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Gce O Level Physics Matter: Oscillation
Gce O Level Physics Matter: Oscillation
Chapter1
Prefix: kilo- 103, deci- 10-1, centi- 10-2, milli- 10-3 etc.
Place your eye directly above the markings to avoid PARALLAX ERRORS.
Precision of metre rule is 0.1cm or 1mm.
Precision of vernier calipers is 0.01cm. (refer pg 10)
Precision of micrometer screw gauge is 0.01mm. (refer pg 11)
Each complete to-and-fro motion is one oscillation. The period of the simple
pendulum is the time taken for one complete oscillation.
Most stopwatches can measure time to a precision of 0.1s. Digital stopwatches
usually show readings up to two dp.
Chapter2
The distance moved per unit time is known as speed. (Speed=distance
moved/time taken)
V=d/t where v= speed (m/s); d=distance moved (m) t=time taken (s)
Average speed=total distance travelled/total time taken
Velocity is the change in distance in a specified direction per unit time.
Distance in a specified direction is known as displacement. Velocity can also
be defined ad the change in displacement per unit time.
Acceleration=change in velocity / time taken
a=△v / △t OR a = v-u / △t
Acceleration due to free fall (due to gravity) does not depend on the material,
size or shape. It is a constant, and is given a special symbol g.
Gradient of distance-time graph is SPEED.
Gradient of speed-time graph is ACCELERATION.
Area under speed-time graph gives DISTANCE MOVED.
** For an object with zero acceleration, the different forces acting on it are
balanced or add up to zero- i.e. the resultant or net force is zero.
If the resultant force acting on an object is not zero, we say the forces are
unbalanced.
The SI unit of force is Newton N. One Newton (1N) is defined as the force that will
produce an acceleration of 1ms-2 on a mass of 1kg.
How does friction affect motion + effects of friction (pg59, 60, 61, 62 free body
diagram)
**Friction always opposes motion between two surfaces in contact.
02
Chapter 4
Mass is a measure of the amount of matter or substance in a body.
Mass cannot be changed by its location, shape and speed. (Kg)
Usually measured by a beam balance or calibrated electronic balance.
Weight is a force and has direction. The direction is downwards (towards the
center of the earth).
The force is also called gravitational force which is measured in newton (N).
Usually measured by a spring balance or compression balance.
The region surrounding the Earth where gravity is experienced is called the
gravitational field.
Gravitational field strength, g is defined as the gravitational force acting per
unit mass on an object.
W=mg where W=weight (N)
m=mass of object (Kg)
g=gravitational field strength (N/kg)
Inertia of an object refers to the reluctance of the object to change its state of
test or motion.
The inertia of an object depends on its mass. An object with more mass has
greater inertia
The density of a substance is defined as its mass per unit volume (kg m-3).
Pure substances are fixed properties — fixed density.
ρ=m/v where ρ = density
m= mass of object (kg)
v = volume of object (m3)
Example in pg76
1 g cm-3 = 1000 kg m-3 (working in pg79)
Chapter 5
The moment of a force (or torque) is the PRODUCT of the force and the
perpendicular distance from the pivot to the line of action of the force.
SI unit of the moment of a force is newton metre (Nm)
Moment of force= F × d where F = force (N)
d = perpendicular distance from pivot (m)
The moment of a force is a vector. It has both a magnitude and direction. Thus, to
completely describe the moment of a force, we need to state its:
1. magnitude in Nm
2. direction as clockwise or anticlockwise.
Center of gravity of an object is defined as the point through which its whole
weight appears to act for any orientation of the object. (depends on distribution of
its mass, refer pg 91)
Stability refers to the ability of an object to return to its original position after it
has been tilted slightly.
03
Three cases of equilibrium (pg94):
Conclusion:
To increase the stability of an object, we should ensure that:
1. its centre of gravity is as low as possible.
2. the area of its base is as wide as possible.
Chapter 6
Energy is the capacity to do work. SI unit: joule (J)
The most obvious form of energy is in movement——moving objects have kinetic
energy.
