Edexcel IAL Physics A-Level

Topic 1.1 - Mechanics

Flashcards

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State the 4 SUVAT equations

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State the 4 SUVAT equations?

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What does a horizontal line represent on
a graph of displacement (y axis) against
time (x axis)?

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What does a horizontal line represent on a graph of
displacement (y axis) against time (x axis)?
A stationary object.

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 What does a line with a constant
gradient represent on a graph of
displacement (y axis) against time (x
axis)?

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What does a line with a constant gradient represent
on a graph of displacement (y axis) against time (x
axis)?

An object with constant velocity.

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What does a curved line represent on a
graph of displacement (y axis) against
time (x axis)?

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What does a curved line represent on a graph of
displacement (y axis) against time (x axis)?
Acceleration or deceleration.

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What does a horizontal line represent on
a graph of velocity (y axis) against time
(x axis)?

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What does a horizontal line represent on a graph of
displacement (y axis) against time (x axis)?
An object with a constant velocity.

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 What does a line with a constant
gradient represent on a graph of velocity
(y axis) against time (x axis)?

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What does a line with a constant gradient represent
on a graph of displacement (y axis) against time (x
axis)?

The constant acceleration of the object for a

positive gradient or constant deceleration for
negative gradient.

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What does the area under a velocity-time
and acceleration-time graph represent?

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What does the area under a velocity-time and
acceleration-time graph represent?
The displacement of the object and the change in
velocity respectively.

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Describe how the terminal velocity of an
object can be determined using light
gates.

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Describe how the terminal velocity of an object can
be determined using light gates.
● The light gates are connected to a timer or data logger.
● The time when each of the two beams are broken by the
object and the time difference (with a number of repeats
done to improve the accuracy) combined with the known
distance between the light gates are used to find the velocity.
● velocity = distance / time

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What is meant by a scalar quantity?

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What is meant by a scalar quantity?

A quantity that only has magnitude not

direction.

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What is a vector quantity?

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What is a vector quantity?

A quantity that has magnitude as well as

direction.

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Is acceleration a vector or scalar
quantity?

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Is acceleration a vector or scalar quantity?

Vector.

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Is mass a scalar or vector quantity?

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Is mass a scalar or vector quantity?

Mass is scalar.

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The diagram shows a force F at an angle of 30°
to the horizontal direction. The horizontal
component of the force F is 7.0 N. Calculate the
magnitude of the force F.

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 The diagram shows a force F at an angle of 30° to
the horizontal direction. The horizontal component of
the force F is 7.0 N. Calculate the magnitude of the
force F.

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 Which of Newton’s Laws state ‘every
action force has an equal and opposite
reaction force’?

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Which of Newton’s Laws state ‘every action force
has an equal and opposite reaction force’?
Newton’s third law.

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What is Newton’s second law?

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What is Newton’s second law?

F = ma
Where mass is constant.

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What is Newton’s first law?

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What is Newton’s first law?

An object stays moving at a constant

velocity unless a force acts upon it.

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Describe with diagrams the forces acting
on a free-falling skydiver.

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Describe with diagrams the forces acting on a
free-falling skydiver.

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What is the difference between elastic
and inelastic collisions?

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What is the difference between elastic and inelastic
collisions?
In an elastic collision the kinetic energy before is
equal to the kinetic energy afterwards.
However in an inelastic collision the kinetic
energy at the end is not equal to the kinetic
energy at the start.
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Give an equation that can be used to
calculate momentum.

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Give an equation that can be used to calculate
momentum.

momentum = mass × velocity

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True or false. ‘Linear momentum is only
conserved in elastic collisions.’

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True or false: linear momentum is only conserved in
elastic collisions.
False, linear momentum is always
conserved.

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The rate of change of momentum can
also be described as…?

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The rate of change of momentum can also be
described as…?
Force.

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What is impulse?

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What is impulse?

The change in momentum:

F∆t = ∆ mv

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What does the area underneath a force
time graph stand for?

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What does the area underneath a force time graph
stand for?
Impulse, the change in momentum.

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Define the ‘work done’.

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Define the ‘work done’.

The work done is defined as the product of the

magnitude of the force and distance moved by
the object in the direction of the force. It is a
measurement of energy and its units are joules
with SI base unit kg m^2 s^-2.
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What is the rate of work done equal to?

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What is the rate of work done equal to?

Power.

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What is meant by the principle of
conservation of energy?

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What is meant by the principle of conservation of
energy?
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only
transferred into other forms of energy.
Therefore the total energy in a closed system
will always remain the same.

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Define Kinetic Energy and give its SI
base unit.

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Define Kinetic Energy and give its SI base unit.

The energy associated with the motion of an

object with mass. The SI base unit is kg m^2
s^-2.

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Define Gravitational Potential Energy.

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Define Gravitational Potential Energy.

The energy stored by an object at a point in a

gravitational field.

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Define Elastic Potential Energy.

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Define Elastic Potential Energy

The energy stored by an object as a result of a

reversible change in an object’s shape.

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 By considering a closed system where
an object is moving up and down, derive
a formula for the velocity of an object in a
gravitational field.

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By considering a closed system where an object is
moving up and down, derive a formula for the velocity of
an object in a gravitational field.
All initial GPE is converted to KE as the object falls, and this KE is converted back
to GPE as it rises.

mgh = ½ mv2 rearranging this in terms of v2 gives:

v2 = 2gh hence v= sqrt(2gh)

mass has no bearing on the final speed, the acceleration of free fall is the same
for all objects.

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What is the relationship between power,
time and work done (energy
transferred)?

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What is the relationship between power, time and
work done (energy transferred)?

Power = Energy Transferred / Time

Power = Work Done / Time

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What is efficiency?

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What is efficiency?

Efficiency (%) = (The useful output power ÷ input

power ) x 100
or
Efficiency (%) = (The useful energy output ÷ input
energy ) x 100
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Is the horizontal or vertical component of
velocity constant in projectile motion?

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Is the horizontal or vertical component of velocity
constant in projectile motion?

Horizontal.

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In projectile motion, what is the vertical
acceleration?

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In projectile motion, what is the vertical acceleration?

The vertical acceleration is equal to

gravitational field strength (g).

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What is a moment? State the principle of
moments.

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What is a moment? State the principle of moments.
A turning force.
Moment = force x perpendicular distance from the object

For an object in equilibrium the sum of the clockwise

moments will equal the sum of the anticlockwise
moments.

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Where is the ‘centre of gravity’ on a
uniform object?

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Where is the ‘centre of gravity’ on a uniform object?

At its geometrical centre.

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 State the equations for determining
gravitational field strength and weight.

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State the equations for determining gravitational field
strength and weight.
G=F/m

where F is the force on a body in a gravitational field/N and m is the

mass of the body/kg.

W = mg

where m is the mass of the body/kg and g the gravitational field

strength/ ms-2.
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