Forces on Earth:

Demonstrate an Understanding of
Mechanics
Grade 10 Science
Speed
• Speed – the distance an object travels per
unit of time
• Speed – a change in distance over time also
called a rate
• Rate – any change over time
• Speed = distance / time
Types of Speed
Speed that doesn’t change over time is
called constant speed
Speed is usually not constant in our
day-to-day lives most objects have a
changing speed because of other forces
acting on them
Average speed = total distance / total
time (computed)
Instantaneous speed – speed at a
given point in time (measured)
Speed vs. Velocity
What is the difference between speed and
velocity?
Velocity is speed with direction.

Δ means “change” so Δv is change in velocity.

Change in velocity = final velocity (vf or v2) – initial
velocity(vi or vo)
How To Do Physics Problems
• “What do I have; what do I want?”
• List the knowns and unknowns
• Write down the equation(s).
• Solve for the unknown
• Show your work.
• Indicate your answer.
• In order for any number to have meaning, it
must have the correct UNITS!
A Physics Problem
If you travel 165 km in 3.0 hours, what is your
average speed?
d=165 km
t=3.0 h
s=?
Another Problem
• A jet travels in a straight line for 1532 km
in 2.0 h. What is the velocity of the jet?
• d=1532km
• t=2.0h
• v=?
Acceleration
Changing Velocity
Acceleration
When an object changes speed or direction,
it is acceleration – this is an important
point!
Why is going around a curve at the same
speed acceleration?
Calculating Acceleration
• Acceleration = change in velocity /time

⬧ Δ means “change” so Δv is change in velocity.

⬧ Change in velocity = final velocity (vf or v2) – initial
velocity(vi or vo)
Acceleration
• Do the math – units of acceleration are in
meters per second per second or meters per
second squared – m/s2 or ms-2
An Acceleration Problem
What is the acceleration of a car that goes
from rest to 9.3 m/s in 9.0 s?
● Vi=0 m/s
● Vf=9.3 m/s
● t1=0 s
● t2=9.0 s
Homework
• Do Problems 1 - 5 in “Twenty-five
Problems About Forces on Earth”
• Do this assignment in your notebook.
FORCE
• What is a FORCE?
• Force—a push or pull, measured in Newtons
• Example:
• Friction—oppositional force when two objects rub
against each other.
• A Force is needed to keep an object in motion only
when friction is present.
Newton’s First Law
• “An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an
object in motion tends to stay in motion
unless acted on by an outside force.”
• If an object is sitting still it isn’t going to move
until something causes it to move.
• If an object is in motion without a force acting
on it it will keep moving until something
causes it to slow down or speed up.
• Inertia—a resistance to change in the state
of motion.
• Mass is a measure of inertia.
Mass, Volume and Weight
• Mass is the amount of matter in an object,
measured in grams (mg, g, kg are common)
• Volume is the amount of space an object occupies
measured in litres or cubic metres. (mL, L, cm3,
m3 are common)
• Weight is an object’s gravitational attraction to the
earth. Weight is a force, mass is not a force.
However, you measure your weight in units of kg!
• Mass and weight are independent of volume.
• Mass is directly proportional to weight. In any
given location, the greater the mass the greater the
weight.
Force
• Net Force (Fnet)—combination of all of the
forces that act together on an object.

•If all of the forces ‘cancel’ then Fnet= 0N

Free Body Diagram: Free Fall
and Terminal Velocity
Force
• Forces are vector quantities!

10 N
10 N 10 N

10 N
5N
5N

Fnet=15 N Fnet= 5 N Fnet =0 N

Acceleration
• A change in motion is called . . .
• Acceleration!
• Acceleration is the change in velocity in a
certain period of time.
• a=∆v/∆t
• What causes acceleration?
• Net Force!
Proportionality
• Acceleration is directly proportional to the net
force.
• Triple the net force, triple the acceleration;
• Reduce the net force by half, the acceleration is reduced
by half.
• For a constant net force, acceleration is inversely
proportional to mass.
• Triple the mass, the acceleration drops by 1/3;
• Half the mass, double the acceleration.
• Objects with a greater mass are harder to accelerate
using the same force.
10kg 20kg
• The acceleration produced by a net force on a
body is directly proportional to the magnitude of
the net force, in the same direction as the net
force, and inversely proportional to the mass of
the body.
• With consistent units:
a=Fnet/m
F is measured in Newtons
m is measured in kg
a is measured in m s-2
Fnet=ma 1N = (1kg)(1 m s-2)
How much thrust must a 30000 kg jet develop
to achieve an acceleration of 1.5 m s-2?
m = 30000 kg a=Fnet/m ∴ Fnet = ma
a = 1.5 m s-2 F = (30000 kg)(1.5 m s-2)
F=? F = 45 000 kg m s-2
F = 45000 N
If a 35.0 N force is accelerating an object at 10.0
m/s2, what is the mass of the object?

