mock specific Flashcards
is force a vector or a scalar?
vector
what’s the difference between a vector and a scalar?
vectors have a magnitude and a direction, scalars only have a direction
name 5 vector quantities
force, velocity, displacement, acceleration, momentum, etc.
name five scalar quantities
speed, distance, mass, temperature, time
what are vectors usually represented by?
an arrow - the length of the arrow shows the magnitude, and the direction of the arrow shows the direction of the quantity
what is the equation for weight? what are the units for all of the measurements?
weight(N) = mass (kg) x gravitational field strength (N/kg)
what is the relationship between weight and mass?
they are directly proportional
when a chair is sat on the ground, what is the force of the ground on the chair called?
normal contact force
what is a force?
a push or pull on an object that is caused by it interacting with something
what is gravitational force?
the force of attraction between masses
what is weight?
the force acting on an object due to gravity (the pull of the gravitational force on the object)
what is force measured in?
newtons
where does a force act from on an object?
a single point, called it’s centre of mass (a point at which you assume the whole mass is concentrated)`
what is weight measured with?
a calibrated spring balance (or newtonmeter)
is mass a force?
no
what is mass measured in?
kilograms
what is mass measured with?
a mass balance
what do you need to know to calculate the weight of an object?
its mass and gravitational field strength
what do free body diagrams show?
all the forces acting on an object
what do the sizes of the arrows show in a free body diagram?
the relative magnitudes of the forces
what do the directions of the arrows show in a free body diagram?
the directions of the forces acting on the object
what is a resultant force?
the overall force on a point or object
what can you do if you have a number of forces acting at a single point?
you can replace them with the resultant force - a single force that has the same effect as all the original forces together
how do you find the resultant force when multiple forces all act along the same line (they’re all parallel)?
you add together those going in the same direction and subtracting any going in the opposite direction
what happens if a resultant force moves an object?
work is done
what happens when a force moves an object through a distance?
energy is transferred and work is done on the object
what must be done to make something move (or keep it moving if there are frictional forces)?
a force must be applied
when a force is applied, what does the thing applying the force need?
a source of energy (like fuel or food)
what happens when you push something along a rough surface (like a carpet)?
you are doing work against frictional forces. Energy is being transferred to the kinetic energy store of the object because it starts moving, but some is also being transferred to thermal energy stores due to the friction. This causes the overall temperature of the object to increase
what can you use scale drawings for?
to find the resultant force
how do you use scale drawings to find the resultant force?
- draw all the forces acting on an object ‘tip-to-tale’ (start drawing the arrow of the second force from the point (end) of the first arrow). Make sure it’s to scale (make sure you choose a sensible scale, e.g. 1 cm = 1 N)
- draw a straight line from the start of the first force to the end of the last force (making a triangle). This line is the resultant force
- measure the length of the resultant force on the diagram to find the magnitude of the force (using your scale to convert it back into newtons)
- the direction of the resultant force is measured as a bearing (clockwise from north)
what is a scale diagram?
a diagram of all the forces acting on an object, drawn so that one force begins where the previous one ends (the arrow of one force starts at the tip of the arrow of the previous force)
why might you want to split a force into components?
not all forces act horizontally or vertically - some act at awkward angles. To make these easier to deal with, they can be split into two components at right angles to each other (usually horizontal and vertical). Acting together, these components have the same effect as the single force
what does it mean to resolve a force?
to split it into components
how do you resolve a force?
by drawing it on a scale grid. Draw the force to scale, and then add the horizontal and vertical components along the grid lines. Then you can just measure them
what does it mean if a force causes an object to stretch, compress or bend?
there must be more than one force acting on the object (otherwise the object would simply move in the direction of the applied force, instead of changing shape)
what does it mean if an object has been elastically deformed?
it can go back to its original shape and length after the force has been removed
what are objects that can be elastically deformed called?
elastic objects
what does it mean if an object has been inelastically deformed?
