KS3 Topic Revision

Forces and Motion

Topic Page
1- How do we calculate speed? 1
2- What is a distance-time graph? 2
3- How is friction useful to us? 3
4- How do we represent forces? 4
5- What is a resultant force? 5
6- What are the effects of a resultant force? 6
7- What is Hooke's law? 7
8- How can we use Hooke's law? (H) 8
Prove it Questions 9-11
Prove it Mark Scheme 12-14
Prove it Review 12

AFL #1: Lesson 1- How do we calculate speed?

 Stafford Manor High School Science Department KS3 Revision: Forces and Motion

Speed, distance and time

The speed of an object tells you how fast or slow it is moving. You can find the average
speed of an object if you know:
 the distance travelled
 the time taken to travel that distance
You can calculate average speed using this equation:
average speed = distance ÷ time
Example 1
Calculate the average speed of a runner who runs 100 m in 10
s.
Average speed = 100 ÷ 10 = 10 m/s

Notice that the unit for speed in science is metres per second, m/s. It is not, for example,
mph, kph or m per s.
If you are given the distance travelled in km, multiply it by 1000 to get the distance in m.
For example, 3.5 km is 3500 m (3.5 × 1000).
Example 2
A car travels 2 km in 100 s. Calculate its average speed.
2 km = 2 x 1000 = 2000 m
2000 ÷ 100 = 20 m/s

Average speed cameras

Speed cameras are used to find out if a motorist is travelling faster than the speed limit
for the road. The camera takes two photographs of the vehicle. These can be:
 a certain time apart, so that the distance travelled in that time can be worked out,
or
 a certain distance apart, so that the time taken to travel from one road marking to
the next can be worked out
Example 3
The speed limit on a road is 13 m/s (30 mph). Calculate the distance travelled by a car in
2 s at this speed.
Distance = 13 x 2 = 26 m

Relative motion
If you have travelled in a car on the motorway, you may have noticed that other cars
passing by appear to move slowly past you, even though you know the actual speeds of
the two cars are very high. This is because of their relative motion to each other.

Situation Relative speed

Objects moving in the same direction towards, or away from,
Fastest speed – slowest speed
each other
Objects moving in opposite directions towards, or away from,
Add the two speeds together
each other
Example 4
Two cars are travelling in the same direction on a road. The blue car is travelling at 25
m/s in front of the red car, which is travelling at 30 m/s. What is their relative speed?
Relative speed = 30 – 25 = 5 m/s (red car is catching up with blue car)
Two cars are travelling on a road in opposite directions. The blue car is travelling at 25
m/s and the red car is travelling at 30 m/s. What is their relative speed?
Relative speed = 30 + 25 = 55 m/s
AFL #1: Lesson 2- What is a distance-time graph?

Distance-time graphs

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Stafford Manor High School Science Department KS3 Revision: Forces and Motion

A distance-time graph is a useful way to represent the motion of an object. It

shows how the distance moved from a starting point changes over time.

On this distance-time
graph, the purple line
shows a journey of 10 m
travelling at steady speed
for 2 seconds.
The green line shows a
journey travelling 6 m at a
steady speed for 3 seconds
before becoming stationary
for 3 seconds. Finally, it
travels 1 m at a steady
speed in 4 seconds.

In a distance-time graph:
 distance travelled is plotted on the vertical (y) axis
 time taken is plotted on the horizontal (x) axis
The gradient of the line is equal to the speed. This means that the line is:
 horizontal for a stationary object (because the distance stays the same)
 a straight diagonal for an object moving at a constant speed
 a curved line if the object is getting faster or slowing down
The steeper the line, the greater the gradient and the greater the speed.

Example 1
From the distance-time graph above, calculate the speed represented by the
green line between 6 s and 10 s.
distance travelled = 7 – 6 = 1 m
time taken = 10 – 6 = 4 s
speed = 1 ÷ 4 = 0.25 m/s

Example 2
From the distance-time graph above, calculate the average speed represented by
the green line between 0 s and 10 s.
distance travelled = 7 m
time taken = 10 s
speed = 7 ÷ 10 = 0.7 m/s
AFL #2: Lesson 3- How is friction useful to us?

