Forces Flashcards
What is a force?
A force is a push or pull
What is the scalar force? give 3 examples
A scalar force has magnitude only. For example:
- speed
- distance
- time
What is a vector force? give 3 examples
A vector force has magnitude and direction
For example:
- velocity
- displacement
- acceleration
How do you show forces?
Using arrows on a diagram
What is tension? how is it represented?
Tension is always a pulling force and never a pushing force it is represented by a ’T’
What is friction? How is it represented?
Friction is the force opposing the motion, it is always parallel to the contact surface. It is represented by ‘Ff’
What is normal reaction force? how was it represented?
The force is perpendicular to the contact surface. Represented by ‘R’
What is weight?
The force acting downwards on an object
What diagram do you use to represent arrows?
A free-body diagram
What assumption can we always make with forces?
There is no friction unless told otherwise in the question
Where should the weight arrow be drawn?
Underneath the object, from its centre
A rubber duck is floating on water. What forces are present and what can be said about them?
The forces present:
- Upthrust
- Weight
They are equal forces so the duck stays afloat
What is Newton’s first law?
A body in motion stays in motion at constant velocity and a body at rest stays at rest unless acted on by a net external force
What is Newton’s first law commonly referred to as?
The law of inertia
What would the free-body diagram look like for a girl hanging motionless on a rope?
Tension in the up direction and the weight in the down direction at equal lengths
What would the free-body diagram look like for a car parked on a sloped street?
- Normal force perpendicular to the -contact surface
- weight downwards
- friction going up the slope
What would the free-body diagram look like for a car moving to the right and slowing down?
- Normal force down
- Weight up
- Friction to the left
What would the free-body diagram look like for a ball rising in a parabolic trajectory, do not neglect friction and air resistance
- weight down
- air resistance opposing the ball’s direction
What is a scale vector diagram?
When the lines of a free body diagram are joined together from tip to tail
What does it mean if the lines of a free body diagram match up to form a closed polygon?
That means the object is in equilibrium and has a resultant force of 0
How can a force be split?
vertically and horizontally
How can you find the component of the force in the direction required?
Fcostheta
e.g. 8cos20
what is newtons second law?
A body accelerates when acted on by an external force. the rate of change of momentum is proportional to the resultant force (Fnet=ma)
what are the 5 steps to solve 2nd law problems
- draw free body diagrams
- set up 2nd law equations in each dimension (x and y direction)
- identify numerical given data in each direction
- plug in numbers
- solve
in a grocery store, you push a 14.5kg cart with a force of 12N. If the cart starts at rest, how far does it move in 3 seconds?
F/m = 24/29 ms^-2 = a
s = ut+1/2at^2
s = 3.7m
A 5kg salmon is hanging from a fish scale in an elevator. What is the salmons apparent weight when the elevator is:
a) at rest
b) moving upward and slowing at 3.2 ms-2
c) moving downward and speeding up at 3.2 ms-2
d) moving upward and speeding up at 3.2 ms-2
a) W = mg = 5 x 9.8 = 49N
b) -3.2 x 5 = -16N (There is a force downward slowing it down, therefore Weight is greater than the upward force) -> 49-16 = 33N
c) 49N + 16N = 65N
d) 49N +16N = 65N
What is friction?
The force that opposes motion
What happens to the force of friction on a block as the force pushing it increases?
As the force pushing it increases, so will the frictional force to stop it moving. Once the applied force exceeds the maximum frictional force, the block will move. While the block moves the force of friction will remain constant at its maximum value
What is the formula for frictional force
Ff = uR
Ff = frictional force
u = coefficient of friction
R = normal reaction force
why is static friction always larger the dynamic friction?
more forces apply on the body to keep it stationary than the kinetic forces that make it accelerate
Why does weight increase when an elevator goes up?
If you stand on a scale in an elevator accelerating upward, you feel heavier because the elevator’s floor presses harder on your feet, and the scale will show a higher reading than when the elevator is at rest. On the other hand, when the elevator accelerates downward, you feel lighter.
A person with a weight of 600 N stands on a
scale in an elevator.
What is the acceleration of the elevator when the
scale reads 900N?
1) 1.5 m/s² upwards
2) 5.0 m/s² upwards
3) 5.0 m/s² downwards
4) 1.5 m/s² downwards
Answer: C
900 N = mass x 9.8 m/s²
mass = 900 N / 9.8 m/s² = 91.84 kg
The net force in this case is the difference between the reading on the scale (900 N) and the person’s weight (600 N), which is 300 N. Therefore, using the equation:
acceleration = 300 N / mass = 3.25 m/s².
Since the scale reading is greater than the person’s weight, the elevator must be accelerating upwards, so the answer is
C) 1.5 m/s² upwards.
What is Newtons 3rd law
If body A exerts a Force F on body B, hen body B exerts and equal but opposite force on body A
What are the 5 rules for newtons 3rd law pairs
- The same type of force
- Act along the same line
- Act on different objects
- Opposite in direction
- Equal in magnitude
How would you describe the 3rd law pair of an aircraft hovering in Earth orbit
The gravitational force of the aircraft on the earth is equal and opposite to the gravitational force of the Earth on the aircraft
Which of the following is a correct statement of Newton’s second law of motion?:
A. A force acting on a body is proportional to the mass of the body
B. The rate of change of momentum on a body is equal to the net external force acting on the body
C. The momentum of a body is proportional to the net external force acting on the body
D. A force acting on a body is proportional to the acceleration of the body
B