Physics Chapter 2 Force and Motion

1. Linear Motion
a. Distance and Displacement
b. Speed and Velocity
c. Acceleration
2. Motion with Uniform Acceleration
3. Ticker Timer and Ticker Tape
a. Finding Velocity from Ticker Tape
b. Finding Acceleration from Ticker Tape
4. Graph of Motion
a. Displacement-Time Graph
b. Velocity-Time Graph
c. Graph of Free Falling Object
5. Mass and Inertia
a. Applications of Effect of Inertia
6. Momentum
a. Principle of Conservation of momentum
b. Elastic and Inelastic Collision
c. Application of Momentum
7. Effects of Force
8. Types of Forces and Newton’s Third Law of Motion
9. Impulse
10. Impulsive Force
11. Safety Features in Vehicles
12. Gravity
a. Free Falling
b. Lift
c. Pulley
13. Vector Quantities
a. Vector Addition
b. Vector Resolution
c. Inclined Plane
d. Forces in Equilibrium
14. Work
a. Work Done by/Against the Gravity
b. Finding Work Done from a Graph
15. Energy
a. Potential Energy
b. Kinetic Energy
c. Relationship between Energy and Work Done
16. Power
a. Efficiency
17. Elasticity
a. Hooke’s Law
b. Spring

Linear Motion
1. Kinematics is the research regarding the types of movement of an object without
referring to the forces that cause the movement of the object.
2. Movement along a straight line is called linear motion.
 3. Under the linear motion, we study the
a. distance and displacement
b. speed and velocity
c. acceleration and the relationship between them.

Distance and Displacement

Distance

Definition: The distance travelled by an object is the total length that is travelled by that
object.
SI unit: meter (m)
Quantity: Scalar

Displacement
Definition: Displacement of an object from a point of reference, O is the shortest
distance of the object from point O in a specific direction.
SI unit: meter (m)
Quantity: Vector

Example:

1. The distance of point B from the origin O is 100m.

2. The distance of point A from the origin O is also 100m.
3. The displacement of point B from the origin O is +100m.
4. The distance of point A from the origin O is -100m.
5. The + and – sign shows the direction of the displacement.
Example:

1. Adli goes to work by motorcycle every day as shown in the diagram above.
2. The distance that Adli travels from his house to the factory is 200m.
3. The displacement of Adli from his house after arriving at the factory is 120m.

Speed and Velocity

Speed
 1. Speed is defined as the rate of change in distance. It is a measure of how fast
the distance change in a movement.
2. Speed is a scalar quantity.
3. The SI unit of speed is m/s (metre per second)

Equation of Speed

Velocity
1. Velocity is define as the rate of displacement change. It is the measure of how
fast the displacement change of a moving object.
2. Velocity is a vector quantity.
3. The unit of velocity is m/s (metre per second)

Equation of velocity

Positive or Negative Sign of Velocity

1. In velocity, the positive/negative sign indicates direction.
2. You can take any direction as positive and the opposite as negative.
3. For a linear motion, normally we take the motion to the right as positive and hence
the motion to the left as negative.
Acceleration

1. Acceleration is defined as the rate of velocity change. It is a measure of how

fast the velocity change.
2. Acceleration is a vector quantity.
3. The unit of acceleration is ms-2.
4. An object moving with a velocity that is decreasing is said to be
experiencing deceleration.
Equation

Example:
A car travels from a stationary position and reaches a velocity of 36 ms-1 in 8 seconds.
What is the acceleration of the car?
Answer:
Initial velocity, u = 0
Final velocity, v = 36 ms-1
Time taken, t = 8s
Acceleration, a = ?

Positive and Negative Sign of Acceleration

1. Acceleration is a vector quantity, its sign (positive or negative) is determined by

a. its direction
b. rate of change of the speed
2. If the speed of an object is increasing, the rate of change of the speed is positive,
and if the speed of an object is decreasing, the rate of change of the speed is
negative.
3. The table below shows the positive/negative sign of acceleration related to the
direction and rate of change of speed.

a. When both the direction and change of speed are positive, the
acceleration is positive.
b. When the direction is positive and the change of speed is negative
(speed decrease), then the acceleration is negative. This is equivalent to
deceleration.
 c. When the direction is negative and the change of speed is positive
(speed increase), then the acceleration is also negative. Since the
speed increase, hence this is not deceleration.
d. When both the direction and change of speed are negative, the
acceleration is positive.

Additional Notes

1. An object that experiences changes in velocity is said to have acceleration.

2. Changes of velocity can be
a. change of speed
b. change of direction
3. An object travelling with a constant acceleration, a, if the velocity changes at
a constant rate.

Motion with Uniform Acceleration

Equation of Uniform Acceleration
Most of the motion problems can be solved by the following equations. Therefore, make
sure that you memorise all of them.
How we know when to use the equation?

