Physics Basics

Question 1

What is Distance?

Answer 1

Distance is how far an object has travelled

Question 2

What is displacement?

Answer 2

Displacement is the overall change in direction and position of an object from its starting point

Question 3

What is a scalar quantity? Give 5 examples

Answer 3

A scalar quantity has magnitude only. It DOES NOT have direction or any information regarding direction.
Examples of scalar quantities include: Temperature, Pressure, Time, Distance, Volume, Speed and Mass

Question 4

Why is temperature a scalar quantity?

Answer 4

A scalar quantity is just a value, with only the magnitude. There is no direction in temperature, making it a scalar quantity. Temperature is just a value and it is there as a whole, rather than in one specfic direction

Question 5

What is a vector quantity?

Answer 5

A vector quantity has magnitude AND direction

Question 6

What are 5 examples of a vector quantity?

Answer 6

Velocity, Displacement, Force, Acceleration and Magnetic Field

ALSO ‘Acceleration due to gravity’

Question 7

What is the SI unit for distance and displacement?

Answer 7

Meters (M)

Question 8

What is velocity? How do you find it? What is the formula?

Answer 8

Velocity is the speed of something in a particular direction

Velocity = S/T (Where S stands for displacement)

Therefore, velocity = Displacement / Time

Question 9

What is a position time graph?

Answer 9

A position-time graph is also known as a displacement time graph. It depicts the motion of an object and shows how far an object has travelled from its original starting point.

The vertical axis is always labelled ‘Position’ and the horizontal axis is always labelled ‘Time’

Question 10

Define speed. What is the SI unit

Answer 10

Speed is a measure of how fast a moving object is travelling. The SI unit is meters / second

*Always convert km or mm to meters and hrs or days to seconds, unless the question states otherwise

The rate at which an object travels

Question 11

What is the formula for average speed, distance and Time?

Answer 11

Average Speed = Distance / Time
Distance = Speed x Time
Time = Distance / Speed

Question 12

How is velocity determined from a position-time graph?

Answer 12

By the Gradient/Slope

Question 13

What is acceleration?

Answer 13

Acceleration is the rate of change of speed

Acceleration is the rate at which an object changes its velocity

Question 14

Is acceleration a scalar or vector quantity?

Answer 14

Acceleration is a vector quantity because it has both magnitude and direction. Since it is related to velocity and velocity is the speed of something in a particular direction, acceleration must be vector

Question 15

What is another word for deceleration

Answer 15

Negative acceleration

Question 16

What is the symbol for ‘acceleration due to gravity’
What is acceleration due to gravity?
What is the SI unit?

Answer 16

g

Acceleration due to gravity is the acceleration gained by an object due to gravitational force
M/S^2 (meter per second squared)

Question 17

What is the formula for acceleration

Answer 17

Acceleration = change in distance / change in time

Acceleration = The change in velocity / Change in Time

Acceleration = v - u / t

Question 18

What is a speed time graph? What does it indicate?

Answer 18

A speed time graph represents an object’s speed graphically. It is also known as a velocity time graph

Vertical axis is speed in meters per second
Horizontal Axis is Time in seconds

Question 19

What does the area underneath a speed time graph indicate?

Answer 19

The area underneath a speed time graph, indicates the total distance that an object has travelled

Question 20

What is instantaneous speed?

Answer 20

The instantaneous speed is the speed of an object at a particular point in time

Question 21

what is the si unit for acceleration? Why is it like that?

Answer 21

Meters per second squared (m/s^2)

This is because acceleration is the ‘change in velocity / change in time’. Since velocity = Displacement / time and the si unit for velocity is meters per second, acceleration is velocity divided by time. Therefore, it is m/s divided by seconds –> making it m/s^2

Question 22

What is a jerk?

Answer 22

A jerk is the rate of change of the acceleration

Jerk = Change in acceleration / Change in time

Question 23

How can you convert km/h to m/s ?

What is the formula, other than solving km to m and hrs to seconds individually

Answer 23

m/s x 3.6 = Km/h, multiply by 3.6

Km/h / 3.6 = m/s, divide by 3.6

Question 24

What is the formula for average speed?

Answer 24

Average speed = Distance / Change in Time

Question 25

In what situation will the object’s velocity be equal to the object’s speed?

Answer 25

The object’s speed and velocity will be equal when an object travels in a straight line, without changing its direction

Question 26

Speed cannot be negative. True/False

Answer 26

True, speed can NEVER be negative

Question 27

How do you calculate the change in speed of an object?

How do you calculate the change in velocity of an object?

Answer 27

Change in speed is ALWAYS POSITIVE. Change in speed = Absolute value of Final speed - Initial speed (This is because if the final speed is smaller than the initial speed, then the result would be negative. Thus, finding the absolute value is essential when calculating the change in speed.

Since velocity is speed WITH direction, the change in velocity is calculated through negative and positive numbers based on the direction and follows the formula: Change in velocity = Final velocity - Initial Velocity