Year 10- Physics

Unit 1: Forces and Motion

 Distance/time graphs and
SP1.2w speed – Strengthen

Name Class Date

1 The boxes on the right show two equations linking speed, time and distance
distance. Which one do you need to use to answer the following A speed =
time
question: A peregrine falcon flies at 50 m/s for 7 s. How far does it fly?

2 Fill in the numbers below and then work out the answer. B distance = speed × time
= ×
= m

S1 A peregrine falcon flies at 50 m/s for 7 s. How far does it fly?

3 The four graphs below are all drawn with the same scales. They show different speeds. Write the speed
under each graph, choosing numbers from the box on the right.

0 m/s
2 m/s
4 m/s
6 m/s

speed = speed = speed = speed =

A sketch graph is a graph with no numbers on it (like the

ones in question 3). A sketch distance/time graph can
still give information about speed by showing different
gradients to represent faster or slower speeds.
4 Zahir starts a race fast, then gets a stitch and has
to stop. When he starts running again he goes
more slowly than before. Draw a sketch graph
using the axes on the right to show Zahir's race.

S2 Zahir starts a race fast, then gets a stitch and has to stop. When he starts running again he goes more
slowly than before. Sketch a distance/time graph to show Zahir's race if he runs at a constant speed in
each section of the race.

5 An athlete runs 100 m in 20 s. Calculate their speed.

speed = m/s

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 Distances/time graphs and
SP1.3w speed – Extend
E1 Zahir starts a race fast, then gets a stitch and has to stop. When he starts running again he goes
more slowly than before. Zahir's speeds are 3 m/s for 60 s, 2 m/s for 90 s, and his rest lasted for
30 s. Plot a distance/time graph on graph paper to show his race.

1 a What is the speed and time for the first, fast part of Zahir's race?
b Use this information to calculate the distance that Zahir ran at this
speed.
2 a What is the speed and time for the last, slower part of Zahir's race?
b Use this information to calculate the distance that Zahir ran at this Remember, x
speed. represents distance.

3 Copy and complete this table using the information in question Time from start Distance from
E1 and your answers to questions 1 and 2. (Hint: you will need to of race (s) start (m)
add times and distances to complete the table.) 0 0
4 Use the information in the table to draw a distance/time graph
showing Zahir's race. Put time on the horizontal axis and
distance on the vertical axis.

5 David and Matt start swimming from opposite ends of a

25 m swimming pool. David swims at 0.5 m/s and Matt swims
at 0.75 m/s. To work out how far David has swum when he
meets Matt coming the other way, you need a
displacement/time graph showing the boys' displacement.
a Why do you need to use a displacement/time graph rather
than a distance/time graph?
b Draw a suitable graph and work out how far David has
swum when he meets Matt.

c The boys start again from opposite ends of the pool. Matt swims at the same speed as before
(0.75 m/s) but David speeds up from 0.5 m/s to 0.75 m/s after 10 s. Add a line on your graph to find
where they meet this time.

Hints for Question 6

Part a ● David and Matt meet when they are both the same distance from David's end of the pool.
● Matt's displacement is 25 m minus the distance he has swum.
Part b ● The boys swim at constant speeds, so the line on the graph for each boy will be a straight line.
● Work out the displacement of each boy after 30 seconds. Join each boy’s point to their starting
point. Remember that Matt's displacement at time 0 is 25 m.
● What is the significance of the point where the two lines cross?
Part c ● Calculate David's distance 10 s after the start. How far he will swim in the next 10 s at his new
speed? Plot that distance at 20 s and join this point to the point at 10 s.

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 Distance/time graphs
SP1.4w Homework 1
Name Class Date

This is a distance/time graph for a cyclist travelling along a road.

This triangle can help

you rearrange the
equation for speed.
Cover up the quantity
you want to calculate,
then write what you
can see on the right of
your = sign.
Remember, x
represents distance.

1 a Which section of the graph shows where the cyclist waited at a junction?
b For how long did the cyclist wait?
2 a Which section of the graph shows where the cyclist was travelling the fastest?
b How can you tell from the graph that the speed was fastest here?
3 a How far did the cyclist travel in the first 50 s?
b Calculate the speed in the first 50 s.

speed = m/s
4 Part of the journey was uphill. Explain which part of the graph is likely to show this part of the journey.

