Physics notes

Physics notes
SI Units
• They are the standard units used by scientists all over the world

SI Units Symbol Unit

Length M Meter

Mass Kilograms Kg

Time Second S

Electric current Ampere A

Temperature Kelvin K

Accuracy:
Accuracy describes how close to the true value a measurement is

Precision:
Precision describes the detail which a measurement is made

Mass

• Measure of the amount of matter

• The greater the mass the reader the resistance to its change in motion

• Standard kilogram:

• Block of platinum

Time

• A second is based on the number of oscillations (how many times the electrons spin
around the nucleus) of a cesium atom

Length

• The meter is based on the distance that the speed of light travels in a fraction of a
second

Measuring length and time:

• Length above a millimetre are measured using a ruler

 Physics notes
• Calipers can be used in a ruler cannot be placed besides the object

• Micrometer
• Instrument used to measure very small objects

• Uses a revolving barrel with an extra scale where micrometers are shown

• Vernier callipers
• Instrument used to measure very small objects

• Pendulum
• It works thanks to a mass attached to a string

• The length of time it takes the mass to swing all the way over and back one is
called the period of a pendulum

• When the pendulum is at the top it has 100% potential energy (gravitational)

• When the pendulum is at the bottom it has 100% kinetic energy

• Variables

• Mass of the round ball

• Density of the air

• Gravity

• Force

• Distance

• Length of string

How does the angle of the mass in uence the of a period

Variables Input Output Controlled

• Angle between mass • Time taken for a swing • Density of air

and fulcrum • Force transmitted to

the mass

• Mass
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Trial 1 Angle Time taken to do 10 Time taken to do 1
swings swings

10° 4,84 0,484

20° 5,14 0,514

30° 5,07 0,507

40° 5,40 0,540

50° 5,15 0,515

Trial 2 Angle Time taken to do 10 Time taken to do 1

swings swings

10° 4,72 0,472

20° 4,82 0,482

30° 5.04 0,504

40° 5.12 0,512

50° 5.39 0,539

Trial 3 Angle Time taken to do 10 Time taken to do 1

swings swings

10° 5.06 0,506

20° 5.04 0,504

30° 5.00 0,5

40° 5.11 0,511

50° 5.39 0,539

Volume
• Volume = the quantity of space an object takes

• SI Unit: m3

• m3 = 1000 litres

• 1 litre = dm3 (decimetre)

• cm3 = m3 * 1 000 000

• Ex. 2cm3 = 2 000 000m3

• cm3 = 1 millilitre (ml)

 Physics notes

Density
• The amount of mass in a volume

• Formula

• Density= Mass/Volume
• Density of an irregular shape

• Archemides discovered that if you submerge an object in water and nd out how
much the water increased you nd the volume

• Change of water (height) = volume of object

• Birds use density to grab things

• If an object is submerged in water they use rocks or object to increase the water
level

• Less dense -> particles more spaced out

• More dense -> particles really close together

Regular solids
Object Length (cm) Height (cm) Width (cm) Volume Mass (g) Density (g/
(cm3) cm3)

Steel 2 2 2 8 64 8

Lead 2 2 2 8 94.6 11.825

Irregular solids
Object Volume before Volume of Volume of Mass (g) Density (g/
(cm3) water after object cm3)
(cm3)

Granite 580 610 30 83.8 2.79

Chalk 700 730 30 72.2 2.4

Mass and weight: What’s the di erence

MASS
How much of something there is (kilograms)

WEIGHT:
Is a force of gravity. It is how strongly gravity pulls an object towards earth (newtons)

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Density and the planets

Planet Density What they are composed

Mercury 5.43 g/cm³ Mostly iron

Venus 5.24 g/cm³ Iron and rock

Earth 5.51 g/cm³ Water, basalt, granite

Mars 3.93 g/cm³ silicon, oxygen, iron, and

magnesium

Jupiter 1.33 g/cm³ Hydrogen and helium

Uranus 1.27 g/cm³ water, methane, and ammonia

uids, rock

Neptune 1.64 g/cm³ water, methane, and ammonia,

rock

Observations
Rocky planets have a much higher density as they are made from solids (rocks, iron, etc.) which
have a higher density compared to water, methane and ammonia. They all have a density of about
5.2 g/cm3 a part from Mars.

However, gas giants have a much lower density since they are made of gas.

In order to measure planets, they use a telescope to nd out the apparent angular diameter of the
planet which is measured by nding out the distance from the sun. They can then nd out its
volume by multiplying the radius by itself and multiply it by pi. They then calculate the mass of the
planet by sending a spacecraft which calculates the forces of gravity. After that, they can use the
formula to nd the density.

