Basic Engineering Common Core (BECC) 2 Practice Test

The term "force" in physics refers to an interaction that causes an object to change its velocity, which includes changes to both speed and direction. This concept is rooted in Newton's second law of motion, which states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting upon it and inversely proportional to its mass. Therefore, when a force is applied to an object, it can cause that object to start moving, stop moving, or alter its motion by accelerating or decelerating.

In contrast, the other choices do not accurately define "force." A scalar quantity indicating mass does not involve interaction and does not encapsulate the concept of force. The rate of change of momentum relates to how momentum evolves over time, but it is not synonymous with force itself; instead, it can be described by the application of force. A measure of resistance against motion describes friction or other forces acting opposite to motion, but it does not capture the broader and fundamental definition of force as an interaction that results in a change of motion.