5 A cheetah can run for a short time at 31 m/s (70 mph). How far can it travel in 19 s?

distance = m
6 A tortoise can crawl at a top speed of 0.2 m/s. How long will it take the tortoise to travel 15 m?

time = s

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 SP1.6w Acceleration – Homework 1

Name Class Date

1 Work out the value of acceleration for each bicycle. Use the equation in the box. v  u
a=
Draw an arrow in the space above each diagram to show the direction in which the t
acceleration is acting.

a b

u = 8 m/s v = 12 m/s t = 4 s u = 11 m/s v = 5 m/s t = 3 s

2
a= m/s
2 a= m/s

2 Calculate the following accelerations.

a At the start of a race, a sprinter accelerates from rest to 10 m/s in 2 seconds.

b At a set of traffic lights, a lorry slows down from 30 m/s to 0 m/s in 20 seconds.

3 You drop a tennis ball to the ground. What is the acceleration of the ball as it leaves your hand?

2
4 A car accelerates from rest (0 m/s) to 50 m/s in 5 seconds. Its acceleration is 10 m/s .
a Which of the equations below do you need to use to calculate how far it travels while it is accelerating?
Tick one box.

v  u v2  u2 v2  u2
 t=
a
 x=
2a
 a=
2 x

b Which piece of information in the question do you not need to answer the question?
c Calculate how far the car travels while it is accelerating.

distance x = metres

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 Velocity/time graphs
SP1.8w Strengthen
Name Class Date

Time (s) Velocity (m/s)

1 The table on the right gives some data for a train journey. 0 0
Finish drawing the velocity/time graph for this train journey on
the axes below. 20 10

2 Label the part(s) of the graph where the train is: 30 30

a accelerating b decelerating (slowing down) 60 30

120 0
c at a constant speed.
3 Label the slope on the graph
that shows the greatest
acceleration.

4 Follow the steps below to calculate the acceleration during the first 20 seconds.
For the first part of the graph change in velocity = m/s – m/s
change in time = s– s
change in velocity
acceleration = =
change in time
5 Calculate the acceleration for the other sections on the graph. Use rough paper for your working out.

a For 20 to 30 seconds b For 30 to 60 seconds c For 60 to 120 seconds

acceleration = acceleration = acceleration =

6 Follow the steps below to calculate how far the train travelled between 20 and 30 seconds.
a Calculate the area of the b Calculate the area of the c Add the two areas together.
rectangle. triangle
distance = m
area = s area = 0.5 × s
× m/s × m/s
= m = m

7 Calculate the distance for the other sections on the graph. Use rough paper for your working out.

a For 0 to 20 seconds b For 30 to 60 seconds c For 60 to 120 seconds

distance = distance = distance =

8 Use your answers to questions 6 and 7 to calculate the total distance travelled from 0 to 120 seconds.

S1 The table above gives some data for a train journey. Draw a velocity/time graph from this and
join the points with straight lines. Label your graph with all the things you can tell from it. Show
your working for any calculations you do.

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 SP1.9w Velocity/time graphs – Extend
E1 In a fitness test, students run up and down the sports hall. They have to run faster after each time
they turn around. Sketch a velocity/time graph for 4 lengths of the hall, if each length is run at a
constant speed.

1 A sketch graph is a graph with no numbers on it. A sketch velocity/time graph

can still give information about speeds and directions of movement.
a Students start their fitness test at a walking pace. The direction in which
they start walking is the positive direction. Draw a set of axes like the one
shown on the right. Draw a line on the graph to show them starting from
rest and accelerating to walking speed (this will not take very long) and
then maintaining a constant walking speed.
b When they have walked the length of the sports hall they turn around and
walk back, slightly faster. (Velocity drops to zero as they reach the wall.)

i How will their speed for the second length compare to their speed for the first length?
ii Explain how long it will take them to go the length of the sports hall a second time, compared to the
first length.
iii What sign will their velocity have for this second length?
iv Add to your graph to show this second length.
c Continue the line on your graph to show the students completing two more lengths of the sports hall.

