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    Chapter 8 Booklet

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    MIhaela Corche
    This document provides an overview of modeling in mechanics, including constructing models, assumptions, quantities and units, vectors, forces, and working with scalars and vectors. Mechanics covers motion and forces. Models simplify problems using assumptions and known techniques. The summary includes converting between units and vector/scalar forms.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Chapter 8 Booklet

    Uploaded by

    MIhaela Corche
    14 views10 pages
    This document provides an overview of modeling in mechanics, including constructing models, assumptions, quantities and units, vectors, forces, and working with scalars and vectors. Mechanics covers motion and forces. Models simplify problems using assumptions and known techniques. The summary includes converting between units and vector/scalar forms.

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    Chapter-8-Booklet

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    This document provides an overview of modeling in mechanics, including constructing models, assumptions, quantities and units, vectors, forces, and working with scalars and vectors. Mechanics covers motion and forces. Models simplify problems using assumptions and known techniques. The summary includes converting between units and vector/scalar forms.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    14 views10 pages

    Chapter 8 Booklet

    Uploaded by

    MIhaela Corche
    This document provides an overview of modeling in mechanics, including constructing models, assumptions, quantities and units, vectors, forces, and working with scalars and vectors. Mechanics covers motion and forces. Models simplify problems using assumptions and known techniques. The summary includes converting between units and vector/scalar forms.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 10

    A Level Mathematics

    Chapter 8 - Mechanics
    Modelling in Mechanics

    Chapter Overview
    1. Constructing a Model
    2. Modelling Assumptions
    3. Quantities and Units
    4. Working with Vectors
    What is Mechanics?
    Broadly speaking, mechanics covers motion, forces and how the two inter-relate with each
    other.

    1. Constructing a Model
    Why use a mathematical model?

    The solution to a mathematical model needs to be interpreted in the context of the original
    problem. You may need to refine the model and reconsider your original assumptions.

    2
    Example (Textbook)

    Exercise 8A Page 119

    3
    2. Modelling Assumptions
    We make modelling assumptions to simplify a problem and solve it using known
    mathematical techniques. You must be able to understand how these assumptions will
    affect calculations versus the real-life situation.

    A full list of modelling assumptions is on p121 of the textbook. The most common are
    shown below.

    Example (Exercise 8B Question 2)

    Exercise 8B Page 122

    4
    3. Quantities and Units
    The SI units are a standard system of units, used internationally (“Système International
    d’unités”). These are the base ones you will use:

    These derived units are compound units built from the base units.

    Can you convert 2.48 x 105 kmh-1 into SI units?

    Types of Force and Force Diagrams


    You will encounter a variety of forces in mechanics. It is ALWAYS helpful to draw a force
    diagram and make sure that you have included all forces acting on a body.

     Weight (always vertically downwards)


     Normal Reaction (always perpendicular to the surface of contact)
     Friction (only if the plane is ROUGH, always opposes motion)
     Tension (in a string – PULL force)
     Thrust/compression (e.g. in a rod or engine – PUSH force)
     Resistance (e.g. particle travelling through a liquid, always opposes direction of
    motion)
     Buoyancy (e.g. boat floating in water, always vertically upwards)

    Force diagrams can be found on page 123 of the textbook.

    Exercise 8C Page 124

    5
    4. Working with Vectors
    In Mechanics you will often need to convert to/from the scalar form of a quantity and the
    vector form.

    SCALAR:

    VECTOR:

    Examples of scalars and vectors:

    Scalar Vector

    NB: 1-dimensional vectors are still different from scalars. Consider the displacement on a 1-
    dimensional line in a particular direction. If we’d gone backwards 3 units…

    What is the distance travelled?

    What is the displacement of the particle?

    6
    Vector Notation

    Column Notation i-j Notation


    (i and j are unit vectors of length 1)

    Adding and Subtracting Vectors

    7
    Two vectors are equal if they have the same magnitude and direction.

    Two vectors are parallel if they have the same direction but different magnitudes.

    Converting Between Vectors and Scalars


    To convert to vector form, just use basic trigonometry to find the 𝑥 -change and 𝑦 -change.

    Scalar (Distance) Vector (Displacement)

    To convert scalar form, just find the magnitude of the vector using Pythagoras.

    Vector (Velocity) Scalar (Speed)

    (−12
    5
    )m s −1

    8
    Further Examples

    9
    Test Your Understanding
    A woman walks from A to B and then from B to C.
    Her displacement from A to B is 6i + 4j m.
    Her displacement from B to C is 5i - 12j m.

    a) What is the magnitude of the displacement from A to C?


    b) What is the total distance the woman has walked in getting from A to C?

    Exercise 8D Page 127

    Mixed Exercise 8 Page 128


    10

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