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Physics A-Level > Chapter 4: Mechanics And Materials > Flashcards

Chapter 4: Mechanics And Materials Flashcards

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1
Q

What is meant by a scalar quantity?

A

A quantity that has only magnitude.

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2
Q

What is a vector quantity?

A

A quantity that has magnitude as well as direction.

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3
Q

Is acceleration a vector or scalar quantity?

A

Vector

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4
Q

Is mass a scalar or vector quantity?

A

Scalar

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5
Q

What is the difference between mass and weight?

A

Mass is scalar and is not dependent on the gravity acting on it. Weight is a vector and depends on the gravitational field strength.
W=mg

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6
Q

If an object is in equilibrium the sum of the anti clockwise moments would be …

A

Equal to the sum of the clockwise moments (principle of moments).

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7
Q

If an object is in equilibrium it means the object is…

A

Not accelerating so it is either:
- stationary or
- moving at a constant velocity

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8
Q

How can the forces acting on an object be shown to be in equilibrium?

A
  • adding the horizontal and vertical components of the forces acting on it, showing they equal zero.
  • or if there are 3 forces acting on the object you can draw a scale diagram, if the scale diagram forms a closed triangle, then the object is in equilibrium.
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9
Q

What is a moment?

A

A turning force: force multiplied by the perpendicular distance from the point to the line of action of the force.

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10
Q

What is meant by a couple?

A

A pair of equal and opposite coplanar forces.

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11
Q

What is meant by the centre of mass?

A

The point through which all the mass of an object acts, for a uniform object the centre of mass is the centre of the object.

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12
Q

What can be described as ‘the change in displacement per unit of time’

A

Velocity

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13
Q

As speed increases, air resistance…

A

Increases (proportional to the square of the speed)

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14
Q

A ball is projected off a castle at 6m/s, how does its horizontal velocity change from its launch until it hits the ground?

A

The horizontal velocity remains the same as there is no acceleration in that direction.

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15
Q

How do SUVAT equations reflect that all objects fall at the same rate?

A

Mass is not included in the SUVAT equations, showing that the mass of an object does not affect its speed or acceleration.

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16
Q

In projectile motion, what is the vertical acceleration?

A

The vertical acceleration is equal to gravitational field strength (g).

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17
Q

What is meant by terminal velocity?

A

When the forces acting on the falling object become balanced, the acceleration becomes zero and the object is moving at maximum velocity.

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18
Q

What is meant by friction?

A

A resistance to motion between an object and a surface or an object moving through a fluid. Friction is a force that acts in the opposite direction to the movement.

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19
Q

Which of Newton’s Laws state ‘every action force has an equal and opposite reaction force’?

A

Newton’s third law

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20
Q

What is Newton’s second law?

A

F=ma
Where mass (m) is constant, F is the force applied and a is the acceleration.

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21
Q

What is Newton’s first law?

A

An object stays moving at a constant velocity until a force acts upon it.

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22
Q

What is the difference between elastic and inelastic collisions?

A

In an elastic collision the kinetic energy before is equal to the kinetic energy afterwards.
In an inelastic collision the kinetic energy at the end is not equal to the kinetic energy at the start.

23
Q

Give an equation that can be used to calculate momentum.

A

Momentum = mass x velocity

24
Q

True of False: ‘Linear momentum is only conserved in elastic collisions’.

A

False, linear momentum is always conserved.

25
Q

The rate of change of momentum can also be described as…

A

Force

26
Q

What is impulse?

A

The change in momentum.
FΔt = Δmv

27
Q

What does the area underneath a force - time graph represent?

A

Impulse, the change in momentum.

28
Q

Fscosθ=?

A

The work done / the energy transferred

29
Q

What’s the rate of work done is equal to?

A

The power

30
Q

What is efficiency?

A

Efficiency = the useful output power/ input power

31
Q

What is meant by the principle of conservation of energy?

A

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred into other forms of energy.
Therefore the total energy in a closed system will always remain the same.

32
Q

What is lift?

A

An upward force which acts on objects travelling in a fluid, it is caused by the object creating a change in direction of fluid flow and acts perpendicular to the direction of fluid flow.

33
Q

What is Hooke’s law?

A

Extension (ΔL) is directly proportional to force applied (F), given that the environmental conditions are kept constant.
F = kΔL

34
Q

What equation is used to calculate density?

A

Density = mass/volume

35
Q

What is meant by tensile stress?

A

The force applied per unit cross sectional area.

36
Q

What is tensile strain?

A

A measure of how the material stretches: the extension (ΔL) divided by the original length (L), strain has no units.
Strain = ΔL/L

37
Q

What is the difference between elastic and plastic deformation?

A

Elastic deformation: when the force is removed the object will return to its original shape.
Plastic deformation: after the load is removed the object will not return to its original shape.

38
Q

What is breaking stress?

A

The minimum stress needed to break a material.

39
Q

What is meant when a material is described as brittle?

A

It doesn’t deform plastically but breaks when the stress reaches a certain value.

40
Q

What is the elastic limit?

A

The force above which the material will be plastically deformed ( permanently stretched)

41
Q

What does the area underneath a force - extension graph represent?

A

The work done to deform the material.
Work done = 1/2 x F x ΔL

42
Q

State the equation to calculate elastic strain energy from the spring constant and extension.

A

E = 1/2 x kΔL^2

43
Q

What is Young’s modulus?

A

Young’s modulus (E) = tensile stress/ tensile strain
It describes the stiffness of a material

44
Q

How do you find the Young’s modulus from a stress-strain graph?

A

The gradient of the line.

45
Q

How can a force-extension graph show Hooke’s Law is being obeyed?

A

When it is a straight line through the origin ie. Force and extension are directly proportional

46
Q

What is the limit of proportionality and what does it look like on a force-extension?

A

The point after which Hooke’s law is mo longer obeyed, it is shown by the line beginning to curve on a force-extension graph

47
Q

How is the work done to stretch or compress a material stored?

A

Elastic strain energy

48
Q

What are the loading and unloading lines parallel on a force-extension graph for a plastically deformed material?

A

The stiffness constant (k) hasn’t changed, the forces between the atoms are the same when loading and unloading

49
Q

Why isn’t all work done stored as elastic strain energy when a stretch is plastic?

A

Work is done to move atoms apart, so energy is not stored as elastic strain energy but is dissipated as heat.

50
Q

How is the dissipation of energy in plastic deformation used to design safer vehicles?

A
  • crumple zones deform plastically in a crash using car’s kinetic energy so less is transferred to the passengers
  • seat belts stretch to convert the passengers kinetic energy into elastic strain energy
51
Q

Outline the energy changes that occur when a spring fixed at the top is pulled down and released.

A

The work done in pulling the spring down (stretching it) is stored as elastic strain energy, when the spring is released this is converted to kinetic energy which is converted to gravitational potential energy as the spring rises.

52
Q

Do stress-strain graphs show the behaviour of a material of a specific object?

A

Material

53
Q

Where would you find the ultimate tensile stress on a stress-strain graph?

A

The highest point on a graph, it is the maximum stress a material can withstand.

54
Q

What would the stress-strain graph for a ductile material look like?

A

A ductile material can undergo a large amount of plastic deformation before fracturing.

Physics A-Level (6 decks)

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