2 The table on the right gives some data for a train journey. Time (s) Velocity (m/s)

a Draw a velocity/time graph using this information. Join the points with 0 0
straight lines.
20 10
b Calculate the distance travelled for each section of the graph.
30 30
c Draw a distance/time graph for the same journey. Use the same
horizontal scale. 60 30

3 Draw up a table or write a list of bullet points to summarise the similarities 120 0
and differences between distance/time and velocity/time graphs.

4 You have learned that the area under a velocity/time graph gives the
distance travelled. The following two statements are better ways of
describing what the area tells us.
A On a speed/time graph the area below the line gives the distance
travelled.
B On a velocity/time graph the sum of the areas between the graph and
the time axis gives the displacement (remembering that areas below
the time axis will have a negative value for displacement).
The graphs on the right may help you to think about these statements. These graphs show the
journey of a lift from the
ground floor to the top of a
building and back again.
Explain statements A and B using ideas about scalars and vectors. In your answer:
● sketch a new version of the graph you drew for question 1 that shows speed against time
● explain the difference between speed and velocity, and between distance and displacement
● refer to the graph you drew for question 1.

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 Velocity/time graphs
SP1.10w Homework 1

Name Class Date

1 This is a velocity/time graph for a horse and rider travelling along a straight track. (A gallop is faster than
a trot.)

a Draw a line from each label to the correct part of the graph.
b Which acceleration was greater? Tick the correct answer.

 speeding up into a gallop  speeding up into a trot

Explain your choice.

2 a Calculate the acceleration in part

C of this graph.

b Calculate the acceleration in part D of the graph.

c Calculate the distance travelled in the first five seconds. (Hint: Calculate the distance travelled in part A
by working out the area of a triangle. Calculate the distance travelled in part B by working out the area
of a rectangle.)

vertical difference
gradient = area of rectangle = base × height area of triangle = 0.5 × base × height
horizontal difference

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 SP1.12w Equation practice 1
You will be expected to be able to analyse velocity/time graphs in your examination. This includes
calculating acceleration from the gradient of a line on the graph, and calculating the distance travelled from
the area under the graph.

The velocity/time graph shows part of a journey.

1 Identify where the object is:

a travelling at a constant speed
b speeding up (has a positive acceleration)
c decelerating (has a negative acceleration)
2 Calculate the acceleration of the object for the time between:
a 0 and 10 seconds Check your answers against the graph.

b 20 and 30 seconds ● If you have worked out a negative

acceleration, is the line for this section
c 50 and 65 seconds sloping downwards?
d 65 and 70 seconds ● Is the greatest acceleration for the part
of the line with the steepest slope?
e 80 and 100 seconds

3 Calculate the distance the object travels between:

a 10 and 20 seconds
b 30 and 50 seconds
c 0 and 10 seconds
d 80 and 100 seconds
e 20 and 30 seconds
f 50 and 70 seconds

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 SP1.12w Equation practice 1
This graph shows a different journey.

4 Explain why you don't need to carry out any calculations to work out the acceleration in sections B, D
and G.
5 Calculate the acceleration for the following sections of the graph:
a A
b C
c E
d F
e H
6 Calculate the distance travelled for the following sections of the graph:
a B
b G
c C
d E
e G and H

area of rectangle = base  height

gradient =
area of triangle = ½  base  height

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 SP2.2w Different forces – Homework 1

Name Class Date

1 A force is a vector quantity. Tick the box next to the best description of what this means.

 A force can be represented using an arrow.  A force has both a size and a direction.

 Forces always act in the same direction.  Forces can be pushes or pulls.

2 The arrow on the right represents a force.

Draw another arrow underneath it that represents
a larger force acting in the opposite direction.

3 The arrows represent forces on a car.

Draw an arrow underneath that represents the
friction and drag forwards force from engine
resultant force on the car.

4 The drawing shows a sailing boat.

a The weight and upthrust forces are the same size as each
other. Draw labelled force arrows on the diagram to show
these two forces.
a There is a forwards force from the sails acting on the boat.
Draw a labelled force arrow to show this force.
b There is also a drag force on the boat. This force is smaller
than the force from the sails. Draw a labelled force arrow to
show this force.

