Physics Summative Revision Flashcards

Comprehensive flashcards covering key topics from the Physics Summative Revision guide, including distance, displacement, velocity, acceleration, SUVAT formulas, Newton's laws of motion, mass, weight, graph analyses, experimental design, and sample physics calculations.

What is distance and what is its unit of measurement?

Distance is the total amount of ground an object travels. Its unit is metres ($m$).

What is displacement and what is its unit of measurement?

Displacement is the distance from the starting point in a specific direction. Its unit is metres ($m$).

What is speed, what is its formula, and what is its unit?

Speed is how quickly an object covers distance. Formula: $\text{speed} = \text{distance} \div \text{time}$. Unit: $m/s$.

What is velocity and what is its unit of measurement?

Velocity is speed in a specific direction. Its unit is $m/s$.

What is acceleration, what is its formula, and what is its unit?

Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity. Formula: $a = \frac{v - u}{t}$. Unit: $m/s^2$.

What do the symbols $u$, $v$, $a$, $t$, and $s$ represent in SUVAT formulas?

$u$ = initial velocity, $v$ = final velocity, $a$ = acceleration, $t$ = time, and $s$ = displacement.

What are the four SUVAT formulas?

$v = u + at$, $s = ut + \frac{1}{2}at^2$, $v^2 = u^2 + 2as$, and $s = \left(\frac{u + v}{2}\right) \times t$.

What is a force and what is its unit of measurement?

A force is a push or pull. Its unit is Newtons ($N$).

What is resultant force and how is it calculated when forces act in opposite directions?

The resultant force is the overall force acting on an object. If forces act in opposite directions: $\text{resultant force} = \text{larger force} - \text{smaller force}$.

What happens to an object if the resultant force acting on it is $0\,N$?

The object stays still or moves at constant velocity.

What is Newton's First Law of motion?

An object stays at rest or continues moving at constant velocity unless a resultant force acts on it.

What is inertia and how is it related to mass?

Inertia is the resistance of an object to a change in its motion. Objects with greater mass have greater inertia.

What is Newton's Second Law of motion and what is its formula?

The acceleration of an object depends on the force acting on it and its mass. Formula: $F = ma$, where $F$ = force in Newtons, $m$ = mass in kilograms, and $a$ = acceleration in $m/s^2$.

According to Newton's Second Law, how do changes in force or mass affect acceleration?

More force = more acceleration if mass stays the same. More mass = less acceleration if force stays the same.

What is Newton's Third Law of motion?

When two objects interact, they exert equal forces on each other in opposite directions.

What is mass and what is its unit?

Mass is the amount of matter in an object. Its unit is kilograms ($kg$).

What is weight, what is its formula, and what is the value of $g$ on Earth?

Weight is the force caused by gravity acting on an object. Formula: $W = mg$ (Unit: Newtons ($N$)). On Earth: $g = 9.8\,m/s^2$.

At what rate does an object accelerate during free fall under gravity?

An object falling freely under gravity accelerates downward at about $9.8\,m/s^2$.

What are balanced forces and what effect do they have on acceleration?

Balanced forces give a resultant force of $0\,N$. There is no acceleration.

What do unbalanced forces cause?

Unbalanced forces cause acceleration.

What is friction?

Friction is a force that opposes motion between surfaces.

What is air resistance?

Air resistance is a force that opposes motion through air.

What is terminal velocity and what are the forces and acceleration at terminal velocity?

Terminal velocity happens when air resistance becomes equal to weight. Resultant force = $0\,N$, Acceleration = $0$, and the object falls at constant velocity.

What does the gradient of a distance-time graph represent?

The gradient of a distance-time graph represents speed.

What do a horizontal line and a straight upward line represent on a distance-time graph?

A horizontal line means the object is stopped. A straight upward line means constant speed.

What does the gradient of a velocity-time graph represent?

The gradient of a velocity-time graph represents acceleration.

What do horizontal, upward sloping, and downward sloping lines represent on a velocity-time graph?

Horizontal line = constant velocity; Upward slope = positive acceleration; Downward slope = negative acceleration.

What does the area under a velocity-time graph represent?

The area under a velocity-time graph represents displacement.

What is an independent variable?

The variable that you deliberately change.

What is a dependent variable?

The variable that you measure.

What are controlled variables?

Variables that you keep the same to make the experiment fair.

What is reliability in an experiment and how can it be improved?

Reliability means getting similar results when an experiment is repeated. To improve reliability, repeat the experiment several times and calculate an average.

What is the difference between accuracy and precision?

Accuracy means how close a measurement is to the true value. Precision means how close repeated measurements are to each other.

What is validity in an experimental context?

Validity means whether the experiment actually tests what it is supposed to test.

What is an anomaly in experimental data?

An anomaly is a result that does not follow the general pattern of the other results.

On which axes should the independent and dependent variables be plotted on an experimental graph?

The independent variable goes on the x-axis and the dependent variable goes on the y-axis.

How do you convert from $km/h$ to $m/s$ and from $m/s$ to $km/h$?

To convert $km/h$ to $m/s$, divide by $3.6$. To convert $m/s$ to $km/h$, multiply by $3.6$.

If a car accelerates from $10\,m/s$ to $25\,m/s$ in $3$ seconds, what is its acceleration?

$a = \frac{v - u}{t} = \frac{25 - 10}{3} = 5\,m/s^2$.

What force is required to accelerate a $500\,kg$ car at $4\,m/s^2$?

$F = ma = 500 \times 4 = 2000\,N$.

What is the final velocity of a car that starts at $10\,m/s$ and accelerates at $5\,m/s^2$ for $4$ seconds?

$v = u + at = 10 + (5 \times 4) = 30\,m/s$.

What is the weight of a person with a mass of $60\,kg$ on Earth?

$W = mg = 60 \times 9.8 = 588\,N$.