What are forces?

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Stafford Manor High School Science Department KS3 Revision: Forces and Motion

A force can be a push or a pull. For example, when you push open a door you
have to apply a force to the door. You also have to apply a force to pull open a
drawer.
You cannot see a force but often you can see what it does. When a force is
exerted on an object, it can change the object’s:
 speed
 direction of movement
 shape (for example, an elastic band gets longer if you pull it)
Forces can be contact forces, where objects must touch each other to exert a
force, such as friction, thrust and normal contact forces. Other forces are non-
contact forces, where objects do not have to touch each other, such as gravity,
magnetism, forces due to static electricity
Measuring forces
Forces can be measured using a force meter, also called a
newton meter. Force meters contain a spring connected to a
metal hook. The spring stretches when a force is applied to the
hook. The bigger the force applied, the longer the spring
stretches and the bigger the reading.
The unit of force is called the newton, and it has the symbol N.
The greater the force, the bigger the number, so 100 N is a
greater force than 5 N.
Frictional forces
Whenever an object moves against another object, it feels frictional forces. These
forces act in the opposite direction to the movement. Friction makes it more
difficult for things to move.
Helpful frictional forces
Friction can be useful. For example:
 friction between our shoes and the floor stop us from slipping
 friction between tyres and the road stop cars from skidding
 friction between the brakes and wheel help bikes and cars to slow down
Frictional forces are much smaller on smooth surfaces than on rough surfaces,
which is why we slide on ice but not on concrete.
Unhelpful frictional forces
Friction can also be unhelpful. If you do not lubricate your bike regularly with oil,
the friction in the chain and axles increases.
Your bike will be noisy and difficult to pedal.
When there is a lot of friction between moving
parts, energy is transferred to the
surroundings, causing heating. Think of what
happens when you rub your hands together
quickly. The friction warms them up.
AFL #2: Lesson 4- How do we represent
forces?

Force diagrams
We can show the forces acting on an object using a force diagram. In a force
diagram, an arrow represents each force. The arrow shows:
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Stafford Manor High School Science Department KS3 Revision: Forces and Motion

 the size of the force (the longer the arrow, the bigger the force)
 the direction in which the force acts
The arrow should be labelled with the name of the force and its size in newtons.
Textbooks often show a force with a thick coloured arrow so that it looks nice, but
it is more accurate if you just use a ruler and pen or pencil to draw an arrow with
a single line.
Some examples of force diagrams are shown below.

Air resistance
Bikes, cars and other moving objects experience air resistance as they move. Air
resistance is caused by the frictional forces of the air against the vehicle. The
faster the vehicle moves, the bigger the air resistance becomes. The top speed of
a vehicle is reached when the force from the cyclist or engine is balanced by air
resistance.
Streamlining
Racing cyclists crouch down low on their bikes to reduce the air resistance on
them. This helps them to cycle faster. They also
wear streamlined helmets. These have special,
smooth shapes that allow the air to flow over
the cyclist more easily.
Modern vehicles are also streamlined. Their
smooth shapes make the air resistance smaller,
which allows them to travel further on the same
amount of fuel.
AFL #2: Lesson 5- What is a resultant force?

Balanced forces
When two forces acting on an object are equal in size but act in opposite
directions, we say that they are balanced forces.

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Stafford Manor High School Science Department KS3 Revision: Forces and Motion

If the forces on an object are balanced (or if there are no forces acting on it), this
is what happens:
 a stationary object stays still
 a moving object continues to move at the same speed and in the same
direction
Remember that an object can be moving, even if there are no forces acting on it,
or if the forces acting it are balanced.
Example: floating in water
Objects float in water when their weight is
balanced by the upthrust from the water. The
object will sink until the weight of the water it
pushes out of the way is the same as the weight
of the object.

