P5 - Forces Flashcards
What is a scalar?
A magnitude.
What is an example of a scalar?
Mass, speed, distance.
What is a vector?
A magnitude and a direction.
What is an example of a vector?
Velocity, weight, acceleration.
What is a contact force?
A force that only occurs when objects are in contact.
What is a non-contact force?
A force that doesn’t require contact for a force to be acted on it.
What is the resultant force?
The sum of all the forces acting on an object.
How do you calculate the force acting on a spring?
Force (N) = spring constant (N/m) x extension (m)
What is the limit of proportionality?
The point at which Hooke’s law no longer occurs and the length of the spring gradually increases without a force being added.
What is Hooke’s law?
Weight is proportional to the amount an object is being stretched.
What is elastic/plastic deformation?
When an object is stretched beyond the limit of proportionality, so that it can’t return to it’s original state.
What is inelastic deformation?
When an object is stretched within the limit of proportionality, so that it can return to it’s original shape.
What is a moment?
The turning effect caused by applying a force at a distance from the pivot point.
How do you calculate a moment?
Moment (N/m) = force (N) x distance (m)
What distance measurement is used when calculating a moment?
The perpendicular distance from the pivot, to the line of action from the force.
What is an equation that links pressure, force and area?
Pressure = force / area
What equation shows the magnitude of pressure in liquids at different depths?
Pressure = column height x density of liquid x gravitational field strength
What happens when the upthrust = weight of object?
Up and down forces are balanced. Object will stay still.
What happens when upthrust is less than the weight of the object?
Down force is greater than up force. Object will sink.
Explain upthrust in terms of density.
It is more dense towards the bottom.
More particles are colliding with object.
More force exerted on object. Object forced up.
What is an average speed?
The speed of an object measured over the whole journey.
What is an instantaneous speed?
The speed of an object at the very instance of being measured.
How do you calculate average speed?
Average speed = distance travelled / time taken
What does the gradient of a distance time graph give you?
The speed.
What is the symbol equation for calculating speed?
v = s / t
What is the word equation for calculating speed?
speed = distance / time
What is the equation for acceleration?
Acceleration = change in velocity / time taken
If an object is travelling in a circular motion at a constant speed is it accelerating?
Yes, because the change in direction is a change in velocity.
What is acceleration?
The rate of change of velocity with time.
Describe the changes of velocity a person experiences when skydiving.
Person accelerates (weight is larger than drag). Air resistance increases as person gains speed. Air resistance matches weight so the person reaches a terminal velocity.
Parachute pulled.
Drag more than weight. Person decelerates. Second terminal velocity reached, as person travels slower so drag gets smaller.
What is Newton’s first law?
If resultant force is zero, the forces acting on it are balanced. Meaning acceleration will be zero and it’s velocity will be constant. (stationary or moving)
What is Newton’s second law?
resultant force = mass x acceleration
F = m x a
Meaning the acceleration of an object depends on its mass and the force acting on it.
What is Newton’s third law?
When an object exerts a force on another object, the second object will exert the same amount of force as the first object.
The forces they exert are equal and opposite.
How do you calculate stopping distance?
Stopping distance = thinking distance + braking distnace
What factors effect thinking distance?
Drugs, alcohol, tiredness
What factors effect braking distance?
Road surface, tire quality, brake quality, mass
What factor effects both braking and thinking distance?
Speed
What is momentum?
A property of moving objects. It is a vector. The greater the velocity and mass the greater the momentum.
How do you calculate momentum?
momentum (kg m/s) = mass x velocity
What is the law of conservation of momentum?
In a closed system, the overall momentum before an event is the same as the overall momentum after an event.
How do safety features help reduce the force of impact?
They increase the time it takes to change momentum
What is an elastic collison?
No loss of kinetic energy or momentum.
What is an inelastic collision?
Energy is transferred to other forms of energy, momentum is not lost.
What is the centre of mass?
The single point through which the weight of the object can be said to act.