Energy that is stored is known as potential energy. Potential energy can be
converted to kinetic energy and vice versa.
Potential energy exists in many forms such as chemical potential, elastic potential
and gravitational potential energy which required a reference point. (Important:
pg104)
04
Work done by a constant force on an object is given by the PRODUCT of the
force and distance moved by the object in the direction of the force.
W=F×s where W= work done by a constant force F (J)
F = constant force (N)
S = distance moved by the object in the direction of the force (m)
One joule is defined as: the work done by a force of one newton which moves an
object through a distance of one metre in the direction of the force. (1 J = 1 Nm)
When a body of mass m moves at a speed v, its kinetic energy is defined as:
E k= ½ mv2 where E k= kinetic energy (J)
m= mass of the body (Kg)
v = speed of the body (m/s)
G.P.E. of a body near the surface of the Earth is defined as the product of its
weight mg and its height h above the ground.
Ep = mgh Where Ep = gravitational potential energy (J)
m = mass (Kg)
g = gravitational field strength ( N/kg)
h = height (m)
** One watt is defined as the rate of work done or energy conversion of one joule
per second.
Chapter 7
Pressure is defined as the force acting per unit area.
Pressure = force/area → P= F/A
SI: Newton per square metre ( N m-2 ) or Pascal (Pa)
Eg pls refer to pg 124, 125
05
The pressure exerted by a layer of air on the Earth’s surface is known as the
atmospheric pressure.
One atmosphere is 1.013 x 105 Pa (760 mm Hg)
Daily application for atmospheric pressure: drinking with a straw, syringe, suction
caps etc (pg 134)
Barometer is an instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure. (Important:
pg 135)
Manometer is an instrument used to measure gas pressure. (pg 137)
Chapter 8
Temperature refers to how hot or cold an object is.
Heat is the amount of thermal energy that is being transferred from a hotter to a
colder region.
Thermometer makes used of certain substances such as mercury to measure
temperature.
Substances that have physical properties that vary continuously with the
temperature are known as thermometric substances.
Physical properties that change with the temperature:
(a) volume of a fixed mass of liquid, eg: mercury-in-glass / alcohol-in-glass
thermometer
(b)electrical voltage or electromotive force (e.m.f.), eg: thermocouple
(c) electrical resistance of a piece of metal, eg: resistance thermometer
(d)pressure of a fixed mass of gas at constant volume, eg: constant-volume gas
thermometer
Features of good thermometer:
(a) an easy-to-read scale
(b)safe to use
(c) responsive to temperature changes
(d)sensitive to small temperature changes
(e) able to measure a wide range of temperatures
Constructing a temperature scale: (1) choose an appropriate substance, eg a
column of mercury
(2) choose two fixed points of hotness and coldness,
0oC & 100oC
(3) set up the scale, eg divide the column into 100
equal parts
The Centigrade scale is based on simple experimental procedures that determine
2 FIXED POINTS, called the ice point and steam point.
Ice point is the temperature of a pure melting ice at one atmospheric pressure.
Steam point is the temperature of steam from water boiling at one atmospheric
pressure.
Calibrating a thermometer, determining the ice point and steam point. (Important:
pg 146)
oC = - 0 x 100 (pg 147, 148)
100 - 0
The Kelvin scale (Optional) is based on the theory that there is a lowest possible
temperature that exists in the universe – the absolute zero. Hence, the Kelvin
scale is also called the Absolute scale.
SI unit for this scale is the kelvin (K).
** Celsius temperature/ oC = Kelvin temperature/ K – 273 (refer pg 149
figure 8.13)
A thermocouple consists of 2 types of wires made of different metals whereby the
ends of the wires are joined together to form two junctions. The temperature is
then calculated using the reading of the voltmeter. (pg 150-151)
where = electromotive force e.m.f. produced
= temperature difference between the reference
junction and the probe
06
Chapter 9 - 11
Chapter 12