Chapter 2: Forces and Motion
Speed, Velocity and Acceleration
Speed
- It is a ==scalar quantity,== that is the ==measure of rate of change of distance.==
- Formula: * Speed: Distance moved/Time taken
Velocity
- It means the ==speed of something== and its ==direction of travel.==
- It shows direction and magnitude so its a vector.
Acceleration
- Something is ==accelerating if its velocity is changing.==
- Formula:
* “u” is the initial velocity and “v” is the final velocity.
- It is a vector.
- A negative acceleration is called deceleration or retardation.
- A uniform acceleration means a constant (steady) acceleration.
Motion Graphs
Distance-time graphs
- On a ==distance time graph, the gradient of the line is numerically equal to the speed.==
- Gradient of distance time graph is speed.
- Following are examples of common distance time graphs:
\
Speed-time graphs
- On a speed time graph, ==the gradient of the line is numerically equal to acceleration.==
- The ==area under the line is numerically equal to the distance travelled.==
- Following are common examples of speed time graphs:
Free Fall
The acceleration of free fall, g
- ^^Gravitational field is a region where a mass will experience a non-contact gravitational force.^^ ==All matter produces a gravitational field around it, and the greater its mass, the stronger the field.==
- Acceleration of free fall is 10m/s^2.
- Formula for measuring ‘g’:
*
* "h” is the height, “t” is the time taken.
Motion Graphs

- If acceleration is not steady then it is non-uniform.
Forces in balance
- A force is a ==push or a pull, exerted by a object.==
- It has ==direction as well as magnitude, so its a vector.==
- SI unit of force is Newton (N).
- Force ==can be measured using a spring balance.== * The more its stretched, higher the reading on the scale.
Common forces
- Upthrust is the ==upward force from a liquid or gas that makes things float.==
- Weight is the ==gravitational force on an object.==
- Tension is the ==force in a stretched material.==
- Friction is the ==force that opposes the motion of one material sliding past each another.==
- Thrust is the ==forward force.==
- Air Resistance is another type of friction.
Newton’s Law
- First Law ==states that every object will continue in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless a resultant force acts on it.== * For example, shaking a tree.
- Second Law ==states that when a resultant force acts on an object of a constant mass, the object will accelerate in the direction of the resultant force.== The ^^product of the mass and acceleration of the object gives the resultant force.^^ * It can symbolized as: * F = ma * For example, pushing a cart.
- Third law ==states that every action there is an equal but opposite reaction.== * For example, If object A exerts a force on object B, then object B will exert an equal but opposite force on object A.
Motion without Force
- ==If no external force is acting on it, an object will== * If stationery, remain stationery, * If moving, keep moving at a steady speed in straight line. * NOTE: this is newton’s second law.
Balanced Forces
- An object may have several forces on it. But ==if the forces are in balance, they cancel out each other. Then, the object behaves as if there is no force on it.==
- Following are a few examples:
\
\

- ==With balanced forces on it, an object is either at rest, or moving at a velocity.== * This is newton’s first law.
Force, mass and acceleration
Inertia
- ==Resistance to change in velocity is== ==inertia.== * For example, * when an object is at rest it is given a force to move, its velocity at rest was 0 m/s^2 and now when its given a force to move, velocity has increased. * also, when an object is moving its velocity is 5 m/s^2 and when a force is given to slow it down or make it move it fast, there is a change in velocity.
Resultant Force
- ==When two forces are unbalanced. They are equivalent to a single force. This is called== ==Resultant Force.==
- For example,

Friction
- ==It is a force that tries to stop materials sliding across each other.==
- It prevents machinery from moving freely and heats up its moving parts.
- Example, * when you rub your hands, * between car wheels and road.
- Ways to reduce friction, * use ball bearings, * oil or grease to make the moving surfaces slippery
- Kinds of friction * %%static%% %%- defined as the frictional force that acts between the surfaces when they are at rest with respect to each other.%% * %%dynamic%% %%- defined as the opposing force that comes into play when one body is actually moving over the surface of another body.%%
Force, Weight, and Gravity
Gravitational Force
- It is the %%downward pull%% from Earth
- Some of the main features: * all masses attract each other. * the greater the masses, the stronger the force. * the closer the masses, the stronger the force.
Gravitational field strength, g
- It is a ==region in which a mass experience a force due to gravitational attraction.==
- Earth’s gravitational field strength is 10 newtons per kilogram. (N/kg)
\
NOTE:
- ‘g’ has two meanings: * g is the gravitational field strength (10 newtons per kg) * g is the acceleration of free fall (10 meters per second^2)
Momentum
- It is the ==quantity of motion of a moving body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity.==
\
![]()
Linking force and momentum: Newton’s second law
- Linked with the following equation:
![]()
- Resultant force = rate of change of momentum.
- ==The link between a resultant force and the rate of change of momentum it produces is== Newton’s second law of motion.
Impulse
- ==The ‘quantity force x time’ is impulse.==
- ==Newton noted that when the same force acted for the same time on different masses, a large mass would gain less velocity than a smaller one, but the change in 'mass x velocity' was the same in every case.==
- ==When two or more objects objects act on each other, their total momentum remains constant, provided no external forces are acting.==
- Moving objects have kinetic energy. In a collision, some of that energy can be changed into other forms. * %%If a collision is elastic, the total kinetic energy of the moving objects is the same after the collision as before.%% * {{However, most collisions are not like this. The total kinetic energy is less after the collision than before. In such cases, the 'missing' energy is changed into heat (thermal energy).{{
Vectors
- ==Quantities which have direction as well as magnitude, are== ==vectors.== * Eg. Force, Velocity, Acceleration and others.
- ==Two vectors acting at a point can be replaced by a single vector with the same effect, is its== ==resultant.==
- Quantities which have magnitude but no direction, are scalar. * Eg. Mass, Length, Distance and others.
Adding Vectors: Parallelogram rule
- ==The parallelogram rule is a== ==method of finding the resultant== ==in situations like the one above, where the vectors are not in line. It works like this:==
^^Q: To find the resultant of two vectors (for example, forces of 30 N and 40 N acting at a point O, as in the diagram below):^^

- On paper, draw two lines from 0 to represent the vectors. The directions must be accurate, and the length of each line must be in proportion to the magnitude of each vector.
- Draw in two more lines to complete a parallelogram.
- Draw in the diagonal from O and measure its length. The diagonal represents the resultant in both magnitude and direction. (Below, for example, the resultant is a force of 60 N at 26° to the horizontal.)

Note:

Moving in Circles:
Centripetal Forces:
- ==Inward force needed to make an object move in a circle is called the== ==centripetal force.==
- More centripetal force is needed if: * the mass of the object is increased * the speed of the object is increased * the radius of the circle is reduced.
Orbits:
- Satellites around the Earth
- Planets around the sun
- Electrons around the nucleus
\