1. There are 3 types of motion:

a. motion with uniform velocity
b. motion with uniform acceleration
c. motion with changing acceleration
2. The 4 equations are used when the motion is uniform acceleration.
3. Motion with changing acceleration is not in SPM Physics syllabus. It will be
discussed in Form 5 add maths.
Example 1:
An object accelerates from stationary with the acceleration of 4 ms-2. What is the velocity of
the object after 7s?
Answer:
It’s advisable to list down all the information that we have.

Initial velocity, u = 0 (Because the motion start from stationary)

Acceleration, a = 4 ms-2
Time taken, t = 7s
Final velocity, v = ?
The displacement, s, is not involved, hence we select the equation (v = u + at) to solve the
problem.
Example 2
A car is moving with velocity 5ms-1 reaches a velocity of 25ms-1 in 5s. What is the
acceleration of the car?
Answer:
It’s advisable to list down all the information that we have.

Initial velocity, u = 5ms-1

Final velocity, v = 25ms-1
Time taken, t = 5s
Acceleration, a = ?
The displacement, s, is not involved, hence we select the equation (v = u + at) to solve the
problem.

Example 3
A cyclist riding at a speed of 40 ms-1 braked with uniform acceleration and stopped in 40m. How
long did he take to stop?
Answer:
It’s advisable to list down all the information that we have.

Initial velocity, u = 40 ms-1

Final velocity, v = 0 (Because the cyclist stop)
Displacement, s = 40m
Time taken, t = ?
The acceleration, a, is not involved, hence we select the equation to solve the problem.
Example 4
A car is accelerated at 4 ms-2 from an initial velocity of 5 ms-1 for 10 seconds. What is the
distance traveled by the car?
Answer:
It’s advisable to list down all the information that we have.

Acceleration, a = 4 ms-2
Initial velocity, u = 5
Time taken, t = 10s
Displacement, s = ?
The final velocity, v, is not involved, hence we select the equation to solve the problem.

Example 5
A car accelerates from 4 ms-1 reaches a velocity of 28 ms-1 after traveling for 64m. What is
the deceleration of the car?
Answer:
It’s advisable to list down all the information that we have.

Initial velocity, u = 4 ms-1

Final velocity, v = 28 ms-1
Displacement, s = 64m
Acceleration, a = ?
The time taken, t, is not involved, hence we select the equation to solve the problem.

Example 6
A car begins to move from rest. The velocity of the car increases at a rate of 4 ms -2. Find
the distance traveled by the car after 12 second.
Answer:
It’s advisable to list down all the information that we have.

Initial velocity, u = 0 (Because the begins to move from rest)

Acceleration, a = 4 ms-2 (Rate of increment = Acceleration)
Time taken, t = 12s
Displacement, s = ?
The final velocity, v, is not involved, hence we select the equation to solve the problem.

Example 7
A body is accelerated uniformly from rest and in the first 6.0 s of its motion it travels 30 m.
Find

1. the average speed for this period of 6 s,

2. the speed at the end of this period,
3. the acceleration.
Answer:
It’s advisable to list down all the information that we have.

Initial velocity, u = 0 (Because the motion start from rest)

Time taken, t = 6.0s
Displacement, s = 30m
Final velocity, v = ?
Acceleration, a = ?

i. Average Speed = Toral Distance Travelled

Total Time Taken Average Speed = 30/6 =5.0ms−1

ii. The acceleration, a, is not involved, hence we select the equation

to solve the problem.

iii. The final velocity, v, is not involved, hence we select the equation

to solve the problem.

Challenging Question 1:
A car starts from rest and accelerates at a constant acceleration of 3 ms-2 for 10 seconds. The car
then travels at a constant velocity for 5 seconds. The brakes are then applied and the car stops in 5
seconds. What is the total distance travelled by car?
Answer:
It’s advisable to list down all the information that we have.

In this question, there are 3 stages of motion.

0s – 10s
Initial velocity, u = 0 (Because the car start from rest)
Acceleration, a = 3 ms-2
Time taken, t = 10s
Displacement, s = ?

10s – 15s
In this stage, the car moves with a constant velocity. The velocity is equal to the final velocity of
previous stage. We can use the equation (v = u + at) to determine the velocity.

15s – 20s
In this stage, the car undergoes deceleration.
Initial velocity, u = 30 ms-1
Final velocity, v = 0 (The car stop at the end)
Time taken, t = 5s
Displacement, s = ?
Ticker Tape Timer

1. A ticker-tape timer consists of an electrical vibrator which vibrates 50 times per

second.
2. This enables it to make 50 dots per second on a ticker-tape being pulled through
it.
3. The time interval between two adjacent dots on the ticker-tape is called one tick.
4. One tick is equal to 1/50 s or 0.02 s.

Example:
Find the number of ticks and the time interval between the first dot and the last dot on each
of the ticker tapes below. The frequency of the ticker timer is equal to 50Hz.
a.

b.

c.

