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CHAPTER 3 NOTES

This document covers key concepts in forces and motion, including the role of unbalanced forces in changing motion, the distinction between mass and weight, and the effects of gravity on falling objects. It explains how forces are represented, the calculation of resultant forces, and the concept of terminal velocity in free fall. Additionally, it discusses the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration, and introduces momentum as a factor in motion changes.

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2 views

CHAPTER 3 NOTES

This document covers key concepts in forces and motion, including the role of unbalanced forces in changing motion, the distinction between mass and weight, and the effects of gravity on falling objects. It explains how forces are represented, the calculation of resultant forces, and the concept of terminal velocity in free fall. Additionally, it discusses the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration, and introduces momentum as a factor in motion changes.

Uploaded by

henry.tonda
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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IGCSE PHYSICS ( 0625)

CHAPTER 3
FORCES AND MOTION
3.1 LIFT-OFF

It takes an enormous force to lift a giant space shuttle off its


launch pad,and to propel it into space.
The booster rockets that supply the initial thrust provide a
force of several million newtons.
As the spacecraft accelerates upwards,the crew experience
the sensation of being pressed back into their seats.
That is how they know that their craft is accelerating.

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IGCSE PHYSICS ( 0625)

UNBALANCED FORCES CHANGE MOTION

The unit used for measuring Force is NEWTON ( N )


1 newton=kgm/s2

Force appears when two objects interact with each other.


Each force is represented by an arrow to show its direction.
Longer arrows represent big forces and vice versa.

Let's look at a car that is moving forward below,

The engine is providing a force to accelerate it forwards,but there is another force


acting,which tends to slow down the car.
That force is Air resistance, a form of friction caused when an object moves through
air. ( Friction is also called drag,especially for motion through liquids.)

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IGCSE PHYSICS ( 0625)

The air drags on the object,producing a force that acts in the opposite direction to the
object’s motion.

A driver who needs to stop quickly will apply the brakes to take advantage of the
solid friction, when two surfaces make contact.
There is a transfer of energy from kinetic to thermal leading to rising temperatures.

UNBALANCED FORCES PRODUCE ACCELERATION

The driver in the diagram below,when he takes off,the engine makes the car
accelerate.The arrows in the diagram show the forward force and backward forces (
air resistance).If he presses the accelerator harder,the forward force is bigger and the
car’s acceleration will be greater.

To summarize,we have seen that force can;

1.Be represented by arrows,it has direction and can be represented by arrows.


2.Make an object change speed.A forward force makes it speed up ( accelerate),while
a backward force makes it slow down ( decelerate).
3.Change the direction in which an object is moving.

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IGCSE PHYSICS ( 0625)

Two or more forces along a straight line

We can work out the combined effect of two forces by subtracting one from the
other to give resultant force acting on an object.
Eg,When engine’s force of a car is 600N to the right and the drag of air
resistance is 400N to the left,then the resultant force is 200N to the right

-Push of engine= 600N to the right


-Drag of the air resistance = 400N to the left.

Resultant force = 600N - 400 N


= 200 N to the right
This is illustrated in diagram a below

If the push of the engine is similar to that of the air resistance,then there will
be 0 N resultant force.
We therefore say that the forces on the car are balanced and there is no resultant
force so the car no longer accelerates.It continues to travel at a constant speed.

N/B

1. If no resultant force acts on an object,it will not accelerate ;it will remain
at rest or continue to move at a constant speed in a straight line.
2. If an object is at rest or is moving at a constant speed in a straight
line,we can say that there is no resultant force acting on it.

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IGCSE PHYSICS ( 0625)

3.2MASS,WEIGHT AND GRAVITY


If you drop an object ,it falls to the ground .The speed of the ball increases and
it accelerates.
When an object accelerates ,there must be a force that is causing it to do so.In
this case,the force of gravity is pulling the ball downwards.
Weight is the gravitational force acting on an object that has mass.

Weight is measured in Newtons ( N).

The acceleration that is caused by the pull of the Earth’s gravity is called
acceleration of free fall or the acceleration due to gravity.

This quantity is given letter g and its value is approximately 9.8 m/s 2.

Calculating weight and gravitational field strength.

On the Earth’s surface,the gravitational field strength is 9.8 N/kg.It has the
same value as the acceleration of free fall or acceleration due to gravity is often
rounded off to 10N/kg.

Distinguishing between mass and weight


1.Mass of an object is measured in kilograms and tells you how much matter an
object is composed of.
2. The weight of an object is measured in newtons and is the gravitational force that
acts on an object.

If you take an object to the moon,it will weigh less than it does on earth because the
moon’s gravity is less than that of earth.The mass will remain unchanged.

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IGCSE PHYSICS ( 0625)

3.3 FALLING AND TURNING ( extended)

Objects fall to the ground because they have weight.The weight is caused by
the gravitational field of the Earth,pulling downwards on their mass.
The moon’s gravitational field is much weaker, which is why objects weigh
less when they are on the moon.

Falling through the air

If an object,say a parachutists makes a free fall,it accelerates downwards as


shown in figure (3.12 a).
Figure 3.12 b shows a parachutist at a different point in his fall.

Parachutists make use of air resistance. A free-fall


parachutist (Figure 3.12a) jumps out of an aircraft and
accelerates downwards. Figure 3.12b shows the forces on
a parachutist at different points in his fall.
Notice that this weight does not change (so the length of the
downward-pointing arrow does not change).

-At first, air


resistance has little effect. However, air resistance increases
with the speed of motion. As the parachutist falls faster,
-Eventually air resistance balances his weight. Then the
parachutist stops accelerating: he falls at a steady rate
known as the terminal velocity. The resultant force on the
free-fall parachutist is the result of two forces acting along
the same line and acting in opposite directions.
-Terminal velocity: the greatest speed reached by
an object when moving through a fluid.

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IGCSE PHYSICS ( 0625)

-Opening the parachute greatly increases its area and


hence the air resistance. Now there is a much bigger
force upwards. The forces on the parachutist are again
unbalanced, and he slows down. The idea is to reach a
new, slower, terminal velocity of about 10 m/s. at which
speed he can safely land.
At this point,

weight = drag,

and so the forces on the parachutist are balanced.

Figure 3.12c shows how the parachutist's speed changes


during a fall.

Going round in circles

When a car turns a corner,its changes direction.Any moving object moving


along a circular path is changing direction as it goes.

In the figure below ( a) shows a boy spinning an apple around on the end of a
piece of string.The tension in the spring pulls on the apple,keeping it moving in
a circle.

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IGCSE PHYSICS ( 0625)

In the second figure ( b), an aircraft ‘banks’ ( tilts) to change direction.The lift force
on its wings provides the necessary force.

In the third figure ( c),The moon is held in its orbit around the Earth by the pull of the
Earth’s gravity.

For an object following a circular path,the object is acted on by a force perpendicular


( at right angles) to its motion.The force that keeps an object moving in a circle
always acts towards the center of the circle.

If the force disappears ,the object will move off a tangent to the circle; it will not fly
outwards,away from the center.

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IGCSE PHYSICS ( 0625)

3.4 FORCE ,MASS AND ACCELERATION

Drivers use accelerator pedals to control the car’s acceleration.Bigger force causes
higher acceleration,and vice versa.

Force calculations

3.5 MOMENTUM

A force changes an object’s motion,accelerates it or makes it change


its direction.
The effect of force F depends on two things.
1.how big the force is

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IGCSE PHYSICS ( 0625)

2. the time interval it acts for.

key words

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