5 The upthrust force on the boat in question 4 is 50 000 N and its weight is 50 000 N. Circle the words or
phrases that describe the vertical forces on the boat.

balanced unbalanced non-zero resultant zero resultant

resultant acts upwards resultant acts downwards

6 The force from the sails is larger than the drag forces on the boat. Circle the words or phrases that describe
the horizontal forces on the boat.

balanced unbalanced non-zero resultant zero resultant

resultant acts forwards resultant acts backwards

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 Newton’s First Law
SP2.5w Strengthen
Name Class Date
1 You are cycling along a flat road.
a Are you moving up or down?
b What is the force that is pulling you downwards?
c There is a force from the road acting on the bike. Is this force acting upwards or downwards?

d Are the forces in b and c balanced or unbalanced?

e What is the size of the resultant force on you in the vertical direction?
2 As you cycle along the flat road your speed is increasing.
a What are the forces acting in a horizontal direction?
b Are the forwards and backwards forces balanced?
c Circle the two words that describe the resultant force on you in a horizontal direction.

backwards forwards non-zero zero

S1 You are cycling along a flat road and your speed is increasing. Explain the resultant forces on you in the
horizontal and vertical directions.

3 Complete these sentences using words from the box below. You can use each word once, more than once
or not at all.
a If forces in opposite directions are equal in size, the forces are .
The resultant force is .
b Balanced forces on a moving object change its speed or
of movement.
c If the forces are , there is a resultant force on the object.
d A resultant force can make a object start to move. If the object is moving, the
force change the speed or direction of movement.

balanced can direction do not large non-zero small stationary unbalanced zero

4 Work in a group to answer this question. Draw a car on a separate piece of paper. Cut out the arrows
below. Remember that longer arrows represent larger forces. Choose arrows and arrange them around
your drawing to show the forces in the following situations:
a travelling at a constant speed b slowing down
a accelerating (speeding up) c turning.
When you have agreed on the forces in your group, draw and label a diagram to show your answer.

friction friction friction force from engine

drag drag force from engine

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 Resultant forces and motion
SP2.6w Homework 1
Name Class Date

1 Draw a line to link the diagram with the correct statement. The size of the arrow in the diagram represents
the size of the force. One has been done for you.

2 Look at the diagram of the book. Circle the correct answer to each of the questions.

a Which way will the book move?

left right up down
a What is the resultant force on the book?
4N 7N 11 N 18 N

3 Look at the drawing of the helicopter.

a What is the resultant force in a horizontal direction?

N
b What will happen to the speed of the helicopter in the
horizontal direction?

c What is the resultant force in a vertical direction?

N (upwards/downwards)
d What will happen to the velocity of the helicopter in the
vertical direction?

4 The helicopter pilot adjusts the controls so that the forces on forwards force = 500 N
the helicopter are as shown in the box.
drag = 1000 N
a What is the resultant force in a horizontal direction? lift = 12 000 N
N to the weight = 15 000 N
b What is the resultant force in a vertical direction?
N (upwards/downwards)
c What will happen to the velocity of the helicopter?

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 Bending and stretching
SP2.8w Homework 1

Name Class Date

1 The table on the right shows the results of a stretching

Force (N) Length Extension
experiment.
(cm) (cm)
a Calculate the extension of the object for each
0 5.0 0.0
force. Two have been done for you.
b Plot the points on the graph grid below. Two have 5 5.5 0.5
been done for you. 10 7.0
c Join the points with a smooth curve.
15 9.0
20 11.0
25 12.0
30 12.5

2 Is the object being tested a spring or a rubber band? ___________________________________________

Explain your answer. ____________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

3 a Is the line on your graph showing a linear or a non-linear relationship? ________________________

b Draw a line on your graph that shows a directly proportional relationship between force and
extension.
4 A student rests a plastic ruler over the edge of a bench and flicks it to vibrate and make a sound.
a Explain whether the ruler is behaving elastically or inelastically when the student bends it like this.

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

b Give a different example of an object behaving:

i elastically ______________________________________________________________________
ii inelastically. ____________________________________________________________________

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 Newton’s Second Law
SP3.2w Strengthen
Name Class Date

1 Complete these sentences about acceleration.

a If the force increases the acceleration (increases/decreases).
b If the mass increases the acceleration (increases/decreases).
®
c Formula 1 rules limit the engine power. This means that there is a
(maximum/minimum) force that the engine can have, and so there is also a
(maximum/minimum) force that the engine can produce. If the force cannot be above a certain value,
then the acceleration cannot be (above/below) a certain value.
®
d Formula 1 rules set a minimum mass for the car. If the mass cannot go lower than a certain value,
then the acceleration cannot go (above/below) a certain value.
®
e The Formula 1 rules set an (upper/lower) limit to the acceleration of the cars.
®
S1 The safety rules for building Formula 1 cars include a limit to the engine force, and a minimum mass for
the car. Explain whether these rules are designed to set an upper or lower limit to the accelerations of
the cars.

