- Displacement
- The distance moved in a stated direction from a starting point; a vector quantity measured in metres (m).
- Velocity
- The rate of change of displacement with time; a vector quantity, measured in metres per second (m s⁻¹).
- Acceleration
- The rate of change of velocity with time; a vector quantity measured in metres per second squared (m s⁻²).
- Free fall
- The motion of an object falling under the action of gravity alone, with no air resistance.
- Gravitational acceleration
- The acceleration of an object in free fall due to gravity, about 9.81 m s⁻² near the Earth's surface.
- Inertia
- The tendency of an object to resist any change to its state of rest or uniform motion.
- Mass
- The amount of matter in an object; a scalar quantity measured in kilograms (kg), and a measure of its inertia.
- Momentum
- The product of the mass and velocity of an object; a vector quantity (momentum = mass × velocity), measured in kg m s⁻¹.
- Principle of conservation of momentum
- The principle that the total momentum of a system remains constant in the absence of an external force, so total momentum before a collision equals total momentum after.
- Force
- A push or pull acting on an object that can change its shape, or its state of rest or motion; a vector quantity measured in newtons (N).
- Impulse
- The product of a force and the time for which it acts, equal to the change in momentum it produces; measured in newton seconds (N s).
- Impulsive force
- The large force acting over a very short time during a collision or explosion (impulsive force = change in momentum ÷ time).
- Weight
- The gravitational force acting on an object's mass; a vector quantity (weight = mass × gravitational field strength), measured in newtons (N).
What "Force and Motion I" terms cover
This group collects the 13 SPM Physics terms in Force and Motion I. Getting these definitions exactly right is some of the cheapest marks in Paper 2, a "define" or "state" question wants one precise sentence with the correct unit.
The key terms to get right
- Displacement, The distance moved in a stated direction from a starting point; a vector quantity measured in metres (m).
- Velocity, The rate of change of displacement with time; a vector quantity, measured in metres per second (m s⁻¹).
- Acceleration, The rate of change of velocity with time; a vector quantity measured in metres per second squared (m s⁻²).
- Free fall, The motion of an object falling under the action of gravity alone, with no air resistance.
- Gravitational acceleration, The acceleration of an object in free fall due to gravity, about 9.81 m s⁻² near the Earth's surface.
- Inertia, The tendency of an object to resist any change to its state of rest or uniform motion.
- Mass, The amount of matter in an object; a scalar quantity measured in kilograms (kg), and a measure of its inertia.
- Momentum, The product of the mass and velocity of an object; a vector quantity (momentum = mass × velocity), measured in kg m s⁻¹.
- Principle of conservation of momentum, The principle that the total momentum of a system remains constant in the absence of an external force, so total momentum before a collision equals total momentum after.
- Force, A push or pull acting on an object that can change its shape, or its state of rest or motion; a vector quantity measured in newtons (N).
- Impulse, The product of a force and the time for which it acts, equal to the change in momentum it produces; measured in newton seconds (N s).
- Impulsive force, The large force acting over a very short time during a collision or explosion (impulsive force = change in momentum ÷ time).
How this vocabulary is examined
These terms appear as define/state items in Paper 1 and Paper 2, and inside explain and calculate questions where using the wrong word costs marks. Learn each term with its unit and one example of correct use.
Source: DSKP KSSM Physics Form 4 and 5 (Versi English) (Bahagian Pembangunan Kurikulum (BPK), KPM)