CHAPTER 4 FORCES ( PHYSICS )

A body cannot start moving in the absence of a force. A body in motion, likewise, cannot stop in the ab-
sence of forces.
WHAT IS A FORCE ?
A force is defined as a push or a pull on an object with mass cause it to change in velocity

NEWTONS 1ST LAW OF MOTION

Newton's first law states that when no force is applied on a body, the body remain in its initial state of
rest or motion with constant speed.

NEWTONS 2ND LAW OF MOTION

Newton's 2nd law states that if there is a net force acting on a body then the body accelerates in the di-
rection of that force and the net force is the product of mass of the body and its acceleration.

When you push or pull an object, it accelerates ( changes its speed or direction ), it also states that how
much an object will accelerate for a given net force.
NET FORCE FORMULA
F --> force ( in newton)----- SI unit is N
M--> Mass ( in kilogram)--------- SI unit is Kg
A----> Acceleration ( measured in m/s2)

Note----> the smaller the mass the greater is the acceleration as accelera-
tion is inversely proportional to the mass.

worked examples --->

NEWTONS 3RD LAW OF MOTION

Newton's 3rd law states that there is always an equal and opposite force reaction.

This law applies if a body A exerts ( action) on another body B, then the latter ( body B) also exerts an
equal force ( reaction) on the former ( body A ), and in the opposite direction.
During this impact force, FA , on B

Body B exerts a force FB, on body A and in the opposite direction.

NOTE -- The negative sign(-) shows the vector of nature of the force FB which acts in opposite direction
no force, FA.

EXAMPLES WHERE NEWTON'S 3RD LAW IS APPLIED-->

· A boy applies a force on a wall while standing on a skating board. The skating board moves away
from the wall due to the push of the wall on the boy.

· A ball travelling horizontally exerts a pressure on a wall on hitting it. The ball, in turn, experi-
ences the same force due to the push of the wall on the wall bu in the opposite direction.

LINEAR MOMENTUM
Linear momentum is defined as the product of mass and velocity.
Linear momentum is a property of moving objects.

MOMENTUM= Mass x velocity

Where m is in kilogram , v is in m/s.

The SI Unit of momentum (P) , is the kilogram-metre per second ( kgm/s ), momentum is a vector quan-
tity.
WHAT IS RESULTANT FORCE ?
Resultant force is defined as sum of all the forces acting on an object.
or
Resultant force is defined as the change in momentum per unit time.

PRINCIPLE OF CONSERVATION OF LINEAR MOMENTUM--->

It states that, in a close system, the total linear momentum before collision is equal to the linear mo-
mentum after collision provided no external force acts on the system.
MOMENTUM BEFORE COLLISION FORMULA

MOMENTUM AFTER COLLISION FORMULA

By the principle of conversation of momentum

Total momentum before collision = Total momentum after collision

mAuA + mBuB = mAmA + mB + vB

example of how to calculate momentum in physics
Example 1 :

A dinosaur of mass 4500kg charges 12 m/s at a vehicle of mass 1200kg travelling at 25 m/s in the oppo-
site direction
(i) calculate the momentum of the dinosaur
momentum= mass x velocity
= 4500kg x 12 m/s
= 54 000 kgm/s
answer ---> 54 000 kgm/s
(ii) calculate the momentum of the car
momentum= mass x velocity
= 1200kg x 25m/s
= -30 000 kgm/s
answer ----> ( -30 00 kgm/s )
(iii) calculate the total momentum before collision

Total momentum before collision= mA uA + mB + mB

= ( 4500 X 12m/s ) + ( 1200 X 25m/s ) --> opposite direction
= + 54 000 kgm/s + (- 30, 000 kgm/s )
= 24 000 kgm/s note---> if it is positive, it is going to the right side.
( iv) Find the velocity after the collision?
Total momentum before = total momentum after
= ( 24 000 kmg/h ) after the collision
= answer ( momentum before collision )-----> ( 24 000 kgm/s )
Example 2
A motorcyclist of total mass 700 kg travels at a speed of 3 m/s along a horizontal road. A car of mass
1500 kg travels at a speed of 5 m/s in the same direction behind the motorcyclist The car comes into col-
lision with the motorcyclist. Given that after the collision the car continues to move but at a speed of 4
m/s, at what speed does the motorcyclist move?

