9 Ia-6

Calculating resultants

1 The weight of a skydiver is 700 N. The air resistance on her is 500 N.

a Calculate the resultant force on her and state its direction.
b Explain what will happen to the speed at which she is falling.
c When the skydiver opens her parachute, the air resistance on her changes to 2000 N.
Calculate the resultant force just after she opens her parachute.
d Explain how this new resultant force will change her speed.

2 A cyclist is pedalling along a flat road, using a force of 70 N. There is a friction force of 5 N and
an air resistance force of 55 N.
a Draw a labelled sketch to show the horizontal forces on the bike.
b Calculate the resultant force on the bicycle and state its direction.
c Explain what will happen to the speed of the bike.

3 The same cyclist is going down a hill. Gravity provides a force of 130 N down the hill. The force
of friction is 100 N and the air resistance is 50  N.
a Calculate the resultant force on the bike and state its direction.
b Explain what will happen to the speed of the bike.

4 Look at the descriptions of the cyclist in questions 2 and 3.

a In which question was the cyclist going fastest? Explain your answer.
b Suggest why the friction force is much greater in question 3 than in question 2.

5 Ben is cycling at 5 mph on a flat road and starts to accelerate to 20 mph.

● Force A has changed from 14 N to 37 N by the time he reaches 15 mph.
● Force B changes from 27 N to 76 N when he starts to accelerate and stays at that value.
● Force C changes from 13 N to 17 N by the time he reaches 15 mph.
a Suggest which force is the force from the pedals. Explain your answer.
b Work out the resultant horizontal force on the bike at 15 mph and state its direction.
Ben continues to pedal with the same force, but his speed stops changing when he
reaches 20 mph.
c What is the resultant horizontal force on the bike at 20 mph? Explain your answer.
d How big is the combined force of friction and air resistance at 20 mph? Explain your answer.

I can…
● calculate resultant forces
● explain what effect a resultant force will have on the movement of an object.

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