Chapter 3 Force and Motion (I)

3.1 Introduction to forces

A Some basic understanding about forces
1 The SI unit of force is the ___________, written as _____.

2 A force is due to the interaction between two objects.

3 In physics, force is a ___________ quantity. It has both magnitude and ____________.

4 Forces exist in ___________.

When you punch a sandbag, you

apply a force on it. At the same
force experienced
by the fist force acting on time, your fist experiences a force
the sandbag acted by the sandbag.
by the fist

5 Forces can be measured using a ___________________ or a force sensor in laboratory.

B Contact forces and non-contact forces

1 Forces can be classified as:

(a) ____________ forces which exist only when two objects are in contact;

(b) ____________ forces which can exist even if the objects are not in direct contact.

2 Examples of contact force:

(a) Friction

 arises whenever an object slides or _________________ over another object

 direction: always ____________ to the relative motion or the tendency of

motion between two surfaces

Draw an arrow to show the direction of friction acting on the box by the slope in
each of the following diagrams.

stationary, but with a

moving up tendency of sliding
the slope down the slope

New Senior Secondary Physics at Work (Second Edition) 22 Lesson Worksheets 2

 Oxford University Press 2015
 (b) Tension
 exists when, e.g. a rope, is ______________
 direction: always along the rope
 same ______________ at every point on the rope

T1 = T 2 T1 = T2
tension T1

tension T1 tension T2
tension T2
trolley fixed
on a table

load

(c) Normal force

 acting on an object by the surface in contact with it
 direction: ____________________ to the surface

normal
normal force
force

3 Examples of non-contact force:

(a) Weight

 acting on an object by the ____________

 direction: vertically downwards towards the centre of the Earth

(b) Electric force

 exists between electric charges

(c) Magnetic force

New Senior Secondary Physics at Work (Second Edition) 23 Lesson Worksheets 2

 Oxford University Press 2015
  exists between magnets or between magnets and magnetic objects

New Senior Secondary Physics at Work (Second Edition) 24 Lesson Worksheets 2

 Oxford University Press 2015
C Free-body diagram
1 A free-body diagram shows all ______________ acting on an object.
free-body diagram
a box resting normal
on a slope force

friction

weight

Checkpoint 1
In the system below, boxes A and B are connected by a string and both of them are
stationary. Draw the free-body diagram for each box.
box A
rough horizontal
table surface

box B

Solution
Box A Box B

D Net force
1 All the forces acting on an object can be added up to a __________________.

Checkpoint 2
Find the net force acting on the object.
2N 18 N
10 N
Solution
Take the direction to the right as positive.
Net force =
 The net force is __________________________.

New Senior Secondary Physics at Work (Second Edition) 25 Lesson Worksheets 2

 Oxford University Press 2015
 3.2 Inertia and Newton’s first law
A Inertia and mass
1 Inertia is the tendency of an object to maintain its state of ____________ or of

_______________ velocity.

2 Mass is a measure of an object’s ____________. The larger the mass of an object, the
harder / easier to change its velocity.

3 The SI unit of mass is the ____________, written as _______.

Checkpoint 3
A box is placed inside a stationary lorry. When the lorry accelerates forwards, the box
moves from the middle to the back of the cargo compartment. Explain why this happens.

box

Solution
When the lorry accelerates forwards from rest, the box remains in a state of ___________
due to ____________. As a result, it moves backwards relative to the lorry.

B Newton’s first law of motion

1 Newton’s first law of motion states that:

Every object remains in a state of ______________ or uniform motion

(i.e. constant ________________) unless acted on by a net force or an
__________________ force.

moving at v F v
v initially
smooth f rough

 If there were no friction,  In practice, there is friction

a ball would ______________ acting on the ball. Therefore, a
forever. force which _____________ the
friction is required to keep the
ball moving at a constant speed.

New Senior Secondary Physics at Work (Second Edition) 26 Lesson Worksheets 2

 Oxford University Press 2015
 3.3 Net force and motion: Newton’s second law

Experiment: Acceleration, net force and mass

 Set up the apparatus as shown. The motion sensor should be mounted at the
higher / lower end of the runway.
 Adjust the runway until it is _______________________. Such a runway lets a trolley
move down with a ______________ speed.

Relationship between acceleration and net force

 Pull the trolley down the runway with 1, 2, 3 and 4 elastic threads in turn. Keep
stretching the elastic threads to the same length all the way.
 Find the _________________ of the trolley from the vt graphs generated by the
data-logging program. Plot a graph of acceleration a against net force F (number of
____________________).

Relationship between mass and net force

 Pull the trolley again with a constant force using 2 elastic threads. Repeat by adding
1
1, 2 and 3 mass bars to the trolley. Plot a graph of a against where m is the total
m
mass of the trolley.
Result:
a a
Both graphs are ________________
passing through the ____________.
Therefore,
for constant m, a  _____
1
F 0
for constant F, a  _____ 0 m

New Senior Secondary Physics at Work (Second Edition) 27 Lesson Worksheets 2

 Oxford University Press 2015
1 Newton’s second law of motion states that:

The acceleration (a) of an object is directly proportional to, and in the

same ______________ as, the __________________ (F) acting on it, and
inversely proportional to the __________ (m) of the object.