Unbalanced forces
When two forces acting on an object are not equal in size, we say that they are
unbalanced forces. The overall force acting on the object is called the resultant
force. If the forces are balanced, the resultant force is zero.
This diagram shows three
forces acting on the trolley.
The total force to the right is 8
N (4 + 4) and there is 3 N to
the left. The resultant force is
5 N to the right (8-3). When
describing a force, you should
always give a size and a
direction.
Resultant forces
If the forces on an object are unbalanced, this is what happens:
 a stationary object starts to move in the direction of the resultant force
 a moving object changes speed and/or direction in the direction of the
resultant force
Whether a moving object speeds up, or slows down, depends on the direction of
the resultant force:
 the object speeds up if the resultant force acts in the direction of
movement
 the object slows down if the resultant force acts opposite to the direction of
movement

AFL #3: Lesson 6- What are the effects of a resultant force?

Unbalanced forces cause changes in motion

The change in the motion of an object depends upon:
 the size of the resultant force
 the direction of the resultant force
The greater the resultant force, the greater the change in the motion of the object.

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Stafford Manor High School Science Department KS3 Revision: Forces and Motion

This can be investigated in a science classroom using a motion trolley. In the

diagram below the pulling force can be increased by taking masses from the trolley
and adding them to the hanger.

The speed of the trolley can be measured using the light gates. A light gate usually
consists of an optical transmitter and receiver mounted in a
frame with a gap between the two. The transmitter usually
emits an invisible beam of light which is then detected by the
receiver. They can measure the time a moving object takes to
pass between them, if we know the length of the object, usually
a card, passing through the light gates then the speed can be
determined.

There are other ways of measuring the speed of an object:

 Using ‘ticker tape’
 Measuring the distance travelled with a ruler and time with a stopwatch
All these methods require the use of the equation:
speed = distance ÷ time
The greater the pulling force the faster the trolley will go- the greater the change is
speed.
Interpreting motion
Just as we can predict what will happen to an objects motion if we understand the
forces acting it, we can also use an objects motion to predict the forces acting it.
If an object is speeding up or slowing down, then we know that the forces acting on it
are unbalanced- there is a resultant force.
If an object is stationary or moving at a constant speed, then we know the forces
acting on it are balanced- there is no resultant force.
AFL #3: Lesson 7- What is Hooke's law?

Deformation
Elastic materials, and objects such as springs, change shape when a force is
exerted on them:
 stretching happens when the material or object is pulled
 compression happens when the material or object is squashed
A change in shape like this is called deformation. In general, the greater the
force exerted, the greater the amount of deformation. This is why an elastic band
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Stafford Manor High School Science Department KS3 Revision: Forces and Motion

gets longer the harder you pull it, and why a rubber ball squashes more the
harder you squeeze it.
Remember that if you pull or squeeze too hard, the object may not return to its
original size and shape afterwards, and it may even snap, this is the known as the
elastic limit. Until you reach this point, a special case called Hooke’s Law applies.
Hooke's Law
The extension of a material or a spring is its increase in length when pulled.
Hooke’s Law says that the extension of an elastic object is directly proportional
to the force applied to it. In other words:
 if the force applied is doubled, the extension doubles
 if no force is applied, there is no extension

You can investigate Hooke’s Law using a spring:
1. hang the spring from a stand and clamp
2. measure its length with a ruler
3. hang an empty slotted mass carrier from the
lower end and measure the new length of the
spring
4. keep adding more slotted masses, measuring
the new length each time
For mass added, calculate the extension (new length
– length at start). You can then plot a force-
extension graph:

 plot force on the vertical (y) axis

 plot extension on the horizontal (x)
axis

The graph should be a straight line that

passes through the origin (0,0). The
diagram shows an example of this.

AFL #3: Lesson 8- How can we use Hooke's law?

