2.5 UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF A FORCE [..

/28 x 100 =
%]
A student is able to :
describe the effects of balanced forces acting on an object
describe the effects of unbalanced forces acting on an object
determine the relationship between force, mass and acceleration i.e F=ma
Solve problems using F = ma

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1. Answer the following questions.

(a) What are the effects of a force when acting on an object?
A force can.
(i) __________ a stationary object
(ii) __________ a moving object
(iii) change the ________ / ________ of an object
(iv) change the ________ / ________ of an object
(b) Force is a ( scalar / vector ) quantity .
(c) What is the SI unit for force?
The S.I. unit for force is ____________ .
2. Fill in the blanks with appropriate answers for balanced and unbalanced forces.
(a)

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Forces acting on an object are said balanced when the net force is
___________.

(b)

When the forces acting on an object are balanced, it is either at ___________

or moving with ___________ _____________.

(c)

An object will ____________________ if the forces acting on it are not balanced.

3. Draw the graph and state the relationship between acceleration, a, force, F and
mass, m.
(i)

1
m

14

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(m is constant)
(ii) Relationship :

(F is constant)

Relationship :

a is __________________ to F
(iii) Combine the relationship:

a is __________________ to m

F = k

; k is constant (k = 1)

F=
(b) The relationship between F, m and a is known as Newtons _____________ law
of ____________.
/4
4.

Solve the following.

a = 3 m s-2
m = 1000 kg

(a)

A force, F is required to move an object of mass 1000 kg with an acceleration of

3 m s-2. Calculate F when
(i)
object is on a smooth surface
(ii)
object is on a surface where the frictional force is 200 N

Solution :
(i)

(ii)

15

(b)

A block of mass 20 kg is pulled along the ground by a force, F of 60 N. The

frictional force is 10 N. Calculate the acceleration of the block.

Solution:

(c)

A car of mass 1200 kg which is travelling at 90 km h-1 comes to a stop in a

distance of 50 m when the brakes are applied. What is the average braking force
of the car?

16

2.6 ANALYSING IMPULSE AND IMPULSIVE FORCE [ .. / 21 x 100 = .% ]

A student is able to :
Explain what an impulsive force is
Give examples of situations involving impulsive forces
Define impulse as a change of momentum ie Ft = mv-mu
Define impulsive force as the rate of change of momentum in a collision or
explosion i.e F = mv-mu
t
Explain the effect of increasing or decreasing time of impact on the magnitude
of the impulsive force
Describe situations where an impulsive force needs to be reduced and suggest
ways to reduce it
Describe situations where an impulsive force is beneficial
Solve problems involving impulsive forces

1.

Define impulse and impulsive force by completing the following table.

Situation

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Explanation
From :

F = ma

A ball of mass, m is kicked

with a force, F. The time of
contact is t. The ball
accelerates from u to v.

F = m
F=

mv mu = change of
F=

Impulsive force
1
F
t

mv mu
=
t
Impulsive force is defined as the .........................

F mv mu

. in a collision or
explosion.

Impulse
= force x time

Impulse = Ft =
= change of ..
SI unit for impulse is or ..

2) (i) Fill in the blanks with appropriate answers.

17

/ 10

Impulsive force is a force which acts over a very .. time interval

during .. and .
(ii) By using the figures given, determine whether the impulsive force acting is large or
small.

3.

Two eggs of the same mass are released from the same height, as shown in
the figure below. Egg A falls on a concrete floor while egg B falls on a thick
folded towel.

Figure A

/1

Figure B

Using Figure A and Figure B, compare the conditions of the eggs after the fall and
explain the relationship between the material where the eggs landed and the force acting
on the eggs upon landing.

18

4.

A tennis ball of mass 45 g travels at a velocity of 70 m s1 immediately after it is

struck by a racket. The time of contact between the tennis ball and the
racket is 0.5 ms. Calculate (a) impulse and (b) impulsive force exerted on the
ball.
/1
Solution :

19

2.7 BEING AWARE OF THE NEED FOR SAFETY FEATURES IN VEHICLES [

./15 x 100 =.. %]

A student is able to :
Describe the importance of safety features in vehicles
Reinforced passenger compartment
Automatic air
____

Padded ___________

Head ______
Shatter proof
___________

Safety seat ________

Crumple zones
_______________
_________ (ABS)

Side impact bars

Safety features
Padded dashboard

Importance
To cushion an impact and increases the ______ __________ of
collision so the __________ _______ produced is thereby reduced

Head rest
To prevent the windscreen from shattering.