2 a Write out the equation for calculating force. force = ×

2 2
b A 250 kg motorbike accelerates at 5 m/s . force = kg × m/s
Put these numbers into the equation to find
the force needed.

c Work out the answer. force = N

2
S2 Calculate the force needed to accelerate a 250 kg motorbike at 5 m/s .

3 The engine of a 300 kg motorbike produces a force of 1000 N. What is the

acceleration?
a Write out the equation with acceleration on the left. Use the equation
triangle to help you by covering up the a. What you can see
(F above m) is the form of the right hand side of the equation.
_______________
acceleration =
mass
_______________ N
b Put in the numbers. acceleration =
_______________ kg

c Work out the answer. acceleration = units

2
4 A car's engine produces a force of 1000 N, and the car accelerates at 2.5 m/s . Calculate the mass of
the car.

mass = kg

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 Acceleration calculations
SP3.4w Homework 1

Name Class Date

1 What are the resultant forces acting on these objects?

2
a An object of mass 10 kg accelerating at 5 m/s .
N
2
b mass 15 kg, acceleration 5 m/s N
2
c mass 20 kg, acceleration 8 m/s N
2
d mass 16 kg, acceleration 10 m/s N
2 Complete these sentences using the words ‘greater’ or ‘smaller’.
a For objects of the same mass, a larger resultant force will give a acceleration.
b For the same resultant force, the more massive the object, the the acceleration.
3 For each of the following diagrams:
● calculate the resultant force
● give the direction of the resultant force
● calculate the acceleration of the object.

a b c

resultant force N resultant force N resultant force N

direction direction direction
2 2 2
acceleration m/s acceleration m/s acceleration m/s

d e f

resultant force N resultant force N resultant force N

direction direction direction
2 2 2
acceleration m/s acceleration m/s acceleration m/s

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 SP3.5w Equation practice

You will be expected to recall the equation linking force, mass and acceleration in your examination. You
should also be able to change the subject of the equation and to use the correct units.

1 A car has a mass of 1500 kg. What is the resultant force on the car when its acceleration is:
2 2 2 2
a 2 m/s a 1.5 m/s b 3 m/s c 4 m/s ?

2 The table shows information about the force, Resultant force Mass of Acceleration
2
mass and acceleration of different cars. on car (N) car (kg) (m/s )

Calculate the missing values in the table. a 1000 3.0

3 The mass of an ejector seat in a jet fighter is b 3750 2.5
45 kg. The mass of the pilot and her clothing is
80 kg. When she ejects, she is subjected to an c 1500 1000
2
acceleration of 120 m/s . Calculate the force d 2400 1.2
acting on the pilot and the ejector seat.
e 1500 3000
4 A 50 g stone is fired from a catapult. The elastic
in the catapult provides a force of 30 N. Calculate
the acceleration of the stone.
2
5 A flea accelerates at 1200 m/s when it jumps. The mass of a flea is approximately 1 mg. Calculate the
force the flea's legs produce.
2
6 A car brakes with a deceleration of 5 m/s . The mass of the car is 1200 kg.
a Calculate the braking force on the car.
b What braking force is needed to give the same deceleration if the car is towing a trailer with a mass of
500 kg?
7 A lorry has a mass of 15 tonnes when it is empty. 1 tonne = 1000 kg. Calculate the mass of the load being
carried under the following conditions:
2
a it accelerates at 0.1 m/s when the resultant force is 3000 N
2
b acceleration is 0.05 m/s when the resultant force is 1750 N
2
c a 4000 N force accelerates it at 0.2 m/s .
The acceleration of a bullet as it is fired is 2.5  10 m/s . The bullet has a mass of 4 g.
5 2
8
a Calculate the size of the force that accelerates the bullet.
b The same force is used to fire a bullet with a mass of 1.6 g. What is the acceleration of this bullet?
9 The main engine of an Ariane V rocket produces a thrust of 1015 kN and its booster rockets produce a total
thrust of 13 300 kN. If it has a launch mass of 780 tonnes, calculate its initial acceleration.

