Topic 4 - Forces

Question 1

What is a force?

Answer 1

A push or a pull that acts on an object due to the interaction with another object.

Question 2

What can forces change in an object?

Answer 2

Forces can change an object’s speed, direction, shape, and size.

Question 3

What is a thrust force?

Answer 3

A thrust force can cause a car to speed up.

Question 4

What effect does gravitational force have on a comet?

Answer 4

A gravitational force can cause a comet to change direction.

Question 5

What do compression forces do to a spring?

Answer 5

Compression forces can cause a spring to change shape.

Question 6

What is a resultant force?

Answer 6

A resultant force is a single force that describes all of the forces operating on a body.

Question 7

What does the resultant force determine?

Answer 7

The resultant force determines the direction in which the object will move and the magnitude of the net force experienced by the object.

Question 8

What are balanced forces?

Answer 8

Forces are balanced if multiple forces act in opposing directions with equal magnitude, canceling out the effects.

Question 9

What are unbalanced forces?

Answer 9

Forces are unbalanced if the effects do not cancel out, resulting in a resultant force.

Question 10

What is an example of balanced forces?

Answer 10

A book resting on a table is an example of balanced forces.

Question 11

How do you calculate resultant force?

Answer 11

When adding forces, assign positive and negative values to show direction. For example, a 5 N force right and a 5 N force left results in a resultant force of 0 N.

Question 12

What happens when two people push a box with equal force from opposite sides?

Answer 12

The box doesn’t move.

Question 13

What is the resultant force when two people push a box in the same direction with different forces?

Answer 13

The forces will add together. For example, a 3 N force and a 7 N force results in a resultant force of 10 N.

Question 14

What is the resultant force when two people push a box in opposite directions?

Answer 14

If one pushes with 7 N to the left and another with 3 N to the right, the resultant force is -4 N, and the box moves to the left.

Question 15

What does Newton’s second law of motion state?

Answer 15

The acceleration of an object is proportional to the resultant force acting on it and inversely proportional to the object’s mass.

Question 16

What happens when a non-zero resultant force acts on an object?

Answer 16

It causes a change in the object’s motion.

Question 17

What is a resultant force?

Answer 17

A resultant force occurs when the forces acting on an object are not balanced.

Question 18

What are the possible changes in motion due to a resultant force?

Answer 18

Speeding up, slowing down, or changing direction.

Question 19

In which direction does an object accelerate when a resultant force is applied?

Answer 19

The object will accelerate in the direction of the resultant force.

Question 20

How does the size of the resultant force affect acceleration?

Answer 20

The bigger the resultant force, the larger the acceleration.

Question 21

How does an object’s mass affect its acceleration for a given force?

Answer 21

The greater the object’s mass, the smaller the acceleration experienced.

Question 22

What is the equation for Newton’s second law?

Answer 22

F = ma

Where F = resultant force (N), m = mass (kg), a = acceleration (m/s²).

Question 23

What direction does acceleration occur in relation to the resultant force?

Answer 23

The acceleration occurs in the same direction as the resultant force.

Question 24

What is a formula triangle used for?

Answer 24

To calculate the unknown quantity by covering it up and revealing the structure of the equation.

Question 25

What is the aim of the experiment?

Answer 25

The aim of this experiment is to investigate the relationship between force and extension for a spring.

Question 26

What equipment is needed for investigating the extension of a spring?

Answer 26

A clamp stand, a ruler, a spring, and mass hangers.

Question 27

How can measurement errors be reduced?

Answer 27

Fixing the ruler to the clamp stand will reduce movement in the ruler and, therefore, reduce errors in measurement.

Question 28

What is the first step in the method?

Answer 28

Align the marker to a value on the ruler with no mass added to the spring, and record this initial length of the spring.

Question 29

What should be done after adding the 100 g mass hanger?

Answer 29

Record the mass (in kg) and position (in cm) from the ruler now that the spring has extended.

Question 30

What is the process repeated until all masses have been added?

Answer 30

Add another 100 g to the mass hanger, record the new mass and position, and repeat until all masses have been added.

Question 31

How many times should the entire process be repeated?

Answer 31

The entire process should be repeated a total of three times, and an average length is calculated.

Question 32

What must a suitable results table contain?

Answer 32

A suitable table of results must contain space for the calculations of force and extension.

Question 33

How is the weight of the mass calculated?

Answer 33

The weight is calculated using the equation: W = m * g, where W is weight in newtons, m is mass in kilograms, and g is gravitational field strength.

Question 34

What is the value of gravitational field strength used in calculations?

Answer 34

g = 9.8 N/kg.

Question 35

How is the extension of the spring calculated?

Answer 35

Extension = final length - original length.

Question 36

What should be plotted to analyze the results?

Answer 36

Plot a graph of the force against extension.

Question 37

What indicates that the force is proportional to the extension?

Answer 37

If the graph has a linear region (is a straight line), then the force is proportional to the extension in this region.

Question 38

What does a straight line graph through the origin indicate?

Answer 38

It shows that the extension of the spring is directly proportional to the force applied (Hooke's Law).

Question 39

What is a systematic error to avoid?

Answer 39

Make sure the measurements on the ruler are taken at eye level to avoid parallax error.

Question 40

How can random errors be minimized?

Answer 40

Use a pointer at the bottom of the spring and wait a few seconds for the mass to become stationary before taking readings.

Question 41

What should be checked regarding the spring's limit?

Answer 41

Check that the spring has not gone past its limit of proportionality.

Question 42

What safety considerations should be taken during the experiment?

Answer 42

Wear goggles, stand up while carrying out the experiment, and place a mat below the masses.

Question 43

How should the clamp stand be secured?

Answer 43

Use a G clamp to secure the clamp stand to the desk.

Question 44

What should be done when placing masses on the hanger?

Answer 44

Place each mass carefully on the hanger and do not pull the spring too hard.