Space, time

A and motion

A.1 Kinematics A.2 Forces and Momentum A.3 Work, Energy and Power A.4 Rigid Bodies Mechanics A.5 Galilean Relativity
 DP Physics

Theme A.2
Forces and
Momentum
Dynamics: sub-branch of mechanics which
studies the forces which cause a body's
motion.
A2: Forces and Momentum

What can a force do?

What is a force?

Force is push or pull.

A force can be considered to be any type of

interaction/influence on an object which will tend to
change its state of motion or change its shape.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Topics
● Forces, its interaction and types
● Free-Body Diagram
● Newton’s Laws of Motion
● Linear Momentum
A2: Forces and Momentum

Guiding Questions

● How can we represent the forces acting on

a system both visually and algebraically?

● How can Newton’s laws be modelled

mathematically?

● How can knowledge of forces and

momentum be used to predict the
behaviour of interacting bodies?
A2: Forces and Momentum

Types of Forces
● Contact Forces: a force that is applied by objects in contact with
each other.
○ Normal Force, Tension, Compression, Elastic Force, Buoyancy
Forces, Friction, Drag Force
● Field Forces: non-contact forces that can exert acceleration over a
distance without contact.
○ Gravitational Force, Magnetic Force, Electrostatic Force
(Electromagnetic)
A2: Forces and Momentum

Forces and its Nature

Fundamental Forces of Nature
A2: Forces and Momentum

Forces and its Nature

Gravitational Force: a force that attracts
any two objects in the universe, whether
they have equal masses or not.
Weight: gravitational force acting on the
mass of an object. Fg = mg
● g is the gravitational field strength, the
gravitational force per unit mass.
● g = Fg /m (N kg-1)
● center of mass - average position of
all the mass of an object.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Gravitational Force
Worked Example A2.1 (p.32)
An astronaut has a mass of 58.6 kg. Calculate her weight using data
below:
a. on the Earth’s surface
b. in a satellite 250 km above the surface (g = 9.1 N kg–1)
c. on the surface of the Moon (g = 1.6 N kg–1)
d. on the surface of Mars (g = 3.7 N kg–1)
e. in ‘deep space’, a very long way from any planet or star.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Gravitational Force
A2: Forces and Momentum

Gravitational Force
Practice Exercise 1 (no. 1, p.33)
Calculate the weight of the following objects on the surface of the Earth:
a. a car of mass 1250 kg
b. a new-born baby of mass 3240 g
c. one pin in a pile of 500 pins that has a total mass of 124 g.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Gravitational Force
Practice Exercise 2 (no. 3, p.33)
A mass of 50 kg would have a weight of 445 N on the planet Venus.
What is the strength of the gravitational field there? Compare it
with the value of g on Earth.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Forces and its Nature

Forces, F, are vector quantities and are represented in drawings by arrows
of scaled length, direction and point of application. All forces should be
labelled with commonly accepted symbols, or names.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Contact Forces
- Normal Force is perpendicular to the
surfaces in contact.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Contact Forces
- Tension - pulling forces acting on
the object and causing it to stretch.
- Compression - pushing inward on
an object.
A2: Forces and Momentum
Tension - pulling forces acting on the object and causing it to stretch.
Contact Forces Compression - pushing inward on an object.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Contact Forces
Buoyancy force, Fb, acting on a body due to the displacement of the fluid
as given by: Fb= ρVg, where V is the volume of fluid displaced.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Buoyancy Force
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A2: Forces and Momentum

Buoyancy Force
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SIMPOP: Buoyancy
A2: Forces and Momentum

Contact Forces
Buoyancy force, Fb, acting on a body due to the
displacement of the fluid as given by: Fb= ρVg,
where V is the volume of fluid displaced.
● Buoyancy is the ability of any fluid (liquid or gas) to
provide a vertical upwards force on an object placed
in, or on it. This force is sometimes called upthrust.
● Buoyancy can be explained by considering the
difference in fluid pressures on the upper and lower
surfaces of the object. Pressure is explained in Topic
B.3.
● The magnitude of an upthrust will be greater in
fluids of greater density.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Buoyancy Force
A2: Forces and Momentum

Buoyancy Force
A2: Forces and Momentum

Buoyancy Force
Practice Exercise 1 (No. 5, p.38)
a) Calculate the buoyancy force acting on a boy of mass 60 kg and
volume 0.0590 m3 (use g = 9.81 N kg–1)
i. in water of density 1000 kg m−3
ii. in air of density 1.29 kg m−3.
b) Will the boy sink or float in water? Explain your answer.
c) Suggest why he would float easily if he was in the Dead Sea.
d) Calculate a value for the ratio: boy’s weight / buoyancy force in air.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Buoyancy Force
Practice Exercise 2 (No. 6, p.38)
A wooden cube with a density of 880 kg m−3 is floating on water (density
1000 kg m−3). If the sides of the cube are 5.5 cm long and the cube is
floating with a surface parallel to the water’s surface, show that the depth
of wood below the surface is 4.8 cm.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Contact Forces
Friction and air resistance
- Solid Friction - The friction that exists between
two surfaces which are not lubricated
A2: Forces and Momentum

