Physics Flashcards
(128 cards)
What does the gradient of a distance-time graph represent?
The speed of the object.
The steeper the gradient, the greater the speed.
What is a distance time graph?
A graph to help us describe the motion of an object.
How do we work out speed?
Speed = distance / time
m/s = m / s
What is the speed of an object?
The distance travelled each second.
What does a horizontal line on a distance-time graph mean?
The object is stationary.
What does a straight vertical line on a distance time graph mean?
The object is moving at a constant speed.
What is the speed of a runner who covers 400m in 50 s?
8 m/s
What is velocity?
The velocity of an object is it’s speed in a given direction.
If an object changes direction it changes velocity, even if it’s speed stays the same.
What do we call the change in velocity?
Acceleration
What is the unit for acceleration?
m/s 2
What is the equation to work out acceleration?
Acceleration = (final velocity - initial velocity) / time A = V - U / T
m/s 2 = m/s - m/s / s
(V - U also means change in speed)
What happens if the value for acceleration is negative?
It’s decelerating or negatively accelerating.
What does a horizontal line on a speed-time graph mean?
A steady, constant speed.
What does a stationary object look like on a distance-time and speed-time graph?
D.T. - a horizontal line
S.T. - no line at all
What does a constant acceleration look like on a distance-time and speed-time graph?
D.T. - an upwards curve (which goes right then up)
S.T. - a positive, straight line
What does steady deceleration look like on a distance-time and speed-time graph?
D.T. - a downwards curve (which goes up then right and stays horizontal)
S.T. - a negative, straight line
What does an object going backwards at a constant speed look like on a distance-time and speed-time graph?
D.T. - a straight, negative line
S.T. - a horizontal line
What does an object constantly accelerating backwards look like on a velocity and speed-time graph?
S.T. - a positive, straight line
V - a negative, straight line
What is acceleration?
Change of velocity per second
What does the area under the line (between the line and the x axis) represent in a velocity time graph?
Distance travelled.
What does the gradient of a velocity time graph mean?
Acceleration.
The steeper the line, the greater the acceleration. If the line is horizontal, there is no acceleration so it’s travelling at a constant speed.
What does calculating the gradient of a D.T and S.T graph tell us?
D.T. - speed
S.T. - acceleration
What is average speed of a car that travels 1.2 km in 1 minute?
1.2 km = 1200 m
1 minute = 60 seconds
1200m / 60s = 20
20 m/s
What are action and reaction forces?
Objects always exert equal and opposite forces on each other.
If object A exerts a force on object B, object B exerts an equal and opposite force on object A.
These are called action and reaction forces.