Physics

Chapter 14: Force and motion

• Scalar is quantities (amounts) that are fully described by a
magnitude (numerical value) alone.
• Examples:
➢ volume
➢ density
➢ speed
➢ energy
➢ mass
➢ time
• A vector is something that has two and only two defining
characteristics:
(a) magnitude: the meaning of magnitude is size or quantity.
(b) Direction: It simply means that the vector is directed from
one place to another.
• Examples:
➢ displacement
➢ velocity
➢ force
➢ momentum
 Displacement and velocity
Displacement
• the change of position of an object caused by motion.
• a vector quantity.
• Example:
• The professor’s initial position is X0 = 1.5m and her final
position is Xf = 3.5m.
• Thus her displacement can be found as follow,
➢ ΔX = Xf -X0 = 3.5m- 1.5m = + 2.0m
➢ motion to the right is positive, motion to the left is negative.
Speed and velocity
• speed is the distance traveled per unit time by an object or
particle.
• Unit: metre per second (ms-1 ) /kilometre per hour (kmh-1 ).
• There is a distinction between speed and velocity.
• Speed tells how fast an object moves but not the direction of
motion.
• Velocity gives the speed and the direction.
• Examples:
➢ the speed of the wind is 4 ms-1 (speed)
➢ the car travels due east at 100 kmh-1 (velocity)
• If the 2 bodies travelling with the same speed but different
directions, then they have different velocities.
 Force
• Force is the action of one body on the another body.
• It may be defined as an action which changes or tends to
change the state of rest or of uniform motion of body.
The combination of forces in a straight line
When the resultant force on an object is zero, the object:

● Remains at rest if it was already at rest.

● Continues to move at the same speed and in the same

direction if it was already moving.
• When the resultant force on an object is not zero, the
movement of the object depends on the size and direction of
the resultant force.
 Object at the start Resultant force Effect on the object

1. At rest Zero Stays at rest

2. Moving Zero Speed and
direction of
motion stay the
same

3. Moving Non-zero in the Accelerates

same direction as
the direction of
motion of the
object

4. Moving Non-zero in the Decelerates

opposite direction
to the direction of
motion of the
object
 Friction
• Friction is a force between two surfaces that are sliding, or
trying to slide, across each other.
• Example: when you try to push a book along the floor, friction
makes this difficult.
• Friction always works in the direction opposite to the
direction in which the object is moving, or trying to move.
• Friction always slows a moving object down.
• The amount of friction depends on the materials from which
the two surfaces are made.
• The rougher the surface, the more friction is produced.
• Friction also produces heat. If you rub your hands together
quickly, you will feel them get warmer.
• Friction can be a useful force because it prevents our shoes
slipping on the pavement when we walk and stops car tyres
skidding on the road.
• Sometimes we want to reduce friction.
• For example, we use oil to reduce the friction between the
moving parts inside a car engine.
• The oil holds the surfaces apart and can flow between them.
The reduced friction means there is less wear on the car's
moving parts and less heat produced.
 Newton’s first law of motion and inertia
• Also called the law of inertia, this is the most important thing
to realize about motion.
• The idea that objects only change their velocity due to a force
is express in Newton's first law.
• Newton's first law: An object at rest remains at rest, or if in
motion, remains in motion at a constant velocity unless acted
on by a net external force.
• There must be a cause—which is a net external force—for
there to be any change in velocity, either a change in
magnitude or direction.
• Example: An object sliding across a table or floor slows down
due to the net force of friction acting on the object.
• A force is a push or a pull exerted on one object by another
object. The units of force F are called Newtons or simply N.
• An external force is a force originating from outside an object
rather than a force internal to an object.
• The net force, on an object is the total force on an object. If
many forces act on an object, then the net force is the sum of
all the forces.
 Momentum and Newton‘s Second Law of Motion

• Momentum is a characteristic of a moving object that is

related to the mass and velocity of the object.
Questions
1. A car of mass 800kg travelling with a velocity 30ms-1 from
west to east has a momentum of
Ans:
P=mxv
= (800kg) x (30 ms-1 ) = 24 000 kgm/s

2. A student rides a bicycle at a velocity of 5ms-1 due north. The

combined mass of the student and his bicycle is 60kg. Find his
momentum.
Ans: P = m x v
= (60kg) x (5ms-1 ) = 300 kgm/s
 Newton’s third law of motion
• Newton's third law: If an object A exerts a force on object B,
then object B must exert a force of equal magnitude and
opposite direction back on object A.
• Forces always occur in pairs, and one body cannot exert a
force on another without experiencing a force itself.
• The swimmer pushes against the pool wall with her feet and
accelerates in the direction opposite to that of her push.
• The wall has exerted an equal and opposite force back on the
swimmer.
• You might think that two equal and opposite forces would
cancel, but they do not because they act on different systems.
Examples of Newton's third law:
Moment of force and principle of moments
• We utilise the turning effect of forces on a daily basis, for
example we use devices such as levers.
• A moment is the turning effect of a force around a fixed point
called a pivot.
• E.g.: Door opening around a fixed hinge or a spanner turning
around a fixed nut.
• The size of the turning effect of a force depends on two
factors:
➢ The size of the force applied
➢ The perpendicular distance from the pivot to the line of
action of the force
• Less force is needed to open a door by pushing at the side
furthest from the hinge than at the side closest to the hinge.
• To push at the hinge side of the door requires more force to be
exerted because the distance is smaller.
 Circular motion
• Any object moving round a circular path is acted on by a
resultant force which is directed towards the centre of the
circle.
• The resultant force is called the centripetal force because it
acts towards the centre of the circle.
• For a body in circular motion, its direction of motion is
constantly changing.
• So, it needs a force in a direction different from the direction
of its motion.
 Test yourself
1. What force causes rain drops to fall? Where does this force
come from?
Ans: Gravitational force. Earth
2. A plough is pulled by a tractor across a field with a force of
4000N. The reaction force from the ground is also 4000N.
What is the resultant force?
Ans: F = F1- F2
= 4000N- 4000N = 0 N (stationary)
3. When a plane is to drop essential goods to the stranded victims
of a disaster area, will the goods reach the exact area when
they are dropped directly overhead? If not, how should they
be dropped?
Ans: No. When they are dropped, the goods will have inertia and
continue moving forward. Hence, the goods should be
dropped before reaching the exact area.
4. A force of 20 N is applied to a door causing a moment of 5 Nm.
Calculate the distance in cm from the hinge axle to the point
on the door where the force was applied.
Ans: Moment = F x d
d = moment / F
= 5Nm / 20N
= 0.25 m
= 25cm
5. Calculate the force F shown in the diagram.

Clockwise moment = F x d
= F x 25cm
= 25 F
Anticlockwise moment = F x d
= 75N x 40cm
= 3000 Ncm
Clockwise moment = anticlockwise moment
25F = 3000 Ncm
F = 120N
6. A seesaw is 4.0m long with a pivot at its midpoint. A boy who
weighs 400N sits at a distance of 1.5m from the pivot. His
sister weighs 300N.
a) Draw a diagram to show the beam, the pivot and the force
and their distances from the pivot.
b) Calculate the distance at which the girl must sit if the beam is
to be balanced.
Ans:
b) Anticlockwise moment = F x d = 400N x 1.5 m = 600Nm
Clockwise moment = F x d = 300N x d = 300d
Anticlockwise moment = clockwise moment
600Nm = 300d
d= 600Nm / 300 = 2 m