Contact Forces
Solid Friction - The friction that exists between two surfaces which are not lubricated.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Contact Forces
Solid Friction
A2: Forces and Momentum

Contact Forces
Solid Friction - frictional forces, Ff, are proportional
to the normal contact forces, FN. (Ff ∝ FN) The
constant of proportionality equals the gradient of
the graph and is called the coefficient of friction, μ
(no units)
● Just before motion begins: Ff = Fmax = μsFN,
where μs is the coefficient of static friction.
When there is no movement, static frictional
force: Ff ≤ μsFN.
● Dynamic friction: Ff ≤ μdFN.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Contact Forces
A2: Forces and Momentum

Solid Friction
A2: Forces and Momentum

Solid Friction
A2: Forces and Momentum

Solid Friction
A2: Forces and Momentum

Solid Friction
Practice Exercise 1 (no. 14, p.46)
If dynamic friction is 85% of the maximum static friction, estimate the
frictional force acting on the steel skates of a 47 kg ice-skater moving
across the ice.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Solid Friction
Practice Exercise 2 (no. 15, p.46)
A 54 kg wooden box is on a horizontal concrete floor.
a. Estimate the minimum force required to start it sliding sideways.
b. Suggest why your answer to part a may not be reliable.
c. If a force of 120 N keeps the box moving at a constant speed, what is the
coefficient of dynamic friction?
d. What will happen to the box if the applied force increases above 120 N?
A2: Forces and Momentum

Contact Forces
Elasticity - is the property of the material to regain its original shape after
deformation when the external forces are removed.
● Which is more elastic, rubber of steel?
A2: Forces and Momentum

Contact Forces
Elastic Restoring Force - The force that acts to
bring a body to its equilibrium position.
● FH = -kx
○ FH (elastic force)
○ k (spring constant)
○ x (displacement)
● Elastic limit is the maximum force and/or extension that
a material, or spring, can sustain before it becomes
permanently deformed.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Contact Forces Elastic Restoring Force - The force that acts to bring a body to its
equilibrium position.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Elastic Restoring Force

Hooke’s Law FH = -kx
○ FH is a force in the spring
○ A restoring force which
always points in the opposite
direction of the displacement.
○ The spring wants to restore
itself to its equilibrium or
normal length
A2: Forces and Momentum

Elastic Restoring Force

Hooke’s Law FH = -kx
○ Spring constant (k) determined by
the material content of the spring, its
thickness, and elasticity.
○ The higher the spring constant, the
more elasticity, and the less a spring
will stretch when the same force is
present.
○ Springs that resist change, and
therefore have a higher elasticity are
more stiff than those with less
elasticity.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Elastic Restoring Force

Elasticity - is the property of the material to
regain its original shape after deformation when
the external forces are removed.
● Which is more elastic, rubber of steel?

Modulus of Elasticity or Young’s Modulus

- Represents the gradient of the stress-strain curve in the elastic region.
- Stress - the force applied to a material per unit area (S = F/A)
- Strain - deformation or change in the shape of the material that
results from the applied force.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Elastic Restoring Force

A2: Forces and Momentum

Elastic Restoring Force

Practice Exercise 1 (no. 11, p.41)
A spring has a spring constant of 125 N m−1 and will become permanently
deformed if its extension is greater than 20 cm.
a. Assuming that it behaves elastically, what extension results from a
tensile force of 18.0 N?
b. What is the maximum force that should be used with this spring?
A2: Forces and Momentum

Elastic Restoring Force

Practice Exercise 2 (no. 12, p.41)
When a mass of 200 g was hung on a spring its length increased from 4.7
cm to 5.3 cm.
a. Assuming that it obeyed Hooke’s law, what was its spring constant?
b. The spring behaves elastically if the force does not exceed 10 N. What
is the length of the spring with that force?
A2: Forces and Momentum

Watch and Explore:

Tensegrity Explained by Steve Mould
 Space, time
A and motion

A.1 Kinematics A.2 Forces and Momentum A.3 Work, Energy and Power A.4 Rigid Bodies Mechanics A.5 Galilean Relativity
 DP Physics

Theme A.2
Forces and
Momentum
Dynamics: sub-branch of mechanics which
studies the forces which cause a body's
motion.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Free-Body Diagram

● Diagram showing
all the forces
acting on a single
object, and no
other forces.
A2: Forces and Momentum

Free-Body Diagram
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Physics Classroom
Free-Body Diagram
Interactive
A2: Forces and Momentum

Free-Body Diagram
Explore: (Simulation)
WISC Online: Construction
of Free-Body Diagram
A2: Forces and Momentum

Free-Body Diagram
A2: Forces and Momentum

Free-Body Diagram
A2: Forces and Momentum

Free-Body Diagram
A2: Forces and Momentum

Free-Body Diagram
A2: Forces and Momentum

Free-Body Diagram
A2: Forces and Momentum

Free-Body Diagram
Explore: (Video)
Balanced Forces - A level & GCSE Physics
 Space, time
A and motion

A.1 Kinematics A.2 Forces and Momentum A.3 Work, Energy and Power A.4 Rigid Bodies Mechanics A.5 Galilean Relativity
 DP Physics

Theme A.2
Forces and
Momentum
Dynamics: sub-branch of mechanics which
studies the forces which cause a body's
motion.