F = force (N)
m = mass (kg) force = mass  acceleration
2
a = acceleration (m/s )

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 Stopping distances
SP3.7w Strengthen
1 Complete the sentences to show how different factors affect the stopping distance of a car. Choose words
from the box.

braking thinking longer shorter

a Stopping distance is made up of a distance and a distance.

b Mass: the greater the mass of a vehicle the the distance.
c Speed: the greater the speed, the greater the and the
distances.
d Reaction time: the shorter the driver's reaction time the the
distance.
e If the brakes are worn the distance will be .
f If the road is slippery the distance will be .
g If there is a lot of friction between the tyres and the road the distance will be
.

S1 List the factors that affect stopping distance. State whether each factor affects the thinking distance
or the braking distance, and how they affect this distance.

2 Complete these sentences about reaction times using words from the box. You can use each word once,
more than once or not at all.

0.001 seconds 0.25 seconds 2 seconds alcohol brake coffee

decreased fast increased distracted longer road shorter
slow stimulus stopping thinking time

a A person's reaction is the time it takes them to react to a .

For a driver, the could be a person running into the in front
of them, or a car turning into their path.
b For an average person, the reaction time is about .
c The reaction time affects the distance, which is the distance the car travels
between the hazard occurring and the driver pressing the pedal.
d A person with a reaction time will have a shorter distance
than a person with reaction time.
e Reaction times are if the person is tired or ill. Drinking or
taking some drugs increases the reaction time.

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 SP3.12w Mass and weight – Strengthen
Name Class Date
1 a Write a sentence to describe what the mass of an object is. Include the word 'matter' in your answer.

b What are the units used for measuring mass?

2 a Write a sentence to describe what the weight of an object is. Include the words 'force' and 'gravity' in
your answer.

b What are the units used for weight?

S1 Write glossary entries for 'mass' and 'weight'.

3 a Write out the formula for

weight = × gravitational
calculating weight.

b A cat has a mass of 2 kg.

Substitute the values into the
formula to calculate its weight on weight = kg × N/kg
Earth. Gravitational field
strength on Earth is 10 N/kg.

c Work out the answer. weight = N

S2 A cat has a mass of 2 kg. Calculate its weight on Earth.

4 Calculate the weight of the cat on Mars, where the gravitational field strength is 3.7 N/kg.
weight = kg × N/kg
= N
5 A toolbox on Mars has a weight of 40 N. Calculate its mass.
weight
mass =
gravitational field strength

mass = kg

kilograms newtons

mass is measured in of gravity pulling on an object

mass is the amount of weight is measured in

matter in an object weight is the force

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 Gravity and weight
SP3.13w Homework 1

Name Class Date

1 Fill in the gaps in these sentences using words from the box below. You can use each word once, more
than once or not at all.
The weight of an object is the of pulling down on it. It is measured
in .
Weight depends on the of an object and on the of gravity. On Earth the
field strength is approximately 10 .
The mass of an object is a way of measuring the amount of in it. Mass is measured in
.

force gravitational gravity kilograms mass matter

metres N/kg newtons size strength volume weight

2 The formula triangle helps you to rearrange the formula for calculating
weight.
a What does W stand for?
b What does m stand for?
c What does g stand for?
d Write down the formula for calculating weight:
weight (in N) = (in kg) × (in N/kg)

3 The drawing shows a hot air balloon. The mass of the balloon is
3000 kg.
a Calculate the weight of the balloon.

Weight of balloon =
b Draw an arrow on the balloon to represent this force.
c What is the resultant force on the balloon?

resultant force = N (upwards/downwards)

d What will happen to the velocity of the balloon?

Hot air balloons sometimes carry ballast. Ballast provides extra mass that can be thrown out of the balloon if it
needs to be made lighter.
4 At the end of a flight, the balloon in question 3 has a weight of 28 000 N. Calculate the mass of the balloon
at this time.