By taking suitable units, the law can be written as:

F = ma

1 N = 1 kg  1 m s2 = 1 kg m s2

Checkpoint 4
A car accelerates towards the right at 4 m s2 with a driving force of 5000 N. The friction
acting on the car is 600 N. Find the mass of the car.

Solution
Draw the free-body diagram for the car.

Take the moving direction of the car as positive.

By F = ma,
____________ = ma

m=

 The mass of the car is ___________.

New Senior Secondary Physics at Work (Second Edition) 28 Lesson Worksheets 2

 Oxford University Press 2015
Checkpoint 5

P Q
A B C 30 N

Blocks A, B and C are placed on a rough horizontal surface and are connected by two
inextensible strings P and Q as shown. The masses of A, B and C are 2 kg, 3 kg and 5 kg
respectively. C is pulled by a 30-N horizontal force. The total friction acting on the blocks is
15 N.
(a) Find the acceleration of the blocks.
(b) The friction acting on A is 3 N.
(i) Find the tension in P.
(ii) If P breaks suddenly, how will A move?

Solution
Consider the horizontal direction. Take the direction to the right as positive.
(a) Consider A, B and C as one object.
N A, B and C
By F = ma,
a= 30 N
f
 The acceleration of the blocks is
__________________________. W

(b) (i) For A, by F = ma,

A

 The tension in P is ________.

(ii) After P breaks, the ______________ becomes the net force acting on A.
By F = ma,
a=
A will keep moving to the right with a deceleration of ________ and eventually
______________.

New Senior Secondary Physics at Work (Second Edition) 29 Lesson Worksheets 2

 Oxford University Press 2015
 3.4 Weight, friction and fluid resistance
A Weight
1 The weight of an object on the Earth is the _______________________ acting on the
object by the Earth.

2 When an object falls freely, only its ______________ acts on it. In this case, the object
has an acceleration of g. Applying F = ma,

W=

3 On the Earth’s surface, g = _________ m s2  _________ m s2

4 The table below compares mass and weight.

Mass Weight

(a) measure of _____________ of object ______________________ acting on

object

(b) measured in ________ measured in ________

(c) value depends / does not depend on value depends / does not depend on
location location

Checkpoint 6
The acceleration due to gravity on the Earth and on Mercury are 9.81 m s2 and
3.72 m s2 respectively. If an object weighs 60 N on the Earth, what is its mass and its
weight on Mercury?

Solution
Apply W = mg.
WE
Mass of the object = =
gE

Weight on Mercury = mgM =

New Senior Secondary Physics at Work (Second Edition) 30 Lesson Worksheets 2

 Oxford University Press 2015
B Measuring weight and feeling weight
1 A ______________________ or a weighing scale can be used to measure weight.
spring balance weighing scale

weight W

upward force F
by the spring
balance
normal force N

weight W

The reading of the spring The reading of the weighing

balance gives the size of F. scale gives the size of N.

* In some special cases, W  F or W  N, so the readings are not equal to the weight.
2 Consider a passenger standing on a weighing scale in a lift.

(a) When the acceleration of the lift is not zero, according to F = ma,
the _______________ acting on the passenger is not zero. As a result,
reading (i.e. normal force N)  W.

Acceleration a Net force F Reading N

(upward as +) (upward as +) and weight W

W 0 0 NW

=0
N
0

(b) The normal force N also gives the passenger the feeling of his own weight.

New Senior Secondary Physics at Work (Second Edition) 31 Lesson Worksheets 2

 Oxford University Press 2015
Checkpoint 7
A lift moves as follows:
(a) Starts moving upwards from rest.
(b) Moves upwards at constant speed.
(c) Decelerates to a stop.
(d) Falls freely as the lift cables break.
How would a person in the lift feel his weight change?
Solution
Take the upward direction as positive.
(a) a  0  N _____ W
 The person feels a ____________ in weight.
(b) a _______  N _____ W
 The person feels ______________________.
(c) a _______  N _____ W
 The person feels ______________________.
(d) N  W = mg
N = W  mg
= ______
 The person feels weightless.

Checkpoint 8
A spring balance is fixed at the roof of a lift. It hangs a mass of
10 kg. The lift moves downwards and decelerates uniformly
from 12 m s1 to rest in 10 s. Find the reading of the spring
balance during this period of time.

Solution
Take the downward direction as positive.
vu
Acceleration a = =
t upward force R
by the spring
By F = ma,
balance

weight W

 The reading is ____________.

New Senior Secondary Physics at Work (Second Edition) 32 Lesson Worksheets 2

 Oxford University Press 2015
C Friction
1 Consider a horizontal force F which acts on a block resting on a rough horizontal
surface.