Answer:
a. Number of ticks = 15, time interval = 15 x 0.02s = 0.3s

b. Number of ticks = 5, time interval = 5 x 0.02s = 0.1s

c. Number of ticks = 8, time interval = 8 x 0.02s = 0.16s

The distance between dots on a ticker tape

 1. The distance between two adjacent dots on a ticker-tape represents the
displacement of the object in a tick (0.02 s).
2. If the object moves quickly, the dots are far apart. If the object moves slowly, the
dots are close to each other.
3. The figure below shows the ticker-tapes produced by a fast and a slow-moving
object.

Ticker-tape charts

1. We can construct a ticker-tape chart by cutting the ticker-tape into length with an
equal number of dots on each length and sticking the length side by side on a
graph paper, in the same order that they were on the whole tape.
2. The diagram below shows an example of a ticker-tape chart. There are 10 ticks
on each length. This means that each length represents a time interval of 0.2s.
3. Ticker-tape charts are very useful in analyzing the motion of an object.

Analysing Ticker Tape

Uniform Velocity
The distance of the dots is equally distributed.
● All lengths of tape in the chart are of equal length.

● The object is moving at a uniform velocity.

Uniform Acceleration

The distance between the dots increases uniformly.

● The length of the strips of tape in the chart increase uniformly.

● The velocity of the object is increasing uniformly, i.e. the object is moving at a
constant acceleration.

Uniform Deceleration
The distance between the dots decreases uniformly.

● The length of the strips of tape in the chart decreases uniformly.

● The velocity of the object is decreasing uniformly, i.e. the object is decelerating
uniformly.
Finding Velocity from Ticker Tape
Finding Velocity
The velocity of motion can be determined by using ticker tape through the following
equation:

Caution!:
t is the time taken from the first dot to the last dot of the distance measured.
Example:

The diagram above shows a strip of ticker tape that was pulled through a ticker tape timer
that vibrated at 50 times a second. What is the
 a. time taken from the first dot to the last dot?
b. average velocity of the object that is represented by the ticker tape?
Answer:

a. There are 15 ticks from the first dot to the last dot, hence

Time taken = 15 × 0.02s = 0.3s

b. Distance travelled = 15cm

Finding Acceleration from Ticker Tape

Finding Acceleration
Acceleration of motion can be determined by using ticker tape through the following
equation:

Caution!:
t is the time taken from the initial velocity to the final velocity.

Example:

The ticker-tape in the figure above was produced by a toy car moving down a tilted
runway. If the ticker-tape timer produced 50 dots per second, find the acceleration of the
toy car.

Answer:
In order to find the acceleration, we need to determine the initial velocity, the final velocity
and the time taken for the velocity change.

Initial velocity,
u = s/t
u = 3cm/0.02s
u =150cms −1
Final velocity,
v = s/t
v = 0.5cm/0.02s
v =25cms−1

Time taken for the velocity change,

t = (0.5 + 4 + 0.5) ticks = 5 ticks
t = 5 × 0.02s = 0.1s

Acceleration,

Example:

A trolley is pushed up a slope. Diagram above shows ticker tape chart that show the
movement of the trolley. Every section of the tape contains 5 ticks. If the ticker-tape timer
produced 50 dots per second, determine the acceleration of the trolley.

Answer:
In order to find the acceleration, we need to determine the initial velocity, the final velocity
and the time taken for the velocity change.

Initial velocity,
u= s/t
= 5cm/0.1s
=50cms−1
Final velocity
v= s/t
= 1cm/0.1s
=10cms−1
Time taken for the velocity change,
t = (2.5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 2.5) ticks = 20 ticks
t = 20 × 0.02s = 0.4s

Acceleration,

Graph of Motion
1. There are 3 types of motion graph, namely
a. the displacement-time graph
b. the velocity-time graph
c. the acceleration-time graph.
2. When analysing a graph, it’s important for us to know what’s the physical quantity
that’s represented by the gradient of the graph and the area below the graph.
3. For example, in a displacement-time graph, the gradient represent the velocity of
the moving object, whereas in a velocity-time graph, the gradient represent the
acceleration of the moving object.
4. It’s also important for you to know how to find the gradient of a straight line from a
graph.
5. Sometime, you will be asked to convert a displacement-time graph to a velocity-
time graph or convert a velocity-time graph to an acceleration-time graph.

Displacement -Time Graph

Displacement – Time Graph

In a Displacement-Time Graph, the gradient of the graph is equal to the velocity of motion.
Analysing Displacement – Time Graph
1. When analysing the displacement-time graph, always remember that the gradient
of the graph represents the velocity of the graph.
2. Therefore, if the gradient of the graph is positive, the velocity is positive, and if the
gradient of the graph is negative, the velocity is negative.
3. A negative velocity indicates that the object moves in the opposite direction.
4. The table below shows the displacement-time graph of various motion.