Mass of balloon =

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 SP3.15w Equation practice

You will be expected to recall the formula linking weight, mass and gravitational field strength in your
examination. You should also be able to change the subject of the formula and to use the correct units.

1 Calculate the weights of the following objects. Use a value of 10 N/kg for the gravitational field strength.

a a 5 kg bag of bird seed b a car with a mass of 1200 kg

c a suitcase with a mass of 15 kg d a 200 g piece of meat

e an apple with a mass of 100 g f a tablet with a mass of 50 mg

2 Calculate the masses of the following objects. Use a value of 10 N/kg for the gravitational field strength.

a a girl with a weight of 400 N b a man with a weight of 850 N

c a biscuit with a weight of 0.2 N d a fully loaded truck with a weight of 125 000 N
4
e a rocket with a weight of 8000 kN f a car with a weight of 1.5 × 10 N

Use the information in the table to answer these

questions. Location Gravitational field
strength (N/kg)
3 Astronaut Dave Scott demonstrated that all objects
fall at the same speed as each other when there is no Earth 9.8
air resistance. He did this by dropping a hammer and
a feather at the same time. Moon 1.6
a The hammer had a weight of 2 N on the Moon.
What was its mass? Mars 3.7

b What would the weight of the hammer be on Mercury 3.7

Earth?

c How much would the same hammer weigh on Mars?

d The feather had a mass of 3 g. What was its weight on the Moon?
4 A tool designed to be used on Mars will weigh 8 N when it is being used. How much will the tool weigh:

a on Earth b on Mercury c on the Moon?

5 The gravitational field strength gets less as you move away from the Earth. London is at sea level, and g in
London is 9.816 N/kg. Mexico City is at an altitude of 2200 m above sea level, and g there is only
9.766 N/kg. Calculate the difference in weight of a 5 kg mass in the two cities.

W = weight (N)
m = mass (kg)
weight = mass  gravitational field strength
g = gravitational field strength
(N/kg)

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 SP4.1w Momentum – Strengthen

1 Truck A has a mass of 5000 kg and a velocity of +5 m/s. Calculate its momentum.
2 a Truck B has the same mass and speed as truck A but is travelling in the opposite direction. Explain why
we say that truck B has a velocity of –5 m/s.
b Calculate the momentum of truck B.
3 Truck A and truck B collide. After the collision they are stationary. What is the total momentum of the two
trucks before they collide?
4 a What is the momentum of the two trucks after the collision?
b Explain how your answers show that momentum has been conserved.

S1 Two 5000 kg railway trucks are travelling at 5 m/s in opposite directions when they collide. After the
collision they are stationary. Show that momentum is conserved.

Edgar the Emperor penguin has a mass of 14 kg and Manuel the Magellan penguin has a mass of 6 kg.
Their velocities are shown before and after they crash into each other. The negative sign indicates a velocity to
the left whereas positive values show velocities to the right.

5 a What is Edgar’s momentum before the

collision?
b What is Manuel’s momentum before the
collision?
c How are the directions of their
momentums different before the
collision?
d What is the total momentum before the
collision?
e What is Edgar’s momentum after the
collision?
f Explain why Manuel’s momentum is
48 kg m/s after the collision.
g How fast is Manuel moving?

6 A trolley with a mass of 4 kg accelerates from rest to 3 m/s in 2 seconds. What force is needed to produce
this acceleration?
7 A 20 N force accelerates a 5 kg trolley from 2 m/s to 5 m/s. How long does this change of velocity take?

Help for question 7:

a Calculate the momentum of the trolley before and after the acceleration, then find the change.
b Divide the change in momentum by the time taken, to find the force needed.

mv  mu
F=
Momentum = mass x velocity t
(kg m/s) (kg) (m/s) u = initial velocity
v = final velocity

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 SP4.3w Momentum – Homework 1