Understanding a force-extension graph

In a force-extension graph:
 the steeper the line, the stiffer the spring

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Stafford Manor High School Science Department KS3 Revision: Forces and Motion

 the area under the line is the work done (energy needed) to stretch the
spring.
Example 1
Using the graph, calculate the work done to extend the spring from 0 m to 0.10
m.
The area under the line is a triangle:
area = ½ × base × height
= ½ × 0.10 × 5 = 0.25 J

The stiffness of the spring can be found

by calculating the gradient of the graph
line.
Example 2
Using the graph calculate the stiffness of
the spring.
Gradient = (10 – 0) ÷ (0.2 – 0)
Stiffness = 10 ÷ 0.2 = 50 N/m

The stiffness of a spring is known as

the spring constant (k). The spring
constant is used in two different
equations linked to springs.

Force = spring constant x extension

Energy stored in a stretched spring = ½ spring constant x extension2

For really tough questions you may have to use both equations, one equation to
find the spring constant and the other equation to find the answer.
Example 3
A spring is stretched by 0.4 m when a force of 15 N is applied. Calculate the
energy stored in the spring.
15 = spring constant x 0.4
Spring constant = 15 ÷ 0.4 = 37.5 N/m
Energy stored = ½ 37.5 x 0.42 = 3 J

Example 4
A spring stores 20 J of energy when it is stretched 0.5 m. Calculate how much
force was needed to stretch the spring.
20 = ½ spring constant x 0.52
Spring constant = (2 x 20) ÷ 0.52 = 160 N/m
Force = 160 x 0.5 = 80 N
Prove it Questions: AFL #1

Lesson 1- How do we calculate speed?

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Stafford Manor High School Science Department KS3 Revision: Forces and Motion

1a Two trains, on opposite tracks approach each. One train travels at 50

m/s and the other travels at 35 m/s. State their relative speed. (1)
1b Two cars travel in the same direction on a road. The front car travels
at 10 m/s and the other car at 13 m/s. State their relative speed. (1) (2)
2a A deer runs through the forest, she travels 450 m in 50 seconds.
Calculate the average speed of the deer. (2)
2b A snail slides 5 m in 120 seconds.
Calculate the average speed of the snail. (2) (4)
3 A jet plane travels 40.8 km at an average speed of 340 m/s.
Calculate how long this journey took- give your answer to the nearest
minute. (4) (4)

Lesson 2- What is a distance-time graph?

This graph represents a teacher’s journey around a classroom.
1a During which sections is the
teacher stationary? (1)
1 State how long the teacher is
b stationary for. (1) (2)
2a How far does the teacher move
in total? (1)
2 How long does the total journey
b last? (1)
2c Use the values from 2a&b to
calculate the average speed.
(2) (4)
3a Calculate the speed during
section A. (2)
3 Calculate the speed during
b section C. (2) (4)

Prove it Questions: AFL #2

Lesson 3- How is friction useful to us?

1 Identify two things that a force can change about an object. (2) (2)
2 Describe the difference, including examples, between contact and
non-contact forces. (4) (4)

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Stafford Manor High School Science Department KS3 Revision: Forces and Motion

3 Compare situations where friction is helpful and where friction in

unhelpful. (4) (4)

Lesson 4- How do we represent forces?

1 Arrows are used to represent forces. State the two properties an
arrow tells us about a force. (2) (2)
2a A trolley is being pushed across the floor, to the right, with a force of
150 N and experiences 100 N of friction to the left. Draw a force
diagram to represent these forces acting on the trolley. (2)
2b Describe air resistance. (2) (4)
3 Olympic swimmers wear swim caps and swimsuits, also they will
often shave all of the hair from their arms and legs. Explain why
Olympic swimmers take these measures. (4) (4)

Lesson 5- What is a resultant force?

1a State what happens to an objects speed if all the forces acting on it
are balanced. (1)
1b State what happens to an objects speed if all the forces acting on it
are unbalanced. (1) (2)
2a A toy boat has a weight of 250 N, it is placed into a pond and floats.
Draw and label a force diagram to show the forces acting on the
boat. (3)
2b The engine in the toy boat is started and provides a forward force of
50 N, there is a total of 32 N drag. Calculate the size of the resultant
force acting on the boat. (1) (4)
3 A car travels along a straight road at 9 m/s. The engine provides
5,000 N of thrust, the car experiences 3,000 N of friction with the
road and 1,500 N of air resistance. Calculate the resultant force and
explain what will happen to the motion of the car. (4) (4)

Prove it Questions: AFL #3

Lesson 6- What are the effects of a resultant force?