Velocity = 0

This is a horizontal straight line, hence the gradient = 0.

Therefore, the velocity = gradient of the graph = 0, which means the object is stationary
(does not move).

Uniform Velocity
The graph is a non-horizontal straight line, hence the gradient is not equal to 0. For a
straight line, the gradient is constant,
hence, the velocity of the moving object is uniform.

Negative Uniform Velocity

The graph is a non-horizontal straight line, with a negative gradient. For the straight line,
the gradient must be constant. The negative value of gradient indicates that the object
moves in the opposite direction.
Therefore, this graph represents a motion with uniform velocity in opposite direction.

Increasing Velocity
The graph is a curve, shows that the gradient is not constant. The gradient increases over
time, indicates that the velocity increases over time.

Decreasing Velocity

The gradient decreases over time shows that the velocity of the moving object decreases
over time.

Velocity – Time Graph

Velocity – Time Graph

1. The gradient of the velocity-time gradient gives a value of the changing rate in
velocity, which is the acceleration of the object.
2. The area below the velocity-time graph gives a value of the object’s displacement.
Analysing Velocity-Time Graph
1. When analysing the velocity-time graph, always keep in mind that the gradient of
the graph is equal to the acceleration of the graph.
2. If the gradient is constant, then the acceleration is constant. If the gradient
increase, then the acceleration increase and etc.
3. The table below shows a few cases of velocity-time graph for different types of
motion.
Uniform velocity

Uniform acceleration

Increasing acceleration
Uniform deceleration

Decreasing acceleration

Converting a Velocity-Time graph to Acceleration-Time graph

1. In order to convert a velocity-time graph to acceleration time graph, we need to
find the gradient of the velocity-time graph and plot it in the acceleration-time
graph.

Graph of Free Falling

 1. Free falling is a motion under gravitational force as the only force acting on the moving
object.
2. The acceleration of a free falling object is always constant.
3. On the surface of the earth, the acceleration of is equal to 10ms-2, and is named as
gravitational acceleration.
4. In SPM, you need to know the graphs of free falling of the following movement
a. Launching object upward.
b. Dropping Object from High Place
c. Object Falling and Bounce Back

Launching Object Upward

1. When you launch an object upward, its velocity decreases at a constant rate, hence it’s a
straight line with negative gradient in a velocity-time graph.
2. Since the velocity decreases at a constant rate, hence the acceleration is constant. Also, the
acceleration is negative because the speed decreases in positive direction. Therefore, the
acceleration graph is a horizontal line in the negative domain.
Motion

Velocity-Time Graph

Acceleration-Time Graph

Dropping Object from a High Place

1. When an object drops from a high place, its velocity increases at a constant rate, hence it’s
a straight line with positive gradient in a velocity-time graph.
2. Since the velocity increases at a constant rate and the speed increases in positive
direction hence the acceleration is constant and positive.
Motion

Velocity-Time Graph
Acceleration-Time Graph

Mass and Inertia

Mass

1. Mass is defined as the amount of matter.

2. The SI unit of mass is kilogram (kg)
3. Mass is a scalar quantity.

Inertia

Inertia is the property of a body that tends to maintain its state of motion.
Newton’s First Law

In the absence of external forces, an object at rest remains at rest and an object in motion
continues in motion with a constant velocity (that is, with a constant speed in a straight
line).

Jerking a Card

When the cardboard is jerked quickly, the coin will fall into the glass.
Explanation:
● The inertia of the coin resists the change of its initial state, which is stationary.

● As a result, the coin does not move with the cardboard and falls into the glass
because of gravity.

Pulling a Book

When the book is pulled out, the books on top will fall downwards.
Explanation:
● Inertia tries to oppose the change to the stationary situation, that is, when the
book is pulled out, the books on top do not follow suit.
Pulling a Thread

1. Pull slowly – Thread A will snap.

Explanation:
● The tension of thread A is higher than string B.

● Tension at A = Weight of the load + Pulling Force

2. Yank quickly – Thread B will snap.

Explanation:

● The inertia of the load prevents the force from being transmitted to thread A,
hence causing thread B to snap.

Passengers in a Vehicle

Phenomenon 1

When a car stop, passengers in the car will be thrown forward.

Explanation
When a car stops, the effect of inertia causing the passengers’ body to maintain their
motion forward. As a result, the passengers are thrown forward.

Phenomenon 2

When a car accelerates, passengers in the car will be thrown backwards.

Explanation
When a car accelerates and moves faster, the body of the passenger tends to maintain its
state of motion due to the effect of inertia. As a result, the passenger is thrown backwards
as he moves slower than the car.

Larger Mass – Greater Inertia

A bucket filled with sand is more difficult to be moved. It’s also more difficult to be stopped
from swinging.

