NCEA Level 1 Physics

Force

A push or pull; measured in Newtons (N)

Fnet=ma or mg

Balanced forces

Forces are equal in size and opposite in direction.

Friction

A force that resists motion between contacting objects.

Weight

A force that is the product of the object's mass and gravity; measured in Newtons (N).

Fgravity=mg

Mass

The amount of matter in an object; meausred in g or kg.

Gravity (on Earth)

g=10ms⁻²

or 10 Nkg⁻¹

Conservation of Energy

Energy may neither be created or destroyed, therefore the sum of all energies in an isolated system is constant.

Energy

The ability to do work. Meausred in joules (J) or kilojoules (kJ).

Work

The amount of force used to move an object over a certain distance.

W=Fd

Power

The rate at which work is done; measured in watts (w).

P=W/t

Velocity (mean speed)

The rate of motion of an object; measured in ms⁻¹ or km⁻¹.

v=∆d/∆t

Acceleration

Change in velocity over time; measured in ms⁻².

a=∆v/∆t

Kinetic energy

The energy an object possesses due to it's motion.

Ek=½mv²

Gravitational portential energy

The energy an object posses due to it's postion in a gravitational field.

∆Ep=mg∆h

Projectile

An object moving through the air that has only gravity acting on itself.

Pressure

The amount of force acting on a unit area; measured in pascals (Pa or N/m²)

P=F/Area