it doesn’t return to its original shape and length after the force has been removed
what happens when a force stretches or compresses an object?
work is done - energy is transferred to the elastic potential energy store of the object
where is energy transferred to if an object is elastically deformed?
the object’s elastic potential energy store
what is the relationship between the extension of a spring and the force applied to the spring?
they are directly proportional
what is the equation that links the Spring constant, the force applied and the extension/compression? (include units)
Force (N) = spring constant (N/m) x extension/compression (m)
F = ke
what does the spring constant depend on?
the material that you are stretching - a stiffer spring has a greater spring constant
will the extension of a spring carry on increasing proportionally to the force applied forever?
no
what is the limit of proportionality?
the point where extension stops being proportional to force - the spring has stretched too far. On an extension-force graph, the graph starts to curve after the limit of proportionality
describe a practical to investigate the link between force and extension
- set up a clamp stand so that a spring is hanging next to a fixed ruler
- measure the natural length of the spring (when no load is applied) with a millimetre ruler clamped to the stand. Make sure you take the reading at eye level and add a marker (e.g. a thin strip of tape) to the bottom of the spring to make the reading more accurate
- add a mass to the spring and allow it to come to rest. Record the mass and measure the new length of the spring. The extension is the change in length
- remove the mass and check that the spring returns to the same length as before (that the limit of proportionality hasn’t been reached)
- repeat this process, adding more mass each time, until you have at least 6 measurements
- plot a force-extension graph of your results. It will only start to curve if you exceed the limit of proportionality.
what is the gradient of a force-extension graph (with force on the y-axis)?
the spring constant
what formula should be used to find the work done in stretching (or compressing) a spring (so long as the spring is not stretched past its limit of proportionality)? (give units)
Elastic potential energy (J) = 1/2 x spring constant (N/m) x extension (m)
Ee = (1/2)ke^2
how do you use a force-extension graph to find the energy in the elastic potential energy store of a stretched spring?
you find the area under the line of the graph up to that point
what can the formula Ee = (1/2)ke^2 be used for?
- finding the work done by stretching or compressing a spring
- calculating the energy stored in a spring’s elastic potential energy store
- calculating the energy transferred to the spring as it’s deformed (or transferred by the spring as it returns to it’s original shape)
what is displacement?
a vector quantity that measure the distance and direction in a straight line from an objects starting point to its finishing point
how could an object travel at a constant speed with a changing velocity?
if it is changing direction whilst staying the same speed
what is the formula that links speed, time, and distance travelled?
distance travelled (m) = speed (m/s) x time (s) s = vt
what is the average speed of a person walking?
1.5 m/s
what is the average speed of a person running?
3 m/s
what is the average speed of a person cycling?
6 m/s
what is the average speed of a car?
25 m/s
what is the average speed of a train?
30 m/s
what is the average speed of a plane?
250 m/s
what factors affect the speed a person can walk, run, or cycle?
their fitness, their age, the distance travelled, the terrain, etc.
what is the speed of sound?
330 m/s in air
what affects the speed of sound?
what the sound waves are travelling through
what is wind speed affected by?
things like temperature, atmospheric pressure, and if there are any large buildings or structures nearby (e.g. forests reduce the speed of the air travelling through them)
what is uniform acceleration? give an example.
constant acceleration, e.g. acceleration due to gravity for objects in free-fall
what is acceleration?
the change in velocity in a certain amount of time
what equation can you use to find the average acceleration of an object? (include units)
acceleration (m/s^2) = change in velocity (m/s) / time (s)
a = Δv/t
what is deceleration?
negative acceleration (if something slows down, the change in velocity is negative)
what is the approximate acceleration for objects in free fall?
9.8 m/s^2 - the same value as gravitational field strength
what equation can you use for uniform acceleration?
v^2 - u^2 = 2as v = final velocity (m/s) u = initial velocity (m/s) a = acceleration (m/s^2) s = distance