Forces & Motion
Energy
Waves & Sound
Light & Optics
Key Terms
100

This British scientist's First Law states that an object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Who is Newton?

100

The energy an object has due to its motion.

What is kinetic energy?

100

The two main types of waves are transverse and this type, where the vibration is parallel to the direction of energy transfer.

What is longitudinal?

100

The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. This is the name of the law.

What is the Law of Reflection?

100

The rate of change of velocity. Measured in m/s².

What is acceleration?

200

The force that pulls objects towards the Earth, calculated as mass times this acceleration (g).

What is gravity? (or What is 9.8 m/s²?)

200

The type of energy stored in an object raised above the ground.

What is gravitational potential energy?

200

In a sound wave, a higher frequency corresponds to a higher perceived one of these.

What is pitch?

200

The type of image formed by a plane mirror, which cannot be projected onto a screen.

What is a virtual image?

200

Done when a force causes an object to move. Calculated as force times distance (Joules).

What is work?

300

The tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion.

What is inertia?

300

When a stretched rubber band is released, this type of energy is converted into kinetic energy.

What is elastic potential energy?

300

This type of sound wave, with frequencies above human hearing, is used in medical imaging.

What is ultrasound?

300

The bending of light as it passes from one transparent medium to another.

What is refraction?

300

Mass per unit volume (kg/m³).

What is density?

400

The difference between these two concepts is that one is the amount of matter (kg) and the other is the force of gravity on it (N).

What is mass and weight?

400

In the absence of air resistance, the total mechanical energy of a falling object remains this.

What is constant? (or What is conserved?)

400

Sound waves cannot travel through this because it lacks a medium.

What is a vacuum? (or What is space?)

400

A converging lens that can focus light to form real or virtual images.

What is a convex lens?

400

The SI unit of electric current.

What is the Ampere (Amp)?

500

If a 2-kg object accelerates at 3 m/s², the net force acting on it is this many Newtons (F=ma).

What is 6 N?

500

The rate of doing work, measured in watts (W).

What is power?

500

The speed of light (3x10^8 m/s) is this many times faster than the speed of sound in air (~340 m/s).

What is approximately 882,000 times? (Accept reasonable estimates like "almost a million")

500

This phenomenon explains why the sky appears blue during the day.

What is scattering?

500

A measure of how easily electricity passes through a material. The opposite of resistance.

What is conductivity?

M
e
n
u