Force & Motion Vocabulary
Science · Forces & Motion · language
Use technical vocabulary for force and motion — balanced forces, unbalanced forces, resultant force, acceleration, deceleration, speed, moment, lever, fulcrum, mechanical advantage — and apply these when explaining and predicting how forces affect the motion and position of objects
What mastery looks like
- Distinguish between balanced and unbalanced forces and describe the effect of each on an object's motion
- Use 'resultant force' correctly when describing the net effect of two or more forces acting on an object
- Apply 'moment', 'lever', and 'fulcrum' correctly when describing how simple machines work
Check your understanding
Can Force & Motion Vocabulary explain why a seesaw stays level when two people of different weights sit at different distances — using words like 'balanced forces' or 'moment'?
Prerequisites
None — this is a foundational concept.