The science of everything
Physics explains how the whole universe behaves, and this word search gathers its big ideas. You'll track down the forces that shape the world — FORCE, GRAVITY, FRICTION and MAGNET — and the words that describe movement, from MOTION and SPEED to VELOCITY and MOMENTUM.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the lab changes every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a Hard-mode experiment once the diagonals and backwards words appear.
Energy, matter and machines
Physics is full of powerful concepts, and they're here. There's ENERGY and the tiny ATOM and PARTICLE that make up matter, the MASS and DENSITY of objects, the PRESSURE and VOLTAGE that drive things, and the law of INERTIA that keeps them moving. We've hidden the simple machines too — the LEVER and PULLEY — plus NEWTON, who explained so much, and a hint of QUANTUM for the curious.
The laws that rule the universe
Much of everyday physics was first explained by Sir Isaac NEWTON over 300 years ago. He realised that the same GRAVITY that makes an apple fall also keeps the Moon in its orbit, and he set out the rules of MOTION: an object stays still or keeps moving in a straight line unless a FORCE pushes or pulls it — an idea called INERTIA. That's why a ball rolling on grass eventually stops; the FORCE of FRICTION is quietly slowing it down.
Another huge idea is that ENERGY can never be created or destroyed, only changed from one form to another — the energy in your food becomes the movement of your muscles, then heat. Physics stretches from these everyday rules all the way down to the strange world of QUANTUM physics, which describes the tiniest PARTICLEs of all. The same subject explains magnets, electricity, light, sound and the stars.
Great for a forces-and-energy topic
It pairs perfectly with a science lesson on forces, motion or energy — Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words. Play online, print a PDF pack, or use our Make Your Own tool to build a grid from your own physics terms.
Frequently asked questions
What's in the physics word search?
The science of how things work — force, gravity, energy and motion, plus atoms, particles, simple machines and the great Newton. Each puzzle uses a fresh mix.
Does it cover forces and energy?
It does — FORCE, GRAVITY, FRICTION and MOTION, plus ENERGY, MASS, PRESSURE and the simple machines LEVER and PULLEY.
Is it good for a forces-and-energy topic?
Great fit — pair it with a science lesson on forces, motion or energy. Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words.