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Physics vocabulary words for science students

This list is for middle school, high school, and early college students building a working physics vocabulary. It covers foundational terms about motion, energy, and forces, plus a few words used in more advanced topics like quantum physics. Review the words before a unit test, then use them to explain a diagram or experiment in your own words.

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Physics vocabulary words for science students

Word	Meaning	In a sentence
forcenoun	A push or pull that can change an object's motion or shape.	The force from her hand set the toy car moving.
velocitynoun	The speed of something in a specific direction; the rate at which it moves.	The rocket reached an incredible velocity just seconds after launch.
accelerationnoun	The rate at which the speed or velocity of something increases over time.	The sports car's rapid acceleration pushed passengers back into their seats.
momentumnoun	The force or drive that keeps a moving object or an ongoing process going, or the strength gained from progress.	The campaign gained momentum after the candidate's speech went viral online.
gravitynoun	The attraction between objects that have mass.	Gravity pulls the falling apple toward Earth.
frictionnoun	The resistance one surface or object encounters when moving against another, or tension between people.	Friction between the tires and the wet road made the car harder to control.
energynoun	The capacity to do work or bring about change.	Sunlight provides energy that the plant uses to make sugars.
massnoun	The quantity of matter in an object, measured by its resistance to acceleration; also a large body or quantity of something.	Scientists measured the mass of the asteroid using its gravitational pull.
matternoun	Anything that has mass and takes up space.	Air is matter even though we cannot usually see it.
densitynoun	The mass of a substance per unit of its volume, or, more generally, how tightly packed something is.	Lead has a much higher density than aluminum, so it feels far heavier for its size.
pressurenoun	A continuous physical force exerted on an object; also, a feeling of stress caused by difficulty or demands.	The diver felt the pressure increase steadily as she descended deeper into the ocean.
wavelengthnoun	The distance between successive peaks of a wave, or, figuratively, a shared way of thinking with another person.	Radio stations broadcast on different wavelengths so their signals do not interfere with each other.
frequencynoun	The rate at which something happens or is repeated over a particular period of time.	Doctors track the frequency of her headaches to identify possible triggers.
amplitudenoun	The maximum extent of a wave or vibration, measured from its resting or equilibrium position.	Increasing the amplitude of the sound wave made the music noticeably louder.
kineticadjective	Relating to or resulting from motion.	The sculpture used kinetic elements that moved gently whenever the wind blew.
potentialadjective	Possible but not yet actual; capable of developing into something in the future.	Investors saw potential profit in the small startup's new technology.
thermodynamicsnoun	The branch of physics that studies heat, energy, and the way they transform and move between systems.	Thermodynamics explains why a hot cup of coffee gradually cools to room temperature.
quantumnoun	The smallest possible discrete quantity of a physical property, such as energy, in physics.	Einstein showed that light travels in discrete packets, or quanta, rather than a continuous wave.
particlenoun	An extremely small piece of matter, or a tiny unit smaller than an atom studied in physics.	A single particle of dust drifted through the beam of sunlight.
electronnoun	A stable subatomic particle with a negative electric charge, found in every atom.	Electrons orbit the nucleus of an atom in regions called electron clouds.
protonnoun	A positively charged subatomic particle found in the nucleus of every atom.	The number of protons in an atom determines which element it is.
neutronnoun	A subatomic particle with no electric charge, found in the nucleus of nearly every atom.	Splitting an atom's nucleus releases neutrons along with a burst of energy.
atomnoun	The smallest unit of an element that keeps that element's chemical identity.	A water molecule contains two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.
moleculenoun	The smallest unit of a substance that still has all its chemical properties, made of two or more bonded atoms.	A water molecule consists of two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom.
magnetismnoun	The physical force that attracts certain materials, such as iron, and repels others; also a person's compelling charm.	The magnetism of the coil was strong enough to lift small metal pins.
vectornoun	A quantity that has both magnitude and direction, often represented by an arrow.	The plane's velocity is a vector showing both its speed and its direction of travel.
scalarnoun	A quantity that has only magnitude, not direction, unlike a vector.	Temperature is a scalar because it has a value but no direction.
inertianoun	The tendency of an object to remain still or keep moving unless a force acts on it.	The physics teacher explained inertia using a coin balanced on a spinning card.
entropynoun	A measure of disorder or randomness in a system, which tends to increase over time.	Physicists explain that entropy in an isolated system never decreases over time.
refractionnoun	The bending of light or another wave as it passes from one medium into another.	Refraction makes a straw look bent when it is placed in a glass of water.

Quantum physics words in this list

A few terms here, such as quantum, particle, electron, proton, and neutron, come from quantum physics, the branch of science that studies matter and energy at the smallest scales. These words describe the building blocks of atoms and how they behave, which is different from the everyday motion described by force, velocity, and momentum. Both sets of vocabulary are useful for a complete physics course.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between kinetic and potential energy?

Kinetic energy is the energy of motion, while potential energy is stored energy based on an object's position, such as height or tension.

What does momentum mean in physics?

Momentum is a measure of an object's motion, calculated from its mass and velocity, and it explains why heavier or faster objects are harder to stop.