Explanation:
● Object with more mass offers greater resistance to change from its state of
motion.
● Object with larger mass has larger inertia to resist the attempt to change the state
of motion.

Empty Cart is Easier to be Moved

An empty cart is easier to be moved compare with a cart full with load. This is because a
cart with larger mass has larger inertia to resist the attempt to change the state of motion.
Car with Higher Load is More Difficult to be Controlled

A car loaded with more passengers is more difficult to be controlled.

Explanation:
This is because, with more passenger, the mass increases, and hence increase the effect
of inertia. This makes the car more difficult to change its speed, more difficult to stop, and
more difficult to change direction.

Applications of the Concept of Inertia

When the handle of the hammer hit on the surface, the handle stop but the head of the
hammer keep on moving downward, owing to the effect of inertia. As a result, hammer
head will fit tighter into the hammer.

Japanese sumo wrestlers normally have great body mass. This is because the greater
mass can increases the effect of inertia and hence more difficult to be moved by their
opponents.

When a prey trying to run off from its predator, it will run in zig zag rather than a straight
path.

Explanation:
A predator usually has greater mass and hence greater effect of inertia. It is more difficult
for the predator to change direction compare to the prey.
Animals shake their body to dry their fur.
We can spin an umbrella to remove water on the umbrella.

Explanation:
When the direction (of the fur/ umbrella) change, the water droplets keep on moving
forward due to the effect of inertia, and hence leave the fur of the animals/umbrella.
Ways to Reduce the Negative Effect of Inertia

The tank in a tanker lorry is divided into smaller tanks. This may reduce the motion of the
liquid inside the tank and hence reduces the effect of inertia.

Seat belt and Airbag

The passengers in a car will be thrown forward when the car stop suddenly due to the
effect of inertia. The seat belt and airbag can reduce the impulsive force acted on the body
of the passenger and hence prevent serious injury.

Momentum
Momentum

1. Momentum is defined as the product of mass and velocity.

2. Momentum is a vector quantity. It has both magnitude and direction.
3. The SI unit of momentum is kgms-1
Formula:

Example:
A student releases a ball with a mass of 2 kg from a height of 5 m from the ground. What
would be the momentum of the ball just before it hits the ground?

Answer:
In order to find the momentum, we need to know the mass and the velocity of the ball right
before it hits the ground.

It’s given that the mass, m = 2kg.

The velocity is not given directly. However, we can determine the velocity, v, by using the
linear equation of uniform acceleration.

This is a free falling motion,

The initial velocity, u = 0
The acceleration, a = gravirational acceleration, g = 10ms-2
The dispacement, s = high = 50m.
The final velocity = ?
From the equation
v2 = u2 + 2as
v2 = (0)2 + 2(10)(5)
v = 10ms-1
The momentum,
p = mv =(2)(10) = 20 kgms-1

Principle of Conservation of Momentum

Principle of Conservation of Momentum

The principle of conservation of momentum states that in a system make out of objects
that react (collide or explode), the total momentum is constant if no external force is acted
upon the system.

Sum of Momentum Before Reaction

= Sum of Momentum After Reaction

Example – Both Objects are in the Same Direction before Collision

A Car A of mass 600 kg moving at 40 ms-1 collides with a car B of mass 800 kg moving at
20 ms-1 in the same direction. If car B moves forwards at 30 ms-1 by the impact, what is the
velocity, v, of the car A immediately after the crash?
Answer:
m1 = 600kg
m2 = 800kg
u1 = 40 ms-1
u2 = 20 ms-1
v1 = ?
v2 = 30 ms-1
According to the principle of conservation of momentum,

m1u1 + m2u2 = m1v1 + m2v2

(600)(40) + (800)(20) = (600)v1 + (800)(30)
40000 = 600v1 + 24000
600v1 = 16000
v1 = 26.67 ms-1
Example – Both Object are in opposite direction Before Collision
A 0.50kg ball traveling at 6.0 ms-1 collides head-on with a 1.0 kg ball moving in the opposite
direction at a speed of 12.0 ms-1. The 0.50kg ball moves backward at 14.0 ms-1 after the
collision. Find the velocity of the second ball after collision.
Answer:
m1 = 0.5 kg
m2 = 1.0 kg
u1 = 6.0 ms-1
u2 = -12.0 ms-1
v1 = -14.0 ms-1
v2 = ?
(IMPORTANT: velocity is negative when the object move in opposite direction)

According to the principle of conservation of momentum,

m1u1 + m2u2 = m1v1 + m2v2

(0.5)(6) + (1.0)(-12) = (0.5)(-14) + (1.0)v2
-9 = – 7 + 1v2
v2 = -2 ms-1
Explosion

Before explosion both object After collision, both object

stick together and at rest. move at opposite direction.

