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Forces and Motion - IGCSE Edexcel Physics

The document covers the topics of forces and motion including scalars and vectors, distance, displacement, speed and velocity, acceleration, graphs of motion, Newton's laws of motion, types of forces, free body diagrams, equilibrium, momentum, circular motion, gravity, energy, work and power, efficiency, and Hooke's law.

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39 views

Forces and Motion - IGCSE Edexcel Physics

The document covers the topics of forces and motion including scalars and vectors, distance, displacement, speed and velocity, acceleration, graphs of motion, Newton's laws of motion, types of forces, free body diagrams, equilibrium, momentum, circular motion, gravity, energy, work and power, efficiency, and Hooke's law.

Uploaded by

reaganlisle99
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Forces and Motion - IGCSE Edexcel Physics

1. Scalars and Vectors


Scalars: Quantities that have only magnitude (e.g., distance, speed, mass, time).
Vectors: Quantities that have both magnitude and direction (e.g., displacement, velocity,
acceleration, force).
2. Distance, Displacement, Speed, and Velocity
Distance: The total path length traveled, a scalar quantity.
Displacement: The straight-line distance from the starting point to the endpoint, a vector
quantity.
Speed: The rate of change of distance (speed = distance/time), a scalar quantity.
Velocity: The rate of change of displacement (velocity = displacement/time), a vector quantity.
3. Acceleration
Definition: The rate of change of velocity (acceleration = change in velocity/time).
Units: meters per second squared (m/s²).
4. Graphs of Motion
Distance-Time Graphs:
Slope represents speed.
Straight line indicates constant speed.
Curved line indicates acceleration.
Velocity-Time Graphs:
Slope represents acceleration.
Area under the graph represents displacement.
5. Newton’s Laws of Motion
First Law (Inertia): An object will remain at rest or in uniform motion unless acted upon by an
external force.
Second Law (F=ma): The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting
on it and inversely proportional to its mass.
Third Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
6. Types of Forces
Weight (Gravitational Force): The force of gravity acting on an object’s mass (weight = mass ×
gravitational field strength, W = mg).
Normal Force: The support force exerted by a surface perpendicular to the object.
Friction: The force opposing the relative motion of two surfaces in contact.
Tension: The force transmitted through a string, rope, or cable when it is pulled tight by forces
acting at either end.
Air Resistance (Drag): The force opposing the motion of an object through the air.
7. Free Body Diagrams
Purpose: To show all the forces acting on a single object.
Components: Represent forces as arrows pointing in the direction the force is applied.
8. Equilibrium
Static Equilibrium: When an object is at rest and all forces are balanced.
Dynamic Equilibrium: When an object is moving with constant velocity and all forces are
balanced.
9. Momentum
Definition: The product of an object's mass and velocity (momentum = mass × velocity).
Conservation of Momentum: In a closed system, the total momentum before an event is equal
to the total momentum after the event.
10. Circular Motion
Centripetal Force: The force that keeps an object moving in a circular path, acting towards the
center of the circle.
Centripetal Acceleration: The acceleration of an object moving in a circle at constant speed (a_c
= v²/r).
11. Gravity
Universal Law of Gravitation: Every mass attracts every other mass with a force that is
proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the
distance between their centers (F = G(m₁m₂)/r²).
12. Energy, Work, and Power
Work Done: When a force moves an object through a distance (work = force × distance, W =
Fd).
Kinetic Energy: The energy of a moving object (KE = ½mv²).
Potential Energy: The energy stored in an object due to its position (gravitational potential
energy = mgh).
Power: The rate of doing work (power = work/time, P = W/t).
13. Efficiency
Definition: The ratio of useful energy output to total energy input (efficiency = (useful energy
output / total energy input) × 100%).
14. Hooke’s Law
Statement: The extension of a spring is directly proportional to the applied force, provided the
limit of proportionality is not exceeded (F = kx).
Spring Constant (k): A measure of the stiffness of a spring.

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