F = 35.0 N Fnet = ma ∴ m = Fnet/a

a = 10.0 m s-2 m = (35.0 N)/(10.0 m s-2)
m=? m = 3.50 kg
Fnet = ma
Fg = mg
What is Fg?
Force due to gravity--weight!
Remember, when finding acceleration, use
Fnet!
 Freefall

• Only the force due to gravity affects the

falling object.
• All objects near earth’s surface accelerate
downward at 9.8 m s-2
• For freefall, the letter ‘g’ is used to mean the
acceleration due to gravity. ‘g’ is simply a special
case of ‘a.’
• Ignores air resistance
• ALL objects accelerate at the same rate,
vf=gt
Why do different masses fall at the
same rate?

During free fall, Fnet=Fg

A Free Fall Equation

During free fall, the acceleration is

due to gravity, so ‘a’ is ‘g,’ 9.8 m/s2.
A Free Fall Equation

If an object is dropped from rest, then

vi = 0, and the equation becomes . . .
A Free Fall Problem
A baby blue jay sits in a tall tree awaiting the
arrival of its dinner. As the mother lands on
the nest, she drops a worm toward the hungry
chick’s mouth, but the worm misses and falls
from the nest to the ground in 1.50 s. How
high up is the nest? v = 0 m/s
i
t = 1.50 s
g = 9.8 m/s2
d=?
Solution
vi = 0 m/s
t = 1.50 s
g = 9.8 m/s2
d=?
Newton’s Third Law
• For every action force, there is an equal and
opposite reaction force.
• Action: Force on A by B
• Reaction: Force on B by A
• Cannot act on the same object—ever!
 rd
Newton’s 3 Law
Homework
• Do Problems 6 - 14 in “Twenty-five
Problems About Forces on Earth
• Do these problems in your workbook.
 Vectors

Grade 10 Science
Vector Addition
An airplane flies eastward with a ground speed of 200 km/h.
There is a northerly wind blowing at 60 km/h.

m /h
k
60.0 km/h ???

200.0 km/h

What is the resultant speed of the plane?

The Pythagorian Theorum
• a2+b2=c2
b

a a2+b2=c2
c
c= sqrt (a2+b2)
c= sqrt ((60.0km/h)2+(200.0 km/h)2)
c= sqrt (3600 km2/h2+40000 km2/h2)
c= sqrt (43600 km2/h2)
c=209 km/h
 Now let’s do
Vy V some vector
problems using .
..

Vx
Horizontal and vertical components
 Trigonmetry!

sin θ=o/h
cos θ = a/h
V(h) tan θ = o/a

Vy(o)
θ

Vx(a)
SOHCAHTOA!
 Problem—You do!
• A person is mowing the lawn. They push on
the mower with 37.0 N of force (FA) at an
angle of 47o from the ground. The mower
moves across the lawn at a constant velocity.
What is the friction force (Ff) between the
mower and the ground?
Homework
• Do problems 15—17 on the 25 Problems
About Forces on Earth document.
• Complete the Energy and Momentum vocab
on pages 194-195
The Conservation of
Energy
Grade 10 Science
 Gravitational Potential Energy
• Gravitational Potential Energy (PE or Ep) near
the surface of the Earth:
● Work = Force × Distance
●
m
● Δh ΔW=Ep = mg × Δh=Δmgh

