2.

5 UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF A FORCE

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

1. Answer the following questions.

(a) What are the effects of a force when acting on an object?

A force can.

(i) (iv)
(ii)
(iii)

(b) Force is a ( scalar / vector ) quantity .

(c) What is the SI unit for force?

The S.I. unit for force is ____________ or ___________.

2. Fill in the blanks with appropriate answers for balanced and unbalanced forces.

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

(i)

(m is constant) (F is constant)
(ii) Relationship : Relationship :
a a 1
m

a is __________________ to F a is __________________ to m

(iii) Combined the relationship: F

a m

F m a

F = k a ; k is constant (k = 1)

m a
F=

(b) The relationship between F, m and a is known as Newtons _____________ law

of ____________.

4. Solve the following.

a = 3 m s-2

m = 1000 kg F

(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)

(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?
,
2.6 ANALYSING IMPULSE AND IMPULSIVE FORCE

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.

Situation Explanation
From : F = ma
A ball of mass, m is kicked
with a force, F. The time of F = m

contact is t. The ball
accelerates from u to v.
F=
t

mv mu = change of

Impulsive force F=
t
mv mu
1 =
F t
t Impulsive force is defined as the .........................
F mv mu . in a collision or
explosion.

Impulse Impulse = Ft =
= force x time = change of ..

SI unit for impulse is or ..

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

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 Figure B

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

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 racket and the
tennis ball is 0.5 ms. Calculate (a) impulse and (b) impulsive force exerted on the
ball.
Solution :
2.7 BEING AWARE OF THE NEED FOR SAFETY FEATURES IN VEHICLES
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 Importance

Padded dashboard 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

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

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) ie W=mg
Solve problems involving acceleration due to gravity

1. Complete the following by fill in the appropriate answer.

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

feather d. All objects freely with the same

acceleration regardless of their and

vacuum e. The constant .. of objects falling freely due

to the force of .. is known as
stone , g.

f. Practically, a free . can only take place in

. where there is no air resistance.
f. The region around the earth is the . field of the earth.

g. The gravitational field strength is defined as the . acting

on a 1 kg mass.

h. When an object is 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 Mass

1. the gravitational force acting on the object. 1.

2. depends on the acceleration due to gravity 2. is a constant quantity (everywhere)

3. vector quantity 3.

4. 4. base quantity, mass = m

5. SI unit : Newton (N) 5.

Solve the problems below

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.

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

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

2.9 IDEA OF EQUILIBRIUM FORCES

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

1. Complete the following.

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

stationary constant velocity
. or is moving at .

ii) The net force that acts on an object when two or more forces act on it is known
resultant force
as the .
equilibrium
iii) When . is reached, the resultant force acting on the object
zero
is
third action
iv) Newtons law of motion states that to every . there is an equal
reaction
but opposite ..
perpendicular
v) A force can be resolved into component which are to one
another.

F cos
Horizontal component, Fx =
Fy F

Vertical component , Fy =F sin

Fx

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.
R

W
Weight, W = Tension, T
Weight, W = Reaction R W

iii) An airplane flying at a constant velocity. iv) A trolley being pushed at a constant
velocity
R
R

F2 F1
F

W
Lift, R = Weight, W W
Reaction, R = Weight, W
Thrust F1 = Drag F2
Pushing force F1 = friction f

v) Fy 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
60 N floor. Calculate
4 kg (a) the component ot the force which causes
30 0 the box to move forward.
Fx (b) the acceleration of the box if the frictional
f force between the floor and the box is 5 N,

Solution :
(b) Resultant force = 51.96 5
(a) Fx = F cos = 46.96 N
= 60 cos 300
= 51.96 N 46.96 = 4 a
a = 11.74 m s -2

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

400 N
 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
mg sin 400 N, calculate the acceleration of the box.
f mg cos
W = mg Solution : frictional force, f = 120 N
mg sin = 40 (10) sin 300 = 200 N

Resultant force, F = 400 (200 + 120) F = ma

= 80 N 80 = 40 a
a = 2 m s-2

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

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

6 kg

Solution : W

a) Resultant force, F = 60 15 c) 60 T = ma
= 45 N 60 T = 6 (4.5)
T = 27 N
b) 45 = (6 + 4) a
a = 45 / 10
= 4.5 m s -2

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.

T Solution :
3 kg T 50 30 = (5+3) a
a = 20 / 8
= 2.5 m s-2
5 kg
30 N

50 N
3 Forces In Equilibrium

i A block of mass 6 kg is suspended vertically by a

A 0 string tied at O to the string AOB. If the system is in
30
T1 equilibrium, draw a vector diagram (triangle of
B forces) and hence determine the tension of string
O T2 OA and OB.
6 kg
Solution :
T2
W 60
sin 30 0 =
T1 T1 W
60
T1 =
sin 30 0
= 120 N

60
tan 30 0 =
T2 T1 W
60
T2 = = 103.9 N
tan 30 0

ii) A lamp of mass 1.5 kg is hung from a beam

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

Solution:

T = 2T sin 700
Therefore, mlampg = 2T sin 700
1.5 kg mlamp g
T=
2sin70 0
 1.5(10)
= = 7.98 N
2sin70 0