TorqueIn physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational correspondent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force, or simply the moment. Just as a linear force is a push or a pull applied to a body, a torque can be thought of as a twist applied to an object with respect to a chosen axis. For example, when driving a screw, a screwdriver applies torque to the screw, causing it to tend to rotate around its axis.
Mechanical equilibriumIn classical mechanics, a particle is in mechanical equilibrium if the net force on that particle is zero. By extension, a physical system made up of many parts is in mechanical equilibrium if the net force on each of its individual parts is zero. In addition to defining mechanical equilibrium in terms of force, there are many alternative definitions for mechanical equilibrium which are all mathematically equivalent.
VelocityVelocity is a measurement of speed in a certain direction of motion. It is a fundamental concept in kinematics, the branch of classical mechanics that describes the motion of physical objects. Velocity is a vector quantity, meaning that both magnitude and direction are needed to define it (velocity vector).
ForceInfluence that can change motion of an objectIn physics, a force is an action that can cause an object to change its velocity or its shape, or to resist other forces, or to cause changes of pressure in a fluid. In mechanics, force makes ideas like pushing or pulling mathematically precise. Because the magnitude and direction of a force are both important, force is a vector quantity (force vector).
Center of massIn physics, the center of mass of a distribution of mass in space (sometimes referred to as the barycenter or balance point) is the unique point at any given time where the weighted relative position of the distributed mass sums to zero. For a rigid body containing its center of mass, this is the point to which a force may be applied to cause a linear acceleration without an angular acceleration.
Euclidean vectorIn mathematics, physics, and engineering, a Euclidean vector or simply a vector (sometimes called a geometric vector or spatial vector) is a geometric object that has magnitude (or length) and direction. Euclidean vectors can be added and scaled to form a vector space. A vector quantity is a vector-valued physical quantity, including units of measurement and possibly a support, formulated as a directed line segment.
Magnitude (mathematics)In mathematics, the magnitude or size of a mathematical object is a property which determines whether the object is larger or smaller than other objects of the same kind. More formally, an object's magnitude is the displayed result of an ordering (or ranking) of the class of objects to which it belongs. Magnitude as a concept dates to Ancient Greece and has been applied as a measure of distance from one object to another.
Direction (geometry)In geometry, direction, also known as spatial direction, vector direction or relative direction, is the common characteristic of all rays which coincide when translated to share a common endpoint; equivalently, it is the common characteristic of vectors (such as the relative position between a pair of points) which can be made equal by scaling (by some positive scalar multiplier). Two vectors sharing the same direction are said to be codirectional or equidirectional.
AccelerationDrag racing is a sport in which specially-built vehicles compete to be the fastest to accelerate from a standing start.In physics, acceleration is a measure of how fast and in what direction an object's speed and direction of motion are changing. It is defined as the rate of change of the velocity. Like velocity, acceleration has a magnitude and a direction, making it a vector quantity. The SI unit for acceleration is metre per second squared (m⋅s, m/s).
Physical systemA physical system is a collection of physical objects under study. The collection differs from a set; the objects must coexist and have some physical relationship. In other words, it is a portion of the physical universe chosen for analysis. Everything outside the system is known as the environment, which is ignored except for its effects on the system. The split between system and environment is the analyst's choice, generally made to simplify the analysis.
Classical mechanicsDiagram of orbital motion of a satellite around the Earth, showing perpendicular velocity and acceleration (force) vectors, represented through a classical interpretationIn physics, classical mechanics is a theory that describes the effect of forces on the motion of macroscopic objects and bulk matter, without considering quantum effects, and often without incorporating relativistic effects either.
Newton's laws of motionLaws in physics about force and motionNewton's laws of motion are three physical laws that describe the relationship between the motion of an object and the forces acting on it.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.