1 Forces affect motion, an unbalanced force can cause the speed of an
object to change. State two factors that this change in speed
depends on. (2) (2)
2a An object is travelling in a straight line at a constant speed, describe
what we know about the forces acting on the object. (1)
2b An object is travelling in a straight line and getting faster, describe
what we know about the forces acting on the object. (1)
2c A bird is flying, to the right, at a constant speed. The bird’s wings (4)
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Stafford Manor High School Science Department KS3 Revision: Forces and Motion

provide a thrust of 650 N. Describe the total frictional force acting on

the bird. (2)
3 Danny is trying to investigate how changing the size of the force
accelerating a motion trolley affects its change in speed. Plan an
investigation that Danny could carry out. (4) (4)

Lesson 7- What is Hooke’s law?

1 Complete these sentences by filling in the missing words:
When an object or material is pulled it can be ____________ (1)
When an object or material is squashed it can be ____________ (1) (2)
2a Describe what is meant by the term elastic limit. (2)
2b Hooke’s law tells us that the extension of an elastic object is directly
proportional to the force applied to it. Describe what this means. (2) (4)
3 Kylie is trying to investigate Hooke’s law using a spring. Plan an
investigation that Kylie could carry out. (4) (4)

Lesson 8- How can we use Hooke's law?

1 A force extension graph can provide us with information about a
spring. State how you could use a force-extension graph to find
information about:
i. The stiffness of the spring (1)
ii. The energy stored in the spring (1) (2)
2a A spring has a spring constant of 60 N/m and an extension of 0.3 m.
Calculate the force applied to the spring. (2)
2b Calculate the energy stored in the spring for question 2a. (2) (4)
3 A spring stores 7.5 J of energy when it extended 0.2 m. Calculate the
force applied to the spring when this energy is stored. (4) (4)

Prove it Review:

Once you have made your notes, answered the questions, marked
and improved your responses you should review your performance.
What level did you get? Is that at your target level? If not, then what
do you still need to learn to do even better next time around?

Marks Level
1-2 Emerging
3-4 Developing
5-7 Securing
8-10 Mastering

Prove it Mark Scheme: AFL #1

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Stafford Manor High School Science Department KS3 Revision: Forces and Motion

Lesson 1- How do we calculate speed?

1a 50 + 35 = 85 m/s (1)
1b 13 – 10 = 3 m/s (1) (2)
2a Speed = 450 ÷ 50 (1)
Speed = 9 m/s (1) (correct answer gains all marks)
2b Speed = 5 ÷ 120 (1)
Speed = 0.42 m/s (1) (correct answer gains all marks) (4)
3 40.8 x 1000 = 40,800 m
340 = 40,800 ÷ time (1)
Time = 40,800 ÷ 340 (1)
Time = 120 s (1)
Time = 120 ÷ 60 = 2 minutes (1) (correct answer gains all marks)
(0.12 scores 1 mark for use equation, 0.002 scores 2 marks for use of equation and conversion) (4)

Lesson 2- What is a distance-time graph?

1a The teacher is stationary during
sections B and D (1)
1b The teacher is stationary for 20
seconds (10 + 10) (1) (2)
2a The teacher travels a total of 4 m
(1)
2b The total journey lasts 45 seconds
(1)
2c 4 ÷ 45 (1)
0.09 m/s (1) (‘2a’ ÷ ‘2b’)
(correct answer gains all marks) (4)
3a 2 ÷ 20 (1)
0.1 m/s (1)
(correct answer gains all marks)
3b (4-2) ÷ (35-30) = 2 ÷ 5 (1)
0.4 m/s (1)
(correct answer gains all marks) (4)
Prove it Questions: AFL #2

Lesson 3- How is friction useful to us?

