Physics P1 Flashcards
What is a physical quantity?
A measurement of something and it’s unit
SI base units
(length, mass, time, current, temp, amount of substance)
Length - metre (m)
Mass - Kilogram (kg)
Time - second (s)
Current - Ampere (A)
Temp - Kelvin (K)
Amount of substance - Mole (mol)
How do you derive units?
Put together the units from the equation that make the physical quantity
What is a scalar of quantity?
A quantity that only has magnitude
What is a vector quantity?
A quantity that has magnitude and direction
Give 8 examples of scalar quantities
Distance, speed, time, area, volume, mass, energy, temperature, electrical charge, frequency
Give 5 examples of vector quantities
Displacement, velocity, acceleration, momentum, force, weight
How do you calculate the resultant force of a vector triangle?
Use Pythagoras theorem
What does resolving a vector mean?
Separating the horizontal and vertical velocities as mutually perpendicular components
Components of a vector
- Velocity in the x-direction = Fcos(0)
- Velocity in the y-direction = Fsin(0)
- Angle made by the vector = tan(0)=x/y
How to add non-perpendicular vectors
- Make sure/ rearrange the horizontal and vertical velocities head to tail
- Create a vector triangle
- Use the sine or cosine rule to find the resultant force
What is the cosine rule?
a^2 = b^2 + c^2 - 2bc x cos(A)
What a the sine rule?
a/sin(A) = b/sin(B) = c/sin(C)
How do you measure the distance travelled by an object?
A meter rule or a measuring tape
Define speed
The rate of change of distance
What is the gradient in a distance time graph?
The speed
Define displacement
The distance in a given direction
Define velocity
The rate of change of displacement
How do you calculate velocity?
Change in displacement/time taken
In a displacement-time graph, what is the gradient?
The velocity
In a displacement-time graph, what does a negative gradient represent?
Motion in the opposite direction
What does the gradient of a curve represent in a displacement time graph?
Drawing a tangent on a curve determines the instantaneous velocity
Define acceleration
The rate of change of velocity
How do you calculate acceleration?
Change in velocity/time taken
What does the gradient of a velocity – time graph represent?
The acceleration
What does the area under a velocity – time graph represent?
The displacement of the object
What does a straight line on a velocity – time graph represent?
Constant speed
What do the letters of SUVAT represent?
S - displacement/distance
U - initial velocity
V - final velocity
A - acceleration
T - time taken
What is stopping distance?
The sum of thinking distance and breaking distance
Define thinking distance
The distance travelled between the moment the driver sees a reason to stop and the moment the driver applies the brake
Define breaking distance
The distance travelled by the car from the instant the break is applied until the car stops
What are thinking distance and breaking distance proportional to?
- Thinking distance is directly proportional to u
- Breaking distance is directly proportional to u^2
Factors that affect thinking distance
Reaction time, drugs, alcohol, tiredness
Factors that affect breaking distance
Car conditions, road conditions, weather conditions
What is freefall?
All objects on the surface of the earth for the same acceleration as long as air resistance is negligible.
This acceleration of freefall is equal to 9.81 m s^-2
How do you determine the speed of a falling/moving object?
Light gates connected to either a timer or data locker
Projectile motion - vertically and horizontally
- If an object is thrown vertically there will be a straight line path
- If an object is thrown at an angle with a vertical force that will be a curved (parabolic) path
What is the acceleration of projectiles if air resistance is ignored?
All projectiles on earth will accelerate at 9.81 vertically downwards
Independent horizontal velocity of a projectile
The horizontal velocity remains constant
Independent vertical velocity of a projectile
The velocity changes and the motion can be described using the equations of motion
Horizontal velocity of a projectile at an angle
The velocity remains constant at vcos0
Vertical velocity of a projectile at an angle
The initial velocity is vsin0
How do you calculate resultant force?
F = ma
For a constant mass F is directly proportional to a
Define the Newton
The resultant force that will give a mass of 1 kg and acceleration of 1 ms^-2 in the direction of the force
Define weight
The gravitational force acting on the object
How do you calculate weight?
Mass x gravity
How do you calculate the vertical acceleration using resultant force?
Resultant force = thrust - weight
Define centre of gravity
The point where the entire weight of an object appears to act
Define centre of mass
A point through which any externally applied force produces straight line motion without any rotation
Centre of mass and centre of gravity on earth compared to space
- The centre of gravity and the centre of mass are at the same point on earth
- In deep space, there is no gravitational field, there is no sense of gravity but the object has a centre of mass
What is the resistance forces when objects move through air?
Drag and upthrust forces - which means an object will no longer accelerate at 9.81
What is drag?
A resistance force experienced by an object moving through a fluid
Factors that affect drag
- The speed of an object (the greatest speed, the greater the drag)
- The cross-sectional area of an object (more air particles hitting, the great of the drag)
- The type of fluid or its viscosity
For most objects, what is drag force directly proportional to?
Speed squared
What is terminal velocity?
Where the speed of an object is constant and acceleration is zero
Therefore when net force = zero
A skydivers speed, drag, resultant force and acceleration at terminal velocity
Speed = constant
Drag = weight
Resultant force = 0
Acceleration = 0
What is equilibrium?
When the forces acting on an object do not produce any rotation or any acceleration