Automatic air bag

20

Safety seat belt

To minimize the force acting from a side- on collision.

Anti-lock braking system

To increase the time interval of impact so that the resultant
impulsive force is reduced.

2.8

UNDERSTANDING GRAVITY [ ./ 27 x 100 = . % ]

A student is able to :
Explain acceleration due to gravity
State what a gravitational field is
Define gravitational field strength
Determine the value of acceleration due to gravity
Define weight (W) as the product of mass (m) and acceleration due to gravity
(g) i.e W=mg
Solve problems involving acceleration due to gravity
1. Complete the following by fill in the appropriate answer.
a.

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An object will .. to the surface of the earth because it is pulled by

..

b.

The pull or force of gravity also known as ...

c.

When an object falls without encountering any resistance and under the force of
. only, the object is said to be .
d. All objects freely with the same

feather

acceleration regardless of their and

e. The constant .. of objects falling freely due

vacuum

to the force of .. is known as

, g.

stone
f. Practically, a free . can only take place in
. where there is no air resistance.

21

g.

The region around the earth is the . field of the earth.

h.

The gravitational field strength is defined as the . acting

on a 1 kg mass.

i.

When an object falling freely, acceleration due to gravity, g =

An object at the surface of the earth experiences gravitational force, g = .

2. State the differences between weight and mass in the table below.
Weight

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Mass

1. the gravitational force act on the object.

1.

2.

2. constant quantity everywhere

3. vector quantity

3.

4.

4. base quantity, mass = m

5. SI unit : Newton (N)

5.

Solve the problem below

/2
3. A coconut falls from rest and hit the ground after 1.2 s.
(a) What is the velocity of the coconut just before hits the
ground?
(b) Calculate the height of the coconut before it fall.

22

4.

A stone is thrown vertically upwards with a velocity of 20 m s-1. If g = 10 ms-2,

calculate
(a) the maximum height reached
(b) the time taken for the stone to return to its original position.

23

/2

2.9

ANALYSING FORCES IN EQUILIBRIUM

[ / 30 x 100 =

%]
A

student is able to :
Describe situations where forces are in equilibrium
State what a resultant force is
Add two forces to determine the resultant force
Resolve a force into the effective component forces
Solve problems involving forces in equilibrium
/ 12

1. Fill in the blanks.

i)

Forces that act on an object are said to be in .. when the object is

. or is moving at .

ii)

The net force that acts on an object when two or more forces act on it is known
as the .

iii)

When . is reached, the resultant force acting on the object

is

iv)

Newtons . law of motion states that to every . there is an equal

but opposite ..

v)

A force can be resolved into component which are to one

another.

Horizontal cpmponent Fx =
Vertical component Fy =

2. In the table below, mark and label all the forces that act on the object.
i) A box is at rest on a table.

ii) An object that is suspended by a rope.

24

iii) An airplane flying at a constant velocity.

v)

60 N
4 kg
30 0

iv) A trolley being pushed at a constant

velocity

A box of mass 4 kg is being pulled by a force

of 60 N at an angle of 30 0 to the surface of a
floor. Calculate
(a) the componentof the force which causes
the box to move forward.
(b) the acceleration of the box if the frictional
force between the floor and the box is 5 N,

Solution :

vi)

A man pushes a box of mass 40 kg is up an

inclined plane. The inclined plane makes an angle
of 30 0 with the horizontal floor. The frictional force
acting between the inclined plane and the box is
120 N. If the man pushes the box with a force of
400 N, calculate the acceleration of the box.

25

vii)
4 kg

Smooth pulley

A 4 kg trolley is connected by a rope to a load of

mass 6 kg. The friction between the table and the
trolley is 15 N. The load is then released.
Assuming that the pulley is smooth and the rope is
of negligible mass, find
(a) the resultant force that act on the system
(b) the acceleration of the system
(c) the tension of the rope

6 kg

Solution :

viii)

Two loads of mass 3 kg and 5 kg are connected by a

rope which passes through a smooth pulley. If the
system is released from rest, calculate the acceleration
of the 5 kg load.
Solution :
3 kg

5 kg

26

/4

3 Forces in equilibrium
i

30

A block of mass 6 kg is suspended vertically by a

string tied at O to the string AOB. If the system is in
equilibrium, draw a vector diagram (triangle of
forces) and hence determine the tension of string
OA and OB.

6 kg

A lamp of mass 1.5 kg is hung from a beam

as shown in the diagram. Calculate the tension
in the rope.

ii)

Solution:

1.5 kg

27