Scalar and vector quantities

21 of September

• Scalar
• Physical quantity that has magnitude but no direction

• Energy
• Measured in Joules - no direction

• Speed

• Km/h

• Distance

• M

• Mass
• Kg

• Power
• Volt

• Volume
• Cm3

• Pressure
• Pascal

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• Vector

• Physical quantity that has both magnitude (size) and direction

• Velocity
• Weight
• Newtons

• Acceleration
• m/s

• Momentum
• Force
• Newtons

• Vectors in diagrams are shown as arrows pointing in the direction of the vector

• Vectors have numbers written besides them

• Vectors also have an arrow which is proportional to the magnitude

Magnitude

Direction

• Mass = Scalar
• Weight = Vector

• Distance = Scalar
• Displacement = Vector

Speed:
1. Cheetah

2. Grant’s Gazelle

3. Gazelle

4. Thomson’s Gazelle

5. Springbok

6. Antelope
D
7. Horse

8. Brown hare

S X T
9. Lion

10. Wildebeest

11. Red fox

• Speed (m/s)= distance travelled (m) / time taken (s)

 Physics notes
Velocity
• Velocity is the speed in a given direction

• Vector

Acceleration
• The rate at something changes speed

• Formula

• Change in velocity/time taken

Recap of distance time and distance speed graphs

• Gradient of a distance time graph = speed

• Gradient of a distance speed graph = acceleration

• Area under distance time graph = nothing

• Area under distance speed graph = distance travelled

Analysing a velocity time graph

Terminal velocity
• Steps of terminal velocity

• First the object accelerates because of it’s weight

• As the object’s weight stays the same, the air resistance increases

• Eventually the object’s weight is balanced by air resistance. There is no resultant

force and the object reaches a steady speed called the terminal velocity

 Physics notes

Transverse wave
The particle displacement inside a transverse wave is perpendicular to the direction of motion.
Thus meaning that the particles inside a transverse wave move up and down. An example of this
is an electromagnetic wave.

Longitudinal wave
Particles in a longitudinal wave move together with the wave, but only oscillate back and forth
from their individual equilibrium. An example of a longitudinal wave is a sound wave.

Re ection
• Re ection happens when light is bounced o an object

• The re ected caught travel’s into our eyes, and this is what we see.

• In sound waves re ection is known as echoes.

Diagram rules
1. Always draw straight lines

2. Always have arrow heads on your light rays

3. Always swig light rays entering the eye

Virtual images
• Images in a mirror are called virtual images

• They have the same size but it appears inverted

Re ection

Equals Re ected line

Incident line

Re ected angle

Angle of incidence
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Di erent types of re ection

• Specular re ection
• This happens when there is a smooth surface

• The angle of incident is equal to the re ected angle

• Di use re ection
• This happens when there is a rough surface

• The light re ects in di erent directions

• The angle of incident does not equal the re ected angle

Practical: Re ection
Aim: To derive a relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of re ection

Angle of incidence (°) Angle of re ection (°)

48 48

71 70

40.5 40.5
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Refraction
• Happens when light travels through di erent mediums light changes direction and speed

• This is because the mediums have di erent densities

• If light goes from a less dense into a denser object, the light will slow down and
move closer to the normal
Property of wave Deep to shallow

Velocity Decrease

Wavelength Decrease

Frequency Stays the same

Direction of the wave Moves towards the normal

Homework
When light enters the glass block it slows down, this is because glass is more dense than
air.

The wavelength of the light ray decreases and the direction moves towards the normal
line

As the ray moves out of the glass block into air it speeds up, this is because air is less
dense than glass.

The wavelength of the light ray increases and the direction moves away from the normal
line.

Practical: Refraction
Angle of incidence (°) Angle of refraction (°)

47 32

51 31

The angle of incidence is always greater than the angle of refraction when
moving from glass to air
Refractive index
• The ratio of speeds of a wave in two di erent regions

• Formula

• n= sin(i)/sin(r)
• i = angle of incidence

• r= angle of refraction

• n = 1 / sin(critical angle)
Angle of incidence Angle of refraction Refractive index Material

24,0 15,7 1.5 Glass/Persperex

24.0 9.76 2.4 Diamond

24.0 18.2 1.3 Water

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Angle of incidence Angle of refraction Refractive index Material

63.0 36.4 1.5 Glass/Persperex

47.0 29.2 1.5 Glass/Persperex

• Critical angle
• The angle of incidence beyond which rays of light passing through a denser medium to the
surface of a less dense medium are no longer refracted but totally re ected

• The higher the refractive index the lower the critical angle
• The beam is totally internally re ected when the incident angle is larger than the critical
angle

How does light travel through an optical bre?

Light bounces o the cable's walls several times as it travels down a bre optic cable.
Each light particle bounces down the pipe, causing an internal mirror-like re ection. The
beam of light goes along the cable's core.

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Describe and explain 2 places optical bres are used?

They are mainly used for networks, and are built both in the air and underground. Another
use of optical bre is used also for phones and telecommunications.

Dispersion & Colour

• White light is a combination of di erent colours

• A prism allows a rainbow to be seen utilising a white light

• This is because it refracts the rays by di erent indexes.

When white light goes through a prism it splits up into all the colours of the rainbow. This is called
a spectrum. White light is made up of a mixture of colours. Each of these colours is refracted
(bent) by di erent amounts by the prism because they slow down by di erent amounts when they
get to the glass. This is how we get rainbows.

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