Book 2: Force and Motion Flashcards
What are the SI units of length and time?
length: metre (m)/kilometre (km), centimetre (cm), millimetre (mm)
time: second (s)/microsecond (μs), millisecond (ms)
What is the average reaction time of a person?
0.2s
How can we overcome the limits of reaction time?
We can measure the duration of repeating events for more cycles or use automatic devices like light-gates connected to a timer-scaler or data-logger.
What is displacement and what type of measurement is it?
Displacement is the change in position relative to the starting position, and it requires both magnitude (size) and direction. Therefore, it is a vector.
What is the difference between vectors and scalars?
Vectors require both magnitude and direction, but scalars only require magnitude.
How can the total displacement be calculated?
If the displacement is along a straight line, the total displacement has the magnitude and direction of the arrow pointing from the starting point to the finishing point. If the displacement is along a plane, Pythagoras’ theorem and trigonometry can be used to find its magnitude and direction.
What is speed and what is its unit? Is it a vector or scalar?
Speed is the distance travelled per unit time, measured in an SI unit of ms^-1 (m/s). It is a scalar because it does not require direction.
What are average speed and instantaneous speed?
Average speed measures how fast an object moves over a whole journey. It is obtained by dividing the total distance travelled by the time taken. Instantaneous speed is the average speed over an extremely short time; the shorter the time period, the more accurate the measurement.
What is velocity and what is its unit? Is it a vector or scalar?
Velocity is the displacement per unit time, measured in an SI unit of ms^-1. It is a vector because it has both magnitude and direction.
What are average velocity and instantaneous velocity?
Average velocity measures the displacement of an object over a whole journey. It is obtained by dividing the total displacement travelled by the time taken. It may not be equal to the average speed. Instantaneous velocity is the average displacement over an extremely short time; the shorter the time period, the more accurate the measurement. Its magnitude is always equal to that of instantaneous speed.
What does it mean when an object is in uniform motion?
It is moving in constant velocity, which means it is moving at a constant speed in a fixed direction.
What is acceleration and what is its unit? Is it a vector or scalar?
Acceleration is the change in velocity per unit time, measured in an SI unit of ms^-2. It is a vector because an object has acceleration when its direction changes as well.
What is average acceleration?
Average acceleration is the total change of velocity in the total time travelled.
How can we tell whether an object is speeding up or slowing down from its velocity and acceleration?
If the velocity and acceleration have the same sign, the object is speeding up. If they have opposite signs, then the object is slowing down. We cannot tell the direction or acceleration of an object from only the sign of its velocity, or only the sign of its acceleration.
What is a s-t graph and what are its features?
An s-t graph is a displacement-time graph, with the displacement being plotted on the y-axis against the time. Its slope give the velocity of the object.
What is a v-t graph and what are its features?
A v-t graph is a velocity-time graph, with the velocity being plotted on the y-axis against the time. The slope of a v-t graph gives the acceleration of an object. When the graph is a straight line or curve, the sign of the slope gives the direction of acceleration and the steeper the slope, the greater the magitude of acceleration. The area under a v-t graph is the total displacement of the object.
What is an a-t graph?
An a-t graph is an acceleration-time graph, with the acceleration being plotted on the y-axis against the x-axis.
What are the looks of the s-t, v-t, and a-t graphs when an object is in uniform motion?
The s-t graph is a straight line, the v-t graph is a horizontal line (y=v, where v is the constant velocity), and the a-t graph is a horizontal line (y=0)
What are the looks of the s-t, v-t, and a-t graphs when an object is uniformly accelerated?
The s-t graph is a curved line curved upwards, the v-t graph is a straight line with a slope, and the a-t graph is a horizontal line (y=a, where a is the constant acceleration)
What are the looks of the s-t, v-t, and a-t graphs when an object is uniformly accelerating with direction opposite to its velocity?
The s-t graph is a downward-opening parabola, the v-t graph is a straight line with slope from positive to negative, and the acceleration is a horizontal line (y=a, where a is the constant acceleration and a<0)
What are the equations of uniformly accelerated motion?
v=u+at, s=1/2(v+u)t=ut+1/2at^2, v^2=u^2+2as
Why do objects fall at different speeds?
Objects fall due to gravity, and they fall at different speeds because of air resistance. If air is removed, objects fall at the same rate.
What is the acceleration due to gravity?
9.81 ms^-2 near the earth’s surface and pointing downwards, denoted by g
What is a force and its unit? Is it a vector or scalar?
Force is a push or pull on an object by another object, and it exists in pairs. Its SI unit is newton (N), and it is a vector because it has both magnitude and direction.
How are forces measured?
They can be measured using spring balances or force sensors. A spring balance can only measure a pulling force while a force sensor conected to a data-logger can measure both pulls and pushes.
What are some examples of contact forces?
Friction: friction occurs when an object slides or tends to slide over another object. Its direction is opposite to that of the relative motion of the object.
Tension: when a rope is stretched, tension is developed and pulls objects along the stretched object.
Normal force: the force acting perpendicularly on an object by the surface in contact with it (supporting force)
What are some examples of non-contact forces?
Weight: weight is a gravitational pull by the Earth towards the centre of the earth.
Electrical force: exists between electric charges
Magnetic force: exists between magnets and magnetic objects
What is net force?
Net force is the added result of all forces exerted on an object.
What is inertia?
Inertia is the tendency of an object to maintin its state of rest or of uniform motion/constant velocity.
How is inertia related to mass?
Mass is a measure of an object’s inertia. The greater the mass, the greater the inertia.
What is Newton’s first law of motion?
Every object remains in a state of rest or uniform motion unless acted on by a net force or unbalanced force.
What is Newton’s second law of motion?
The acceleration of an object is directly proporitonal to, and in the same direction as, the net force acting on it, and inversely proporitonal to the mass of the object. (F=ma)
1N=?kg
1N=1kg m s^-2
What is weight (on earth)?
Weight is the gravitational force acting on an object. W=mg, where g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.81m s^-2)
How is mass different from weight?
Mass measures the inertia of an object while weight is the gravitational force acting on an object. Mass is measured in kg while weight is measured in N. The value of mass does not depend on location, but weight varies with location.
Why doesn’t an object resting on a plane move if the applied force is too small? Why does it start to move when the applied force increases to a certain magnitude?
The net force acting on the object is equal to 0, which means that the friction between the object and the plane has the same magnitude as the applied force. Friction increases accordingly when the applied force increases but there is a maximum value for friction. Therefore, when the applied force is large enough, the object starts moving.
What is fluid resistance and what is its relaitonship with the speed and shape of an object?
Fluid resistance is the resistive force experienced by objects when they move through fluids. It increases with the speed of moving objects, and streamlined bodies can reduce the resistance.
What is Newton’s third law of motion?
To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The action and reaction forces act on different interacting objects simultaneously.
What are some characteristics of an action-and-reaction pair?
They act on different objects that interact with each other, have an equal magnitude at all times, and act in opposite directions.