Topic 9: Forces And Their Effect Flashcards
What is a force?
A push or pull acting on an object due to an interaction with another object
What are the two categories that all forces can be split into?
- Contact forces
- Non-contact forces
What are 3 examples of contact forces?
- Friction
- Air resistance
- Tension
What are 3 examples of non-contact forces?
- Gravitational forces
- Electrostatic forces
- Magnetic forces
Is force a vector or a scalar quantity and why?
Vector because it has high magnitude and direction
What is a scalar quantity?
A quantity that only has a magnitude
What is a vector quantity?
A quantity that has both magnitude and direction
What are 3 examples of vector quantities?
- Velocity
- Displacement
- Force
What are examples of scalar quantities?
- temperature
- mass
- speed
- distance
- energy
What is an alternative name for the turning effect of a force?
A moment
What distance measurement is used when calculating a moment?
The perpendicular distance from the pivot to the line of action of the force
If an object is in equilibrium, what can be said about the moments acting on the object?
The clockwise moments are equal to the anti-clockwise moments
How do levers make use of moments?
They increase the perpendicular distance of the force from the pivot, so decrease the force needed to produce the same moment
How does lubricating levers/ gears improve efficiency?
There is less resistance meaning less energy is wasted/ dissipated overcoming frictional forces
