Physics vocabulary crossword vocabulary pack

Teacher key

1. VELOCITY · 8 letters · noun · introductory
   Speed described together with direction

   Hint: Thirty meters per second east gives both pieces needed for this quantity.
   Why it fits: VELOCITY fits because it tells how fast something moves and where it is headed, unlike speed alone.

2. ACCELERATION · 12 letters · noun · intermediate
   Rate at which motion changes in speed or direction

   Hint: A car has this when it speeds up, slows down, or turns.
   Why it fits: ACCELERATION fits because physics uses it for any change in velocity, including speeding up, slowing down, or changing direction.

3. FORCE · 5 letters · noun · introductory
   Push or pull that can change an object's motion

   Hint: It is measured in newtons in the SI system.
   Why it fits: FORCE fits because it names the interaction that can start, stop, speed up, slow down, or redirect an object.

4. MASS · 4 letters · noun · introductory
   Amount of matter in an object

   Hint: It is measured in kilograms and is not the same as weight.
   Why it fits: MASS fits because it measures an object's matter, while weight depends on the gravitational pull acting on that matter.

5. INERTIA · 7 letters · noun · intermediate
   Tendency of matter to resist a change in motion

   Hint: A heavier cart is harder to start or stop because of this property.
   Why it fits: INERTIA fits because objects at rest tend to stay at rest and moving objects tend to keep moving unless acted on.

6. MOMENTUM · 8 letters · noun · intermediate
   Quantity found from mass times velocity

   Hint: A fast truck has more of it than a slow bicycle.
   Why it fits: MOMENTUM fits because moving objects carry this quantity, and collisions often analyze how it is transferred or conserved.

7. FRICTION · 8 letters · noun · introductory
   Contact force that opposes sliding motion

   Hint: Rough surfaces usually create more of this than smooth ones.
   Why it fits: FRICTION fits because it acts between surfaces and can slow motion or produce heat as objects rub together.

8. ENERGY · 6 letters · noun · introductory
   Capacity to do work or cause change

   Hint: It may be stored, moving, thermal, chemical, or electrical.
   Why it fits: ENERGY fits because physics tracks how this quantity transfers and transforms while total amount is conserved in closed systems.

9. WORK · 4 letters · noun · intermediate
   Energy transferred when a force moves an object through distance

   Hint: Pushing a box across the floor transfers this if the box moves.
   Why it fits: WORK fits because physics defines it more narrowly than everyday effort: a force must cause displacement.

10. POWER · 5 letters · noun · intermediate
    Rate at which energy is transferred or work is done

    Hint: A watt is one unit used to measure it.
    Why it fits: POWER fits because two machines can do the same amount of work, but the one that does it faster has more of this quantity.

11. WAVE · 4 letters · noun · introductory
    Traveling disturbance that carries energy

    Hint: Sound and light are studied as examples of this phenomenon.
    Why it fits: WAVE fits because many physical systems transfer energy through repeating disturbances in fields or materials.

12. AMPLITUDE · 9 letters · noun · intermediate
    Maximum displacement from a wave's rest position

    Hint: For sound, a larger value is related to greater loudness.
    Why it fits: AMPLITUDE fits because it measures how far a wave moves from its resting line, which often relates to intensity.

13. WAVELENGTH · 10 letters · noun · intermediate
    Distance between matching points on consecutive waves

    Hint: Measure from crest to crest or trough to trough.
    Why it fits: WAVELENGTH fits because it measures the repeat distance of a wave pattern, such as crest-to-crest spacing.

14. REFRACTION · 10 letters · noun · intermediate
    Bending of a wave as it enters a new medium

    Hint: A straw can look shifted in a glass of water because of this effect.
    Why it fits: REFRACTION fits because light, sound, and other waves can change direction when their speed changes in a different material.

15. DIFFRACTION · 11 letters · noun · advanced
    Spreading of waves around an edge or through an opening

    Hint: Sound can be heard around a doorway partly because of this behavior.
    Why it fits: DIFFRACTION fits because waves do not always travel only in straight lines; they can spread after passing barriers or gaps.

16. CURRENT · 7 letters · noun · intermediate
    Flow rate of electric charge

    Hint: Amperes are the units used for this quantity.
    Why it fits: CURRENT fits because it measures how much electric charge passes through part of a circuit each second.

17. VOLTAGE · 7 letters · noun · intermediate
    Electric potential difference measured in volts

    Hint: A battery label often gives this value.
    Why it fits: VOLTAGE fits because it describes the push per charge that can drive electric current through a circuit.

18. RESISTANCE · 10 letters · noun · intermediate
    Opposition to electric charge flow in a circuit

    Hint: Ohms are the units used to measure it.
    Why it fits: RESISTANCE fits because materials and components can limit current, converting some electrical energy into heat or other forms.

19. CIRCUIT · 7 letters · noun · introductory
    Complete path that lets electric charge flow

    Hint: A bulb lights only when this path is closed.
    Why it fits: CIRCUIT fits because current requires a continuous path through connected components and a source of electrical energy.

20. MAGNETISM · 9 letters · noun · introductory
    Force-related phenomenon involving poles and fields

    Hint: Compass needles respond to this interaction from Earth.
    Why it fits: MAGNETISM fits because it explains effects such as compass alignment, magnetic attraction, and forces near electric currents.

Accept a different answer only when it matches the clue, length, grammar, and any supplied crossings. Use the reviewed answer when teaching the intended vocabulary target.