Weight and Circular Motion Flashcards
What aren’t the same
Weight and mass
What defines mass
The amount of stuff in a object. For any given object this will have the same value anywhere in the universe
What is mass
It is a scalar quantity
What is mass measured in
Kilograms with a mass balance
What defines weight
It is a force acting on an object due to gravity ( the pull of the gravitational force on the object ).
What is weight measured in
It is measured in Newton
What is used to measure weight
A Newton metre
What does weight depend on
It spends in mass and gravitational field strength
How can you calculate the weight of an object
If you know its mass ( m ) and the strength of the gravitational field that is in (g)
What is the equation
Weight ( N ) = mass(kg) x gravitational field strength (N/kg)
Why does Gravitational field strength vary with the location
It’s stronger the closer you are to the mass causing the field ( and more massive objects create stronger fields )
If the gravitational field strength is closer you, what does this mean
It means that the weight of an object changes with its location
What is circular motion
The velocity constantly changing
What is velocity
It is both the speed and the direction of an object
What happens when an object is travelling in a circle ( at a constant speed )
It means that it is constantly changing direction, so is constantly changing velocity. This means it’s accelerating