Shot put to Desk

Work is Exchange of Energy
• Energy is the capacity to do work
• Two main categories of energy
• Kinetic Energy: Energy of motion
• A moving basketball can do work
• A falling brick can do work
• Potential Energy: Stored (latent) capacity to do work
• Gravitational potential energy (perched on cliff)
• Mechanical potential energy (like in compressed
spring)
• Chemical potential energy (stored in bonds)
• Nuclear potential energy (in nuclear bonds)
• Energy can be converted between types
Conversion of Energy
• Falling object converts gravitational potential energy into
kinetic energy
• Friction converts kinetic energy into vibrational (thermal)
energy
• makes things hot (rub your hands together)
• irretrievable energy
• Doing work on something changes that object’s energy by
amount of work done, transferring energy from the agent
doing the work
Energy is Conserved!
• The total energy (in all forms) in a “closed” system
remains constant
• This is one of nature’s “conservation laws”
• Conservation applies to:
• Matter (mass)
• Energy (includes mass via E = mc2)
• Momentum
• Angular Momentum
• Electric Charge
 Energy Conservation
Demonstrated

• Roller coaster car lifted to initial height (energy in)

• Converts gravitational potential energy to kinetic energy
• Fastest at bottom of track (greatest Ek)
• Re-converts kinetic energy back into potential as it climbs the
next hill
Kinetic Energy
• The kinetic energy for a mass in motion is

Example: 1 kg at 10 m/s has 50 J of kinetic energy

• Ball dropped from rest at a height h (Ep= mgh) hits the
ground with speed v. Expect ½mv2 = mgh
• Ball has converted its available gravitational potential
energy into kinetic energy: the energy of motion

49
 Kinetic Energy, cont.
• Kinetic energy is proportional to v2…
• Watch out for fast things!
• Damage to car in collision is proportional to v2
• Trauma to head from falling brick is
proportional to v2, or to mgh (how high it
started from)
• Hurricane with 200 km h-1 packs four times the
punch of gale with 100 km h-1 winds
• The faster you go . . .
 Conservation of Energy Equation

If an object is dropped from rest (v1=0)

and lands on the ground (h2=0) then . . .
Problem
• Billy Joe McAllister stands on the road bed of the Tallahatchie Bridge, peering
down into the turbulent waters below. He drops a rock of mass 0.75 kg from a
height of 25 m above the quickly flowing current. How fast is the rock going
when it hits the water?

m = 0.75 kg
h = 25 m
g = 9.8 m/s2
v1 = 0 m/s
v2 = ?
 Billy Joe McAllister stands on the road bed of the Tallahatchie Bridge, peering
down into the turbulent waters below. He drops a rock of mass 0.75 kg from a
height of 25 m above the quickly flowing current. How fast is the rock going when
it hits the water?

m = 0.75 kg
h = 25 m
g = 9.8 m/s2
v1 = 0 m/s
v2 = ?
Homework
• Do problems 18—21 on the 25 Problems
About Forces on Earth document.
• Complete pages 196 - 208
Momentum
Grade 10 Science
Momentum

• The truck and the skateboard have

the same velocity. Which has
more mass, the skateboard or the
truck?
• The truck!
• Which has more momentum, the
skateboard or the truck?
• The truck!
• What is the law of inertia as it
applies to momentum?
“An object in motion tends to stay
in motion unless acted on by an
outside force.
• Momentum is inertia in motion.
 Momentum Equation
• Momentum (p) is the product of an object's mass and velocity:
• p=mv
• Will the truck always have more momentum than the
skateboard?
• NO! If the truck is at rest its momentum is zero. If the
skateboard is in motion it will have momentum.

• Could the truck and the skateboard have the same momentum?
• A SLOW moving truck and a FAST moving skateboard could
have the same momentum:

mv=mv
 Impulse

• Cargo ships and oil-laden super tankers use

momentum to coast into port. At about 25 km
out they shut down and it takes about 25 km
worth of water resistance to bring them to a
halt. Why would they use this method?
• They conserve energy (fuel).

• The longer you put a force on an object, the

more its momentum changes. This product of
applied force and time interval is called . . .
• impulse.
Impulse
The Conservation of
Momentum
To accelerate an object you put a force on
the object.
• To change the momentum of an object you
must put an impulse on the object.
• When a physical quantity of a system does
not change, we say it is conserved.
• • The conservation of matter
• • The conservation of energy
• • The conservation of momentum
Race Car Collision
Conservation of Momentum

• m1v1 = m2v2 (elastic collision)

• m1v1 + m2v2= m1,2v1,2 (inelastic collision)
• If you double the mass of a system that has a
given momentum, what happens to the
velocity?

• Velocity is reduced to 1/2.

• MOMENTUM IS CONSERVED!
Homework
• Do problems 22—25 on the 25 Problems
About Forces on Earth document.
• Complete the Energy and Momentum vocab
on pages 208 – 221