Solutions
Total momentum before collision
mAuA + mB uB
( 700 x 3 ) + ( 1500 x 5 )
= 2100 + 7500
= 9600 kgm/s

Total momentum after collision given that after collision, the car keeps moving at a speed of 4m/s
mAuA + mB uB
Create a equation
(1500 x 4 ) + ( 700 x Y )
6000 + 700Y
By the principle of conversion of momentum, Total momentum before collision= Total momentum after
collision

Total momentum before collision = 9600 kgm/s

After collision given that the car continues to travel at a speed of 4m/s
CREATE EQUATION TO FIND THE SPEED OF THE MOTORCYLE

9600 = 6000 + 700Y

( 9600 - 6000) = 700Y
3600 = 700Y
700Y = 3600
Y= 3600/700
Y = 5.1 m/s
answer ---> 5.1 m/s ( motorcycle speed after the collision )
Example 3
Question:
A lorry of mass 9 500 kg collides with the back of a car of mass 1 250 kg. Just before the collision the
lorry was travelling at 32 m/s and the car at 10 m/s. Calculate the speed of the vehicles immediately af-
ter collision if they remain jammed together.

Momentum before collsion

mAuA + mB uB
( 9 500 kg x 32 m/s ) + ( 1250 x 10 )
= 304 000 + 12 500
= 316 500

Momentum after collision

mAuA + mB uB
They got jammed( represent the number by letter Z )
( Sum of both weight) x ( Letter Z )
( 9500 + 1250) x (Z)
10 750 Z

Speed of the vehicle ( applying the laws of momentum )

Collision before momentum = collision after momentum
( 316 500 ) = 10 750z
Z = 316500/ 10750
Z= 29.441 m/s
Z= 29.4 m/s
answer---> 29.4 m/s
Velocity is a vector quantity and you have to take care of its direction when dealing with calculations of
momentum or change in momentum.

When 2 bodies A and B are moving along the same line, but in opposite directions, then the velocity of
one body will be in a positive direction( forwards force ) and the other body will be in the negative direc-
tion ( reverse direction ) and will have a negative value.

NOTE
There is also reverse reaction in motion of objects.
examples
The change in momentum
= mv- mu

(0.5 x 6 ) - (0.5 x -8 )
= 3 - - ( +) 4
7kgm/s
IMPULSE
Impulse is defined as the product of force acting on a body and time taken for the force to act.
It can also be defined as the rate of change of momentum in physics.

example
FRICTION IN MOTION
Friction is defined as a contact force and therefore and at least one body is in motion. It is then that fric-
tional force is produced and this force acts on the moving body in opposite direction to its motion.
Hence, the body slows down.
Examples of friction

A body whose base surface slides on another surface will give rise to frictional force and the magnitude
of the frictional force will depend on:
· the speed of the moving object - when speed of the body is low then the frictional force be-
tween the surfaces ( or air resistance ) too small and when speed is high then frictional force
also increases.
· The nature of the surface on which the body is moving- if the surface is rough then the force of
friction is large. If the surface is polished ( or smooth) then the force of friction is small.
NOTE - Friction between 2 surfaces produces heat.

ADVANTAGES OF FRICTION
· Friction helps a person to walk comfortably. An oil spilled surface will reduce the amount of fric-
tion as when it is dry. Thus, the person walking on an oily surface is more at risk to slip or to
walk with difficulty.
· Friction helps to slow down or stop a vehicle when the brake are applied. The brake pads are
made to come in contact with a metal disc fixed to the wheels. In this way frictional force is pro-
duced between the brake pads and the metal disc that causes the vehicle to decelerate or come
to rest. In case of sharp braking, the frictional force increases considerably and thus, the vehicle
come to a halt ( the vehicles stops suddenly)
DISADVANTAGE OF FRICTIONAL FORCE
· Friction causes wear and tear among machinery
· Friction reduced the efficiency of a vehicle's engine by 15 percent to 20 percent.