1 Read the following statements about velocity, momentum and collisions, and decide for each whether it is
true or false. For the statements that are false, write a corrected version or explain why they are wrong.
a An object with zero velocity has momentum because it has mass.
b In the expression mv the m stands for momentum.
c Momentum increases as an object decelerates.
d Momentum will always increase as velocity increases, no matter whether mass increases or decreases.
e The units for momentum are kg m/s.
f Momentum can decrease over time when there is no change in mass or velocity.
g A moving bullet can have a greater momentum than an elephant that is standing still.
h A car and a lorry are moving at the same velocity so they have the same momentum.
i Two objects of equal mass and velocity are moving towards each other. On impact they stick together.
Their combined velocity after the collision will be zero.
2 The diagram shows two balls before a collision. The balls have the same mass.
Before the collision, ball A has momentum 25 kg m/s and ball B has
momentum 10 kg m/s. After the collision, ball A has momentum
5 kg m/s.
a How much momentum does ball B have after the collision? Explain
your answer.
b How did the velocity of ball A compare with that of ball B before the collision?
c How do you know that the velocity of ball B is greater than that of ball A after the collision?
3 A 10 kg trolley (C) is moving due west at 5 m/s in a straight line. Describe movement to the west as
movement in the positive direction. A second trolley of mass 15 kg (D) is travelling in the same straight line
but due east at 10 m/s. The two trolleys collide, stick together and move off with a common velocity.
a Calculate the momentum of each trolley before the collision. (Remember to give the + or – sign to
indicate the direction.)
b Calculate the total momentum of the two trolleys.
c Which trolley, the one moving west or the one moving east, has the greater momentum?
d After colliding and sticking together, which direction will the trolleys move in? Explain your answer.
e What is the total mass of the two trolleys when they are stuck together?
f Calculate the velocity of the combined trolleys after the collision.
4 A 10 kg trolley is moving at 5 m/s. Calculate the force needed to accelerate the trolley to 8 m/s in
2 seconds.
5 A 30 kg box is mounted on wheels. A force of 5 N is applied to it for 3 seconds.
a Calculate the change in momentum. (Hint: F × t = mv – mu.)
b Calculate the change in velocity (v – u).
6 Describe three examples from everyday life of momentum being conserved in collisions.

mv  mu
F=
Momentum = mass × velocity t
(kg m/s) (kg) (m/s) u = initial velocity
v = final velocity

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 Newton’s Third Law
SP4.10w Strengthen
Name Class Date

1 Here are some of the forces on you when you sit in a chair. Write down another force to make each one
into an action–reaction pair. Remember that action–reaction forces act on different objects.

a the force of gravity from the Earth pulling down

on you

b your weight pushing down on the chair

2 The same forces can be part of a set of balanced forces on an object. Write down the force that balances
each of these forces. Remember that balanced forces act on the same object.

a the force of gravity from the Earth pulling

down on you

b your weight pushing down on the chair

3 Tick the boxes to show the difference between action–reaction pairs and balanced forces.

Action–reaction pair Balanced forces

a Both forces are of the same type.  

b Forces act in opposite directions.  
c Forces are the same size as each other.  
d Forces act on the same object.  
e Forces act on different objects.  
f Forces due to two objects interacting.  
S1 Describe the action–reaction forces when you sit in a chair. Describe how these forces are different to a
pair of balanced forces acting on you.

the chair pushing up on you the chair pushing up on you

the force of gravity from you pulling up on the Earth the Earth pushing up on the chair

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 Action–reaction forces
SP4.12w Homework 1
Name Class Date

1 This helium balloon is tied to a brick to stop the balloon from floating away.
Some of the forces acting are listed below.

pull of string on the brick = 0.5 N pull of string on the balloon = 0.5 N

pull of balloon on the string = 0.5 N pull of brick on the string= 0.5 N

weight of the balloon = 0.5 N upthrust from the air = 1.0 N

a In the list above there are two pairs of action and reaction forces. Use
lines to join the forces in each pair.
b Which force(s) pull the balloon down?

c Which force(s) pushes the balloon up?

2 Astronauts train for space walks in a tank of water. The

floating feeling in water is similar to the feeling in space.
Complete the following sentences using words from the
box. You do not need all the words.
The upwards force is from the
water. The downwards force is the astronaut's
. The two forces are
action–reaction balanced
forces because they are acting on different objects the same object
. upthrust weight

3 Two boys are pushing on each other. They are not moving.
a Draw arrows on Al to show the action–reaction pair of
forces at his feet.
b Force W is 40 N. What force is Ben putting on Al?

c What kind of force causes forces Y and Z?

d Ben is not moving, so the forces on him must be

balanced. Which two of the forces on the diagram (W,
X, Y, Z) form a pair of balanced forces on Ben?

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