Grades 6 & 8 Science Vocabulary
Motion, Forces & Fields
Describing motion with speed and graphs, and how gravitational, electric, and magnetic forces push and pull on objects.
Ohio science standards in this unit
- 6.PS.4 · Speed & motionAn object's motion can be described by its speed and the direction in which it is moving.
- 8.PS.1 · Fields & potential energyObjects can experience a force due to an external field such as magnetic, electrostatic, or gravitational fields.
- 8.PS.2 · Net force & motionForces can act to change the motion of objects.
Definitions are written in plain language to support WIDA's Standard 4 (Science) English Language Development standard.
Practice 40 words
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Study guide
Speed & motion (6.PS.4)
- motion
- A change in an object’s position.
- speed
- How far something travels in a certain amount of time.
- distance
- How far something travels.
- reference point
- A place or object you use to compare position or motion.
- position vs. time graph
- A graph that shows where an object is at each moment. A steeper line means faster.
- motion detector
- A tool that measures an object’s position as it moves.
- speed vs. time graph
- A graph that shows how fast an object is going at each moment.
- force
- A push or a pull.
- orbit
- The curved path one object takes around another in space.
- circular motion
- Moving in a circle around a center point.
Fields & potential energy (8.PS.1)
- magnetic force
- The push or pull between magnets or magnetic materials.
- electrical force
- The push or pull between electric charges.
- gravitational force
- The pull that objects with mass have on each other.
- electric field
- The space around a charge where it can push or pull other charges.
- charge
- A property of matter that can be positive or negative.
- attract
- To pull toward. Opposite charges, and opposite magnetic poles, pull together.
- repel
- To push away. Like charges, and like magnetic poles, push each other away.
- magnetic field
- The space around a magnet where its force acts.
- magnetic field lines
- Lines drawn to show the shape and direction of a magnetic field.
- gravitational field
- The space around an object where its gravity pulls on other objects.
- weight
- The force of gravity pulling on an object’s mass.
- mass
- How much matter is in an object.
- electricity
- Energy from the movement or buildup of electric charges.
- magnetism
- The force made by magnets and moving electric charges.
- conductor
- A material that lets electricity or heat flow through it easily, like copper.
- electromagnet
- A magnet made by running electric current through a coil of wire.
- generator
- A machine that turns motion into electrical energy.
- mechanical energy
- The energy an object has from its motion and position.
- electrical energy
- Energy carried by moving electric charges.
- electric motor
- A machine that turns electrical energy into motion.
- magnetic pole
- One of the two ends of a magnet, north or south, where its force is strongest.
Net force & motion (8.PS.2)
- magnitude
- The size or strength of something, like a force.
- net force
- The total force on an object after adding all the pushes and pulls.
- force diagram
- A drawing with arrows that shows all the forces acting on an object.
- balanced forces
- Forces that cancel each other out, so the object’s motion does not change.
- stationary
- Not moving.
- inertia
- An object’s tendency to keep doing what it is doing — staying still or moving the same way.
- friction
- A force that slows things down when two surfaces rub together.
- drag
- Friction from air or water that slows a moving object.
- acceleration
- A change in speed or direction.