1 Forces can change an object’s (any two from):
Speed (1)
Direction (1)
Shape (1) (2)
2 Contact forces involve objects touching (1) examples are friction,
thrust and normal contact (1) (any one correct example
Non-contact forces do not require objects to be touching (1)
examples are gravity, magnetism and static electricity (1) (any one
correct example (4)
3 Requires a situation (1) and a linked explanation (1): (4)
Helpful (there are many other such examples) 2 marks from:
Between our shoes and the floor (1) to stop us slipping (1)
Tyres and road (1) to help us turn (1) or to slow down (1)
Unhelpful (there are many other such examples) 2 marks from:
Rusty bike chain (1) makes it difficult to pedal (1) energy is wasted
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Stafford Manor High School Science Department KS3 Revision: Forces and Motion

(1)
Car engines without oil (1) can get over heated (1) and seize (1)
Lesson 4- How do we represent forces?
1 Arrow can tell us about the size (1) and direction (1) of a force (2)
2a Right arrow being roughly 1/3 longer
than left arrow (1)
Arrows labelled with correct values (1)

2b Frictional forces (1) of the air against an object (1) (4)

3 To allow them to reach faster speeds (or to use less energy to reach
the same speed) (1) because water resistance is reduced (1).
The surface is smoother (1) so the water flows over them more easily
(1) (4)
Lesson 5- What is a resultant force?
1a The speed remains the same (1)
1b The speed will change (increase or decrease) (1) (2)
2a Both arrows are the same size (1)
Downwards arrow labelled as weight, 250 N (1)
Upwards arrow labelled as upthrust, 250 N (1)

2b 50 -32 = 18 N (1)
(4)
3 5,000 – 3,000 – 1,500 = 500 N (1) forwards (1)
The car will get faster (1) because there is an unbalanced force (in
the forwards direction) (1) (4)

Prove it Questions: AFL #3

Lesson 6- What are the effects of a resultant force?

1 The size of the force (1) the direction of the force (1) (2)
2a Forces are balanced / there is no resultant force (1)
2b Forces are unbalanced / there is a resultant force (1)
2c Constant speed so forces are balanced
650 N (1) to the left (1) (4)
3 Use masses (hung over a pulley) to pull a trolley along a ramp (1)
Measure the time taken with stopwatch / light gate (1) and record
the distance travelled / length of card (1)
Use the equation speed = distance ÷ time (1)
Add masses to the trolley and repeat (1) (4)

Lesson 7- What is Hooke’s law?

1 When an object or material is pulled it can be stretched (1)
When an object or material is squashed it can be compressed (1) (2)

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Stafford Manor High School Science Department KS3 Revision: Forces and Motion

2a Elastic limit is the point at which an elastic object has been stretched
too far (1) will no longer return to its original shape (1)
2b If the force doubles then so does the extension (1) and when no force
is applied the extension is zero (1) (4)
3 Hang the spring from a stand and clamp (1)
Measure its length with a ruler (1)
Hang an empty slotted mass carrier from the lower end and measure
the new length of the spring (1)
Keep adding more slotted masses, measuring the new length each
time (1) (4)

Lesson 8- How can we use Hooke's law?

1 i. The steeper the line, the stiffer the spring (or the gradient tells
us the stiffness) (1)
ii. The energy stored in the spring is the area below the graph
line (1) (2)
2a Force = 60 x 0.3 (1)
Force = 18 N (1) (correct answer gains all marks)
2b Energy = ½ 60 x 0.32 (1)
Energy = 30 x 0.09
Energy = 2.7 J (1) (correct answer gains all marks) (4)
3 A spring stores 7.5 J of energy when it extended 0.2 m. Calculate the
force applied to the spring when this energy is stored. (4)
7.5 = ½ spring constant x 0.22 (1)
spring constant = 15 ÷ 0.04
Spring constant = 375 N/m (1)
Force = 375 x 0.2 (1)
Force = 75 N (1) (correct answer gains all marks) (4)

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