Forces Revision Flashcards

Flashcards on forces covering contact and non-contact forces, resultant forces, and Hooke's Law.

Force

A push or a pull that can cause an object to change shape, direction, or speed.

Unit of measuring force

Newtons (N)

Contact Forces

Forces that require physical contact between objects.

Non-Contact Forces

Forces that can act between objects that are not physically touching.

Examples of Non-Contact Forces

Magnetism, Gravity, Electrostatic force

Examples of Contact Forces

Friction, Tension, Air resistance, Water resistance, Reaction force, Driving force

Lubricant

A substance used to reduce friction between two objects by making surfaces smoother.

Streamlining

Designing an object to minimize air or water resistance.

Resultant Force

The sum of all forces acting on an object.

Equilibrium

A state where the resultant force on an object is zero, resulting in no change in motion.

Balanced Forces

Forces are equal and opposite, resulting in a resultant force of 0N and equilibrium.

Unbalanced Forces

Forces are unequal, resulting in a non-zero resultant force and acceleration.

Deformation

When an object changes shape due to an applied force.

Extension

The amount an object stretches when a force is applied.

Elastic Limit

The maximum force that can be applied to a spring without causing permanent deformation.

Limit of Proportionality

The point beyond which the extension of a spring is no longer directly proportional to the force applied.

Hooke’s Law

As the force applied to a spring doubles, the extension of the spring will also double.

Hooke's Law Equation

Force = spring constant x extension

Independent Variable

A variable that is changed in an experiment.

Dependent Variable

A variable that is measured in an experiment.

Control Variable

A variable that is kept constant in an experiment.

Variables for investigating Hooke’s Law

The force applied, the extension, same spring.

Hooke’s Law states

The amount a spring stretches is proportional to the amount of force applied to it.

Elastic

An object returns back to its original shape after being deformed.

Force Unit

Newtons (N)

Spring constant Unit

Newtons per meter (N/m)

Extension Unit

Meters (m)