Total Momentum before Total Momentum after

collision Is zero collision :

m1v1 + m2v2

From the law of conservation of momentum:

Total Momentum Before collision = Total Momentum after
collision

0 = m1v1 + m2v2
m1v1 = – m2v2
(-ve sign means opposite direction)

Example:
A man fires a rifle which has mass of 2.5 kg. If the mass of the bullet is 10 g and it reaches
a velocity of 250 m/s after shooting, what is the recoil velocity of the pistol?
Answer:
This is a typical question of explosion.

m1 = 2.5 kg
m2 = 0.01 kg
u1 = 0 ms-1
u2 = 0 ms-1
v1 = ?
v2 = 250 ms-1
By using the equation of conservation of momentum principle
0 = m1v1 + m2v2
0 = (2.5)v1 + (0.01)(250)
(2.5)v1 = -2.5v1 = -1 ms-1

Elastic and Inelastic Collision

Elastic Collision

Elastic collision is the collision where the kinetic energy is conserved after the collision.
Total Kinetic Energy before Collision
= Total Kinetic Energy after Collision

Additional notes:
● In an elastic collision, the 2 objects separated right after the collision, and

● the momentum is conserved after the collision.

● Total energy is conserved after the collision.
Inelastic Collision

Inelastic collision is the collision where the kinetic energy is not conserved after the
collision.
Additional notes:

● In a perfectly elastic collision, the 2 objects attach together after the collision,
and
● the momentum is also conserved after the collision.
● Total energy is conserved after the collision.

Example – Perfectly Inelastic Collision:

A lorry of mass 8000kg is moving with a velocity of 30 ms-1. The lorry is then accidentally
collides with a car of mass 1500kg moving in the same direction with a velocity of 20 ms-1.
After the collision, both the vehicles attach together and move with a speed of velocity v.
Find the value of v.
Answer:
(IMPORTANT: When 2 object attach together, they move with same speed.)
m1 = 8000kg
m2 = 1500kg
u1 = 30 ms-1
u2 = 20 ms-1
v1 = v
v2 = v
According to the principle of conservation of momentum,

m1u1 + m2u2 = m1v1 + m2v2

(8,000)(30) + (1,500)(20) = (8,000)v+ (1,500)v
270,000 = 9500v
v = 28.42 ms-1

Applications of Principle of Conservation of

Momentum
Rocket

1. Mixture of hydrogen and oxygen fuels burn in the combustion chamber.

2. Hot gases are expelled through the exhausts at very high speed .
3. The high-speed hot gas produce a high momentum backwards.
4. By conservation of momentum, an equal and opposite momentum is produced
and acted on the rocket, pushing the rocket upwards.
Jet Engine

1. Air is taken in from the front and is compressed by the compressor.

2. Fuel is injected and burnt with the compressed air in the combustion chamber.
3. The hot gas is forced through the engine to turn the turbine blade, which turns the
compressor.
4. High-speed hot gases are ejected from the back with high momentum.
5. This produces an equal and opposite momentum to push the jet plane forward.

Effects of Force
Force

1. A force is push or pull exerted on an object.

2. Force is a vector quantity that has magnitude and direction.
3. The unit of force is Newton ( or kgms-2).
Unbalanced Force/ Resultant Force

When the forces acting on an object are not balanced, there must be a net force acting on
it. The net force is known as the unbalanced force or the resultant force.

When a force acts on an object, the effect can change the

1. size,
2. shape,
3. stationary state,
4. speed and
5. direction of the object.

Newton’s Second Law

The rate of change of momentum of a body is directly proportional to the resultant force
acting on the body and is in the same direction.
Implication:

When there is the resultant force acting on an object, the object will accelerate (moving
faster, moving slower or change direction).

From Newton’s Second Law, we can derive the equation

(IMPORTANT: F Must be the net force)
Summary of Newton’s 1st Law and 2nd Law
Newton’s First Law:
When there is no net force acting on an object, the object is either stationary or move with
constant speed in a straight line.
Newton’s Second Law:
When there is a net force acting on an object, the object will accelerate.
Example:
A box of mass 150kg is placed on a horizontal floor with a smooth surface; find the
acceleration of the box when a 300N force is acting on the box horizontally.

Answer:
F = ma
(300) = (150)a
a = 2 ms-2

Example:
A object of mass 50kg is placed on a horizontal floor with a smooth surface. If the velocity
of the object changes from stationary to 25.0 m/s in 5 seconds when is acted by a force,
find the magnitude of the force that is acting?

Answer:
We know that we can find the magnitude of a force by using the formula F = ma. The mass
m is already given in the question, but the acceleration is not given directly.

