Name:________________________
Date of Test:____________________________
5th Grade Force and Motion Study Guide
Vocabulary
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Motion- a change in position relative to a point of reference, a change in speed, or a change in
distance.
Point of Reference (Reference Point)- a position is always described using a point of reference, a place
that is stationary, NOT moving.
Speed- how fast an object is moving
Change of Direction- a change in the path in which an object is traveling.
Change of Motion- is a change in an objects direction, speed or both.
Change of Speed- an increase or decrease in the speed of an object.
Direction of Motion- the path an object moves in (up, down, left, right, forwards, backwards).
Acceleration- the rate of change in an object’s position
Deceleration- to decrease the rate of change in an object’s position.
Constant Speed- no change in the speed of an object
Position-Time Graph- a graph showing the relationship between something’s position changing over
time.
Speed-Time Graph- a graph showing the speed changes over time.
Law of Inertia (Newton’s First Law)- an object in motion tends to stay in motion and an object at rest
tends to stay at rest unless acted on by an outside force.
Force- a push or a pull on an object
Contact Force- a force that acts on an object through direct touching
Friction - is the rubbing of two surfaces when they contact each other.
Air Resistance- the pushing of air against another object.
Non-Contact Force- a force that acts on an object without directly touching it.
Gravitational Force- a force that pulls objects toward the Earth.
Magnetic Attraction- a force that pulls objects towards each other.
Magnetic Repulsion- a force that pushes objects away from each other.
Balanced Force- when two forces act on an object with equal strength (an object stays at rest or
remain in motion in a straight line at the same speed).
Unbalanced Force- when one force acting on an object is stronger than another force it causes an
object to move.
Zero Net Force– when two forces act on an object with equal strength. The result will be that if the
object is at rest, it will stay at rest (not move). If the object is moving, it will continue to move a
constant speed in a straight line.
Non-Zero Net Force– when one of two forces acting on an object is stronger than the other causing an
object to move.
Force Strength (Magnitude)- how strong a force acts upon an object
Mass– the amount of matter contained in an object. “how much stuff is there.” Mass does not change
no matter where the object is or how fast it is moving.
Key Ideas:
I can describe the motion of an object in terms of point of reference, distance, time, and direction
 The location of any object is its position.
 A position is always described using a point of reference, a place that is stationary, NOT moving.
 Relative position (point of reference)-where something is in comparison to another location.
 Motion can only be described in comparison to another location. This is known as a relative position or
point of reference. A relative position is used to determine motion, direction, and speed that an object
is traveling.
 An object’s motion is described in terms of speed and direction.
 Speed is the ratio of distance covered per unit of time, S=D/T
 The term distance describes amount of space between two things or points. Distance is measured in
millimeters, centimeters, meters, and kilometers.
 The direction of motion is in relation to a point of reference. Direction can be described as up, down,
right, left, north, south, east, west, forward, and backward.
I can demonstrate how motion can be measured and represented on a graph
I can distinguish between contact and non-contact forces and demonstrate how they change the motion of
an object
 Identify contact forces:
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Friction
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Air Resistance
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Direct touching of an object (pushing, pulling, kicking, hitting)
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Identify non-contact forces:
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Gravity
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Magnetism
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Electrical fields
Explain what happens to an object when a contact or non-contact force pushes or pulls on it.
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Friction is the force that occurs when a moving object rubs against another surface slowing it
down.
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Air resistance slows an object down that is traveling through the air.
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Gravity is the force that keeps the Earth orbiting the Sun.
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Gravity is the force that pulls objects down toward Earth.
I can describe what happens when two forces act on an object in the same or opposing directions.
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When two forces are equal and act on an object in opposite directions, they balance each other out.
When this happens, there is no change in an object’s motion.
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Sometimes there are two forces acting together. If two people are pushing a table across the floor in
the same direction, the two forces are added together. Adding the forces together cause a change in
an object’s motion, speed, or direction.
I can describe balanced and unbalanced and how they affect the motion of objects
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Forces are pushes and pulls. Some forces can act on an object with equal strength. These are called
balanced forces. When two forces are balanced, the motion of an object stays the same.
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When two forces are equal and act on an object in opposite directions, they balance each other out.
There is no net force in this case or zero net force. When this happens, there is no change in an
object’s motion. Zero net force is a balanced force.
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Some forces can act on an object with different strengths. When one force is greater than another
force, the forces become unbalanced. Unbalanced forces cause changes in an object’s motion, speed,
or direction.
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Sometimes there are two forces acting together. If two people are pushing a table across the floor in
the same direction, the two forces are added together. Adding the forces together means they no
longer equal zero or are non-zero net forces. Non-zero net forces are unbalanced forces that cause
changes in an object’s motion, speed, or direction.
I can relate the size and change in motion to the strength of unbalanced forces and the mass of the object
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Acceleration of an object depends on the force and mass.
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The greater the force acting on an object the greater the acceleration.
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The opposite is true of mass. The more mass an object has the less it will accelerate.
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For example, the harder you kick a ball, the farther and faster it will travel.
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The opposite is true of mass. The more mass an object has, the less it will accelerate. If you
kick a tennis ball and a bowling ball with the same amount of force, the heavy bowling ball is
going to move slower and go a shorter distance than the tennis ball. A heavier object
requires more force to set it in motion.
Practice Test
Test your knowledge. Then, use the answer key below to see how you did.
1. How can you describe the bird’s motion?
a. The bird flew toward the house.
b. The bird flew from the left of the tree to the right of the tree.
c. The bird flew away from the tree.
d. All of the above are correct.
2. What has to be used in order to show that the bird has changed position?
a. Inertia
b. Magnitude
c. Point of reference
d. Time
3. How was the Sarah’s position different between 3 seconds and 5 seconds?
a. She did not move.
b. She traveled about 1 meter.
c. She traveled about 2 meters.
d. She traveled about 4 meters.
Decide if the following are contact forces or non-contact forces.
4. ________________________ A bat hitting a baseball
5. ________________________ Air resistance pushing on a paper air plane as it flies through the air
6. ________________________ Gravity pulling a book to the floor
Use the diagram below to answer questions 7 & 8.
7. Which dog will win tug of war?
a. The small black dog
b. The large grey dog
c. They will tie
8. What kind of forces are acting on the
rope?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Balanced forces
Unbalanced forces
Zero net forces
Non-zero net forces
Both a and c
Both b and d
9. The greater the magnitude (size of) force acting on an object…
a. Nothing will happen to the object
b. The more the object will move
c. The less the object will move
10. The greater the mass of an object…
a. The greater the force needed to change the object.
b. The less the force needed to change the object.
c. Nothing will happen to the object
Key: 1. D, 2. C, 3. D, 4. Contact, 5. Contact, 6. Non-Contact, 7. B, 8. F, 9. B, 10. A