F
friction f

(a) If F is not large enough, the block will still be at rest and f ______ F.

(b) If F is large enough, the block will start to move. When the block moves, f has a

______________ value no matter what the speed of the block is.

Checkpoint 9
block

20 N

rough horizontal surface

A 2-kg block is resting on a rough horizontal surface. It is then pulled by a horizontal force
of 20 N and accelerates at 4 m s2 towards the right.
(a) Find the friction f acting on the block by the horizontal surface.
(b) The horizontal force is then decreased to 10 N. The block decelerates until it stops.
(i) Find f as the block decelerates.
(ii) Hence find the deceleration of the block.
(iii) Find f when the block remains stationary.
(c) Now, the horizontal force disappears. What is the size of f?

Solution
Consider the horizontal direction. Take the direction to the right as positive.
(a) By F = ma, block

20 N
friction f

 f is __________ (towards the _________).

(b) (i) f is ______________________________.
(ii) By F = ma,

 The deceleration is __________.

(iii) f is ______________________________.
(c) f is ______________________________.
New Senior Secondary Physics at Work (Second Edition) 33 Lesson Worksheets 2
 Oxford University Press 2015
D Fluid resistance
1 An object experiences ______________________ when it moves through fluids
(gases or ____________).
2 Speed of object   fluid resistance _____
Speed of object = 0  fluid resistance = 0
3 Consider the motion of a skydiver.
 & & W = weight of skydiver
v = speed of skydiver
f = air resistance acting on
skydiver
F = net force acting on skydiver
( taken as positive)
a = acceleration of the skydiver
( taken as positive)

 The skydiver jumps out of an aircraft.

 As the skydiver falls, v  and so f _____. As a result, F _____ and a _____.
 When f increases to a value equal to W, F = _____ and a = _____. The skydiver
falls with a constant speed called _____________________.
 As the skydiver opens his parachute, f  significantly. As a result, F  and a .
 The speed is greatly reduced before landing.

F
W v f F (= W  f) a (= )
m
 constant 0 0 W g
 constant  from 0  from 0  from W  from g
constant

(= terminal speed)
   ( W), then  0
The vt and at graphs of the skydiver are as follows:
v a

terminal   
speed 

 0 t


 t 
0

New Senior Secondary Physics at Work (Second Edition) 34 Lesson Worksheets 2

 Oxford University Press 2015
 3.5 Action and reaction: Newton’s third law
1 Newton’s third law of motion states that:

To every action, there is an ____________ and ____________ reaction.

The action and reaction forces act on different interacting objects
simultaneously.

2 The action-and-reaction pair should

(a) act on ______________ objects that interact with each other,
(b) have an ____________ magnitude at all times, and
(c) act in ____________ directions.

Checkpoint 10
A man is standing on a ball.

(i) weight of the man

(ii)
(i) (ii) normal force acting on the
man by the ball
(iii) normal force acting on the
(iii)
ball by the man
ball

(a) Identify the action-and-reaction pair among the given forces.

(b) For the given force not mentioned in (a), state the reaction force which pairs with it.
Solution
(a)

(b)

New Senior Secondary Physics at Work (Second Edition) 35 Lesson Worksheets 2

 Oxford University Press 2015
Checkpoint 11
The following fan carts are initially at rest. Explain what happens to each cart when its fan
is switched on. Assume the friction acting on each cart is negligible.
(a) (b)

Solution
(a)
force on the force on air
fan by air F by the fan F

The fan exerts a force F on _______.

 The _______ exerts an equal and opposite force F on the fan (Newton’s third law).
 The cart moves towards the direction of force _____.
(b)

F F
force on the
sail by air F

force on air
by the sail F

Most of the air pushed by the fan is blocked by the sail

 F = _____
By Newton’s third law of motion,
F = _____ and F = _____
Net force acting on the cart = F  F =
 The cart _____________________________________________________.
New Senior Secondary Physics at Work (Second Edition) 36 Lesson Worksheets 2
 Oxford University Press 2015
Checkpoint 12

X
30 N rough horizontal
Y
surface

Blocks X and Y are placed on a rough horizontal surface. The masses of X and Y are 2 kg
and 10 kg respectively. When block Y is pulled by a 30-N force, both blocks accelerate at 2
m s2. Find the friction acting on Y by (a) the horizontal surface, (b) X.
Solution
Consider the horizontal direction.
Take the direction to the right as positive.
(a) Consider X and Y as one object.

X and Y 30 N

f1

By F = ma,

 The friction acting on Y by the horizontal surface is _________ (towards the left).
(b) The friction acting on Y by X and the friction acting on X by Y form an
action-and-reaction pair.

X
f2

f2
Y 30 N
f1

For X, by F = ma,

 The friction acting on Y by X is _________ (towards the left).

New Senior Secondary Physics at Work (Second Edition) 37 Lesson Worksheets 2

 Oxford University Press 2015