UNIT 1

FORCES AND MOTION

Ch3-Forces and Movement-3

 Mass and weight
Mass is the amount of matter in an object.
Mass is measured in kilograms.
The mass of an object is the same on the
Moon as on the Earth.

Weight is the force of gravity on an object.

Weight is measured in newtons.
The weight of an object on the Moon is
about one sixth that on the Earth.

A newtonmeter is used to determine

the weight of the parcel
Free fall
Free fall is the motion of a body where its weight is the
only force acting on an object.

Weight = resultant/unbalanced force

Acceleration due to gravity = g = 10 ms-2

 The acceleration due to gravity (g)
The acceleration due to gravity (g) varies with planet, moon and star and depends on the height of
an object.

Some examples of the acceleration due to gravity:

Location m/s2 Location m/s2

Earth 10 Jupiter 24
Moon 1.6 Pluto 0.7
Mars 3.7 The Sun 270
 Gravitational field strength (g)
This is an alternative way of measuring the strength of
gravity.

The gravitational field strength is equal to the

gravitational force exerted per kilogram.

Near the Earth’s surface, g = 10 N/kg

In most cases gravitational field strength in N/kg is

numerically equal to the acceleration due to gravity in
m/s2, hence they both use the same symbol ‘g’.
 Calculating weight
weight = mass × gravitational acceleration

W=mxg

weight is measured in N
mass is measured in kg
gravitational acceleration is measured in m/s2

On the Earth’s surface a mass of 1kg

has a weight of 10N.
 Falling objects
When an object falls through air or
some other fluid initially the only
significant force acting on it is the
downward pull of gravity.

On Earth, it will initially accelerate

downwards at 10 m/s2.
As the object speeds up frictional
forces such as air resistance become
greater the faster the object moves.

Eventually the resultant force on the

object will be zero when the frictional
forces equal the weight of the object.

The object then moves at a constant

speed called terminal velocity.
Velocity-time graphs for a falling object
 Parachuting
A parachutist will have two Afterwards, due the much greater
different terminal velocities. drag force, the terminal velocity is
Before opening the parachute it is about 5 m/s (12 m.p.h.)
about 60 m/s (140 m.p.h..).
 Velocity-time graph of a parachutist
velocity
first terminal parachute
velocity opened

ground
initial reached
acceleration
= 10 m/s2
second terminal
velocity

time
 When weight = air resistance,
no resultant force,
no acceleration, speed is
constant, called terminal Air resistance increases,
velocity velocity air resistance > weight,
resultant force is upward.
Speed is decreased.

As the speed As the speed decreases,

increases, air air resistance decreases.
resistance increases. When weight = air resistance,
Resultant force no resultant force, no acceleration,
decreases, acceleration speed is constant,
decreases. reaches new terminal velocity

time

Only its weight, acceleration = constant = g = 10 m/s2

(a) u = 0 (b) u = 0 (b) u = 0
a = g = 10 m/s2 a = g = 10 m/s2 a = g = 10 m/s2
t=1s t=2s t=5s
v=? v=? v=?

a = (v-u)/t a = (v-u)/t a = (v-u)/t

v = u + at v = u + at v = u + at
= 0 + (10 x 1) = 0 + (10 x 2) = 0 + (10 x 5)
= 10 m/s = 20 m/s = 50 m/s
(a) u = 20 m/s (b) u = 20 m/s (b) u = 20 m/s
a = g = 10 m/s2 a = g = 10 m/s2 a = g = 10 m/s2
t=1s t=2s t=5s
v=? v=? v=?

a = (v-u)/t a = (v-u)/t a = (v-u)/t

v = u + at v = u + at v = u + at
= 20 + (10 x 1) = 20 + (10 x 2) = 20 + (10 x 5)
= 30 m/s = 40 m/s = 70 m/s
(a) u = 20 m/s (b) u = 20 m/s (b) u = 0 at highest point
a = g = - 10 m/s2 a = g = - 10 m/s2 a = g = 10 m/s2
t=1s t=2s t=3s
v=? v=? v=?

a = (v-u)/t a = (v-u)/t a = (v-u)/t

v = u + at v = u + at v = u + at
= 20 + (-10 x 1) = 20 + (-10 x 2) = 0 + (10 x 3)
= 10 m/s =0 = 30 m/s
(highest point)
(a) W = mg
= 100 x 10
= 1000 N

(b) 100 kg

(c) 100 kg

(d) W = mg
= 100 x 3.7
= 370 N

(e) F = ma
a = F/m
= 370/100
= 3/7 m/s2
(a) u = 30 m/s (b) u = 30 m/s
a = g = - 10 m/s2 a = g = - 10 m/s2
v=0 v=0
s=? t= ?

v2 = u2 + 2as a = (v-u)/t
s = (v2-u2)/2a t = (v-u)/a
= (0-302)/2x (-10) = (0-30)/(-10)
= 45 m =3s
6

Stage 1 resultant force = weight

constant acceleration

Stage 2  air resistance = weight

constant velocity = terminal velocity

Stage 3  air resistance > weight

speed decreases, decelerated motion

Stage 4  air resistance = weight

constant velocity = terminal velocity

The weight is balanced by the upward force of the ground

(Normal reaction) on the skydiver.