reaction; there is a reaction force that is equal in size but opposite in direction.
Newton's Third Law of Motion (Example) - as the thrust of a rocket pushes down on Earth's
surface, the rocket launches upward into the atmosphere
Potential Energy - Energy stored in an object by the virtue of its position.
Example of work - A monkey carries a 5 kg pineapple 10 meters in 5 minutes.
Example of no work being performed - A monkey holds a 5 kg pineapple over his head for 5
minutes.
Example of velocity - Nemo swims 37 m/s South to Wallaby Way in Australia.
Speed - the distance traveled by an object in a given amount of time.
Example of speed - Nemo swims 58 m/s
Unbalanced Force - A force that is not equal in size and opposite in direction.
Velocity - speed of an object and its direction of motion; changes when speed, direction or both
changes
Work - force exerted on an object that causes the object to move in same direction that the
force was applied
Waves - Transfer energy in the direction they are traveling
Amplitude - The maximum displacement of a point on the wave from this undisturbed
position
Physics Study Guide | Laws, Equations & Real-
World Examples
Acceleration - The rate of change in velocity. Can be a change in direction, positive (speeding up)
or negative (slowing down).
Balanced Force - Two forces in opposite directions. Net force is zero and the motion of the
object does not change.
Friction - The force between objects that resists motion - always slows down motion
Newton - A measurement of force
Magnitude - The strength or size of an object or force.
Mass - The total amount of matter in something.
Energy - The capacity for doing work.
Force - A push or pull on an object that can cause a change in movement
Net Force - The total of all the forces acting on an object
Gravity - A force that pulls objects together
F = m x a - Formula for Force
Displacement vs Time Graph - Shows the distance an object travels in a certain amount of time.
slope is velocity
Inertia - the tendency of a body to maintain is state of rest or uniform motion unless acted upon
by an external force
Kinetic Energy - The energy an object possess due to its motion.
Motion - A change in the position of an object over time.
Newton's First Law of Motion (Definition) - an object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon
by an outside unbalanced force; an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an
outside unbalanced force.
, Newton's First Law of Motion (Example) - when a car suddenly stops and your head continues to
move foward even though your body is stopped by the seat belt
Newton's Second Law of Motion (Definition) - the greater the force applied to an object, the
greater the acceleration; the smaller the mass of an object, the greater its acceleration when
force is applied; only an unbalanced force can cause objects to accelerate
Newton's Second Law of Motion (Example) - the force applied to a roller coaster car in addition
to the mass of the car determines the acceleration of the car; more force = more
acceleration
Newton's Third Law of Motion (Definition) - for every action there is an equal and opposite
reaction; there is a reaction force that is equal in size but opposite in direction.
Newton's Third Law of Motion (Example) - as the thrust of a rocket pushes down on Earth's
surface, the rocket launches upward into the atmosphere
Potential Energy - Energy stored in an object by the virtue of its position.
Example of work - A monkey carries a 5 kg pineapple 10 meters in 5 minutes.
Example of no work being performed - A monkey holds a 5 kg pineapple over his head for 5
minutes.
Example of velocity - Nemo swims 37 m/s South to Wallaby Way in Australia.
Speed - the distance traveled by an object in a given amount of time.
Example of speed - Nemo swims 58 m/s
Unbalanced Force - A force that is not equal in size and opposite in direction.
Velocity - speed of an object and its direction of motion; changes when speed, direction or both
changes
Work - force exerted on an object that causes the object to move in same direction that the
force was applied
Waves - Transfer energy in the direction they are traveling
Amplitude - The maximum displacement of a point on the wave from this undisturbed
position
