2012

II Newtonian mechanics | y

CIE

AS & A LEVEL PHYSICS

Kinematics
Dynamics
Define force.
Force is the rate of change of momentum.
State Newtons third law of motion.
When two bodies interact, force on one body is equal but opposite in
direction to force on the other body.
two objects interacting and the forces acting on each other being equal and
opposite. The required comment that these forces were of the same kind was
rarely seen.
Torque:
product of (magnitude of one) force and distance between forces reference to
either perpendicular distance between forces or line of action of forces and
perpendicular distance
Law of conservation of momentum:
total momentum before and after the collision remains the same provided no
external force acts on the system (isolated system).
Work, energy, power
Motion in a circle
Gravitational field
Define gravitational field strength.
It is defined as the force per unit mass.
Suggest factors that could, in case of a real planet, cause variations in the
acceleration of free fall at its surface.
e.g.
1. radius of planet varies
2. density of planet not constant
3. planet spinning
4. nearby planets / stars
State Newtons law of gravitation.
It states that two point masses attract each other with a force that is proportional to
the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of their
separation.
Describe what is meant by a geostationary orbit.

1. equatorial
orbit .................................................................................................... B1
2. period 24 hours / same angular
speed ............................................................... B1
3. from west to east / same direction of
rotation ..................................................... B1
It means that the satellite is in equatorial orbit with exactly the same period of
rotation as the Earth and move in the same direction as the Earth.