BRAKING DISTANE AND THINKING DISTANCE

 Braking distance is defined as the distance a vehicle travels from the moment its brakes are ap-
plied by the driver
Thinking distance is defined as the reaction time of a driver when going to apply brakes.
FACTORS AFFECTING BRAKING DISTANCE AND THINKING DISTANCE-->
· Speed- the higher the speed of a body, the larger is the thinking and braking distance
· Tiredness- when the driver feels tires, the thinking and braking distance increases as it takes
more time for the driver to react.
· Alcohol or drug consumption - a driver who is drunk or under the influence of drugs, a larger re-
action time and therefore, increasing the thinking distance.

· Load in the vehicle- a loaded vehicle increases the braking distance due to a large amount of in-
ertia
· Tyre surface- a vehicle with tread patterns will have a shorter braking and thinking distance
while a worn Tyre will have a a greater braking and thinking distance.

· Road conditions- a wet or oil spilled road surfaces reduces the amount of friction between the
tyre and the ground surface, hence the braking distance increases.

CIRCULAR MOTION
Circular path , the direction of net force acting on the body as well as the direction of its veloc-
ity are taken into consideration. Any object which is moving along a circular path have a net
force acting on it and that force should be perpendicular

Consider this example

A stone which is made to move in a circular path by attaching one end of a string to it and the
other end is held in a fixed position by hand as show in the diagram below. The speed of the
stone is constant. However, its velocity changed continuously round the circular path. This
change in the velocity of the stone is due to its vector nature, that is, the direction of the veloc-
ity that changes continuously buts magnitude remaining constant during the circular motion.

The net force acting on an object, undergoes circular motion, is always towards the centre of the
circular path along which the object moves. This net force is called centripetal force.

The direction of the velocity(v), of the object is always the tangent to the circular path at any in-
stant of its motion.

Since the velocity of the object in circular motion is not constant, this implies that there must be
an acceleration and that acceleration is in the direction of the centripetal force, that is, towards
the centre of the circular path. This acceleration is called the centripetal acceleration.
 NOTE
If a body is initially in a circular motion and suddenly the centripetal force seizes to exist at an in-
stant, the body moves in the direction of its velocity at that instant,the body moves in the direc-
tion of its velocity at that instant.
The diagram illustrates the motion of a body at instant where there is no centripetal force.

FACTOS AFFECTING THE CENTRIPETAL FORCE--->

· Speed of motion ( with radius and mass of the body constant)-
If speed of motion increases, the centripetal force increases and vise versa.

· Radius of the circular motion( with speed and mass of the body constant)-
If the radius of the circular motion increases, the centripetal force also increases and vises-versa.

· Mass of the body-

If the mass of the body increases, then the centripetal force also increases to keep the body in
circular motion at a constant speed and constant radius.
Examples of centripetal force are listed below--->
1. The tension produced on a string when a stone attached to it, is whirled( see the above dia-
gram)
2. The frictional forces acting on the wheels of a car that is turning a roundabout.
 3. The gravitation force acting on a satellite orbiting the Earth
4. The electrostatic forces acting on electron orbiting the nucleus.

Small reminder
 When two objects are dropped, we must check if they have a great surface area or not. The larger
the surface area, the slower it will touch the ground due to the presence of atmosphere if the ob-
ject has a smaller surface area, it will travel faster.
But if there is no atmosphere, both will land together no matter the size or weight or the surface
area.
 The mass of an object is the same no matter, just the force changes, like for example, the mass of
an object is the same in the moon and the earth, just the force is different, apply the force formula
= force(N) = mass( kg) x acceleration( m/s).