We can determine the acceleration from the formula

From the formula

F = ma = (50)(5) = 250N
The force acting on the box is 250N.
Types of Forces and Newton’s Third Law of Motion
Types of Forces

Friction

1. Friction is the force that oppose motion.

2. There are 2 types of friction that you need to know in SPM:
a. Static friction – friction between 2 surfaces that are not moving relative to
each other
b. sliding friction – friction where an object slides or rubs against another
surface.
Tension

When a rope attached to an object is pulling on the object, the rope exerts a force T on the
object, and the magnitude T of that force is called the tension in the rope.

Weight (Gravitational Force)

1. Weight is the gravitational force acted on an object.

2. It is always point towards the centre of the earth.

Normal Reaction (Normal Contact Force)

Normal reaction is a force acting perpendicular to two surfaces in contact with each other.
Example

Newton’s Third Law of Motion

Newton’s third law of motion states that for every force, there is a reaction force with the
same magnitude but in the opposite direction.

Examples

1. When a man standing on the surface of the earth, his body is pulled by the
gravitational force from the earth.
2. According to Newton’s Third Law of Motion, his body will also have another
gravitational force that pull the earth towards him, with the same magnitude as the
gravitational force of the earth, but in opposite direction.

(The earth pull the man, the man pull the earth.)

(The man push the wall, the wall push the man.)

(The block press on the table, the table push the block upward.)
Impulse
Impulse

Impulse is defined as the product of the force (F) acting on an object and the time of action
(t).

1. Impulse is the product between the force, F with the time of impact, t.
2. Impulse is also defined as the change in momentum.
3. Impulse is a vector quantity.
4. An impulse will cause velocity change of an object.

Formula of impulse

Impulse is the product of force and time.

Impulse=F×t
Impulse = momentum change

Impulse=mv−mu

Example:
A billiard ball weighing 0.25 kg is in a stationary state on a smooth billiard table. The ball is
then given an impulse as much as 3.0Ns horizontally. What is the velocity of the ball after
impact?

Answer:
Mass of the billiard ball, m = 0.25kg
Initial velocity of the billiard ball, u = 0
Impulse = 3.0Ns
Final velocity, v = ?
Impulse = momentum change = mv – mu
(3.0) = (0.25)v – (0.25)(0)
3 = 0.25v
v = 3/0.25 = 12 m/s

Impulsive Force
Impulsive Force

1. Impulsive force is defined as the rate of change of momentum in a reaction.

Mathematically, we write F= mv−mu t
2. It is a force which acts on an object for a very short interval during a collision or
explosion.
Example:
A car of mass 1000kg is travelling with a velocity of 25 m/s. The car hits a street lamp and
is stopped in0.05 seconds. What is the impulsive force acting on the car during the crash?

Answer:
m = 1000kg
u = 24 m/s
v=0
t = 0.05s

Effects of impulse vs Force

1. A force determines the acceleration (rate of velocity change) of an object. A

greater force produces a higher acceleration.
2. An impulse determines the velocity change of an object. A greater impulse yields
a higher velocity change.

Examples Involving Impulsive Force

1. Playing football
2. Playing badminton
3. Playing tennis
4. Playing golf
5. Playing baseball

Long Jump

1. The long jump pit is filled with sand to increase the reaction time when athlete
land on it.
2. This is to reduce the impulsive force acts on the leg of the athlete because the
impulsive force is inversely proportional to the reaction time.

High Jump

(This image is licenced under the GNU Free Document Licence. The original file is from
the Wikipedia.org.)
● During a high jump, a high jumper will land on a thick, soft mattress after the
jump.
● This is to increase the reaction time and hence reduces the impulsive force acting
on the high jumper.

Jumping
A jumper bends his/her leg during landing. This is to increase the reaction time and hence
reduce the impact of impulsive force acting on the leg of the jumper.

Safety Features in Vehicles

Crumble Zone

The crumple zone increases the reaction time of collision during an accident.
This causes the impulsive force to be reduced and hence reduces the risk of injuries.

Seat Belt
Prevent the driver and passengers from being flung forward or thrown out of the car during
an emergency brake.

Airbag
The inflated airbag during an accident acts as a cushion to lessen the impact when the
driver flings forward hitting the steering wheel or dashboard.

Head Rest

Reduce neck injury when a driver and passengers are thrown backwards when the car is
banged from backward.

Windscreen
Shatter-proof glass is used so that it will not break into small pieces when broken. This
may reduce injuries caused by shattered glass.

Padded Dashboard

Cover with soft material. This may increase the reaction time and hence reduce the
impulsive force when passenger knocking on it in an accident.

Collapsible Steering Columns

The steering will swing away from the driver’s chest during a collision. This may reduce the
impulsive force acting on the driver.

Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)

Prevent the wheels from locking when brake applied suddenly by adjusting the pressure of
the brake fluid. This can prevent the car from skidding.

Bumper

Made of an elastic material so that it can increase the reaction time and hence reduces the
impulsive force caused by a collision.

Passenger Safety Cell

The body of the car is made from the strong, rigid steel cage.
This may prevent the car from collapsing on the passengers during a car crash.

