IGCSE PHYSICS

Forces & Adding Forces

 Force
newtonmeters
A force is a push or a pull.
A force can cause an object to:
– speed up
– slow down
– change direction
– change shape

Force is measured in
newtons (N).
Force is measured with a
newtonmeter.
 Some types of force
1. Gravitational
This is the attractive force exerted
between bodies because of their
masses.

This force increases if either or both of

the masses is increased and
decreases if they are moved further
apart. Bathroom scales measure
weight.
Weight is the gravitational force of the A mass of 1kg weighs
Earth on an object. about 10N
1 stone is about 63N.
2. Normal reaction or contact normal reaction forces

This is the repulsive force that

stops two touching bodies
moving into each other.

The word ’normal’ means that

this force acts at 90° to the
surfaces of the bodies.
weight

It is caused by repulsive The two upward reaction forces

molecular forces. on the tyres balance the
downward weight of the car
3. Friction
This is the force that opposes motion.
The kinetic energy of the moving object is converted to
heat energy by the force of friction.

Friction is needed for racing

Friction is needed for
cars to grip the road
walking!
4. Air resistance or drag
This is the force that opposes the movement of objects
through air.
Drag is a more general term used for the opposition force
in any gas or liquid.
Objects are often streamlined to reduce this force.

streamlined car
a parachute
maximises drag force
5. Upthrust
This is the force
experienced by objects
when they are placed into a
fluid (liquid or gas).

An object will float on a

liquid if the upthrust force
equals its weight.

A hot air balloon rises when the

upthrust from the surrounding
air is greater than the balloon’s
weight.
6. Magnetic
Between magnets but
also the force that
allows electric motors to
work.

7. Electrostatic
Attractive and repulsive
Electrostatic force causes the
forces due to bodies girls’ hair to rise when they
being charged. touch the Van der Graaff
generator.
Choose appropriate words to fill in the gaps below:
A force
_____ is a push or a pull. A force can cause an object to
___________
accelerate or change shape.
Force is measured in _______
newtons (N) with a newtonmeter.

contact force occurs when

There are many types of force. ________
two bodies touch each other.
motion of one body
opposes the _______
Friction is a force that _______
relative to another. It is caused by the _________
attractive forces
between ___________.
molecules

WORD SELECTION:
newtons accelerate force attractive
opposes molecules contact motion
TRIPLE ONLY

Vectors and Scalars

All physical quantities (e.g. speed and force) are
described by a magnitude and a unit.

VECTORS – also need to have their direction specified

examples: displacement, velocity, acceleration, force.

SCALARS – do not have a direction

examples: distance, speed, mass, work, energy.
TRIPLE ONLY

Representing Vectors
An arrowed straight Displacement 50m EAST
line is used.

The arrow indicates

the direction and the Displacement 25m at
length of the line is 45o North of East

proportional to the
magnitude.
TRIPLE ONLY

Addition of vectors 1
4N 4N
6N 6N
object object
resultant = 10N
object

The original vectors are called COMPONENT vectors.

The final overall vector is called the RESULTANT vector.

4N 6N 6N 4N
object object

resultant = 2N
object
TRIPLE ONLY

Resultant force
A number of forces acting on
a body may be replaced by a
single force which has the 3N
same effect on the body as 2N
the original forces all acting
together.

This overall force is called

resultant force.
5N
In the example opposite, 5N
is the resultant force of the
3N and 2N forces.
TRIPLE ONLY

Determine the resultant force in the cases below:

1. 4N 2.
6N
10N 3N 4N
1N

3. 3N 4. 5.
6N 4N
4N

4N
7N There is no resultant
2N 4N case
force in this
TRIPLE ONLY

Choose appropriate words to fill in the gaps below:

A single force, called _________
resultant force, can be used to replace
a _______
number of forces that act on a body.

If the resultant force is _____

zero then the body will either
remain at _____
rest or continue to move at a constant ________.
velocity

direction as an object’s
If the resultant force is in the same _________
motion, the object will __________.
accelerate A car is decelerated
opposite direction to the
when the braking force acts in the _________
car’s motion.

WORD SELECTION:
number rest direction zero opposite
velocity accelerate resultant