Free Falling
Free Falling
 1. Free falling is a motion under force of gravity as the only force acting on the
moving object.
2. Practically, free-falling can only take place in a vacuum.
Gravitational Acceleration

1. The gravitational acceleration is the acceleration of an object due to the pull of the
gravitational force. It has the unit of ms-2
2. The symbol of gravitational acceleration is ” g “.
3. Gravitational acceleration does not depend on the mass of the moving object.
4. The magnitude of gravitational acceleration is taken to be 10ms-2.
Gravitational Field Strength vs. Gravitational Acceleration

1. Both the gravitational field strength and gravitational acceleration have the
symbol, g and the same value (10ms-2) on the surface of the earth.
2. When considering a body falling freely, the g is the gravitational acceleration.
3. When considering objects at rest, g is the Earth’s gravitational field strength acting
on it.
Case of Free Falling 1 – Falling from High Place

When an object is released from a high place,

1. its initial velocity, u = 0.
2. its acceleration is equal to the gravitational acceleration, g, which taken to be
10ms-2 in SPM.
3. the displacement is the of the object when it reaches the ground is equal to the
initial height of the object, h.
Case of Free Falling 2 – Launching Object Upward

If an object is launched up vertically,

1. the acceleration = -g (-10ms-2)
2. the velocity becomes zero when the object reaches the highest point.
3. the displacement of the object at the highest point is equal to the vertical height of
the object, h
4. the time taken for the object to move to the maximum height = the time taken for
the object to fall from the maximum point to its initial position.

Apparent Weight of an Object in a Lift

1. When a man standing inside an elevator, there are two forces acting on him.
 a. His weight, (W) which acting downward.
b. Normal reaction (R), acting in the opposite direction of weight.
2. The reading of the balance is equal to the normal reaction (R).
3. Figure below shows the formula to calculate the reading of the balance at different
situation.

Example 1:
Subra is standing on a balance inside an elevator. If Subra’s mass is 63kg, find the reading
of the balance when the lift,

a. stationary
b. moving upward with a constant velocity, 15 ms-1.,
c. moving upward with a constant acceleration, 1 ms-2.
d. moving downward with a constant acceleration, 2 ms-2.
Answer:
a.

W = mg
W = (63)(10) = 630N
b.

W = mg
W = (63)(10) = 630N
c.

R = mg+ma
R = (63)(10)+(63)(1)
R = 693N
d.
 R = mg−ma
R = (63)(10)−(63)(2)
R = 504N

Example 2:
A 54kg boy is standing in an elevator. Find the force on the boy’s feet when the elevator

a. stands still
b. moves downward at a constant velocity of 3 m/s
c. decelerates downward with at 4.0 m/s2,
d. decelerates upward withat 2.0 m/s2.
Answer:
a.

W = mg
W = (54)(10) = 540N
b.

W = mg
W = (54)(10) = 540N
c.

R=mg+ma
R=(54)(10)+(54)(4)
R=756N
d.

R=mg−ma
R=(54)(10)−(54)(2)
R=432N

Pulley
There are 2 types of pulley, the fixed pulley and the movable pulley.
 2. In SPM, we will only discuss the fixed pulley.
3. The fixed pulley change the direction, without changing the magnitude of the
force.
4. In SPM, we assume all pulleys are smooth (no friction) unless it is stated
otherwise.

Vector Quantities
Vector and Scalar Quantity

1. A scalar quantity is a quantity which can be fully described by magnitude only.

2. A vector quantity is a quantity which is fully described by both magnitude and
direction.
Vector Diagram

1. The arrow shows the direction of the vector.

2. The length representing the magnitude of the vector.

Equal Vector

Two vectors A and B may be defined to be equal if they have the same magnitude and
point in the same direction.

Vector Addition
Vector Addition – Triangle Method

Join the tail of the 2nd vector to the head of the 1st vector. Normally the resultant vector is
marked with a double arrow.

Vector Addition – Parallelogram Method

Join the tail of the 2nd vector to the tail of the 1st vector. Normally the resultant vector is
marked with a double arrow.
Addition of 2 Perpendicular Vectors

If 2 vectors (a and b) are perpendicular to each other, the magnitude and direction of the
resultant vector can be determined by the following equation.

Example:
Two forces, P and Q of magnitude 10N and 12N are perpendicular to each other. What is
the magnitude of the resultant force if P and Q are acting on an object?

Answer:
Magnitude of the resultant force

Example:

The diagram above shows that four forces of magnitude 2N, 4N, 5N and 8N are acting on
point O. All the forces are perpendicular to each other. What is the magnitude of the
resultant force that acts on point O?

Answer:
The resultant force of the horizontal component = 5 – 2 = 3N to the right
The resultant force of the vertical component = 8 – 4 = 4N acting downward.
Therefore, the magtitude of these 2 force components,