Force and Motion Reviewer

1. What is Force?

 Force is any interaction that, when unopposed, will change the motion of an object. It can cause
an object to start moving, stop moving, or change its direction. It can also change the shape or
size of an object.

2. Types of Effects of Force:

 Change in Motion: Force can change the velocity (speed or direction) of an object. This is why
an object might speed up, slow down, or change direction when force is applied.

 Change in Shape: Force can cause an object to deform, such as stretching or compressing
materials.

 Change in Size: In certain cases, force can alter the size of an object by stretching or
compressing it.

 Change in Position: Force can move an object from one place to another.

3. Unit of Force:

 The SI unit (International System of Units) of force is the Newton (N).

 One Newton is the amount of force required to accelerate a 1-kilogram mass by 1 meter per
second squared. Mathematically, this is written as:
1 N = 1 kg × m/s²

4. Characteristics of Force:

 Magnitude: The size or amount of force applied.

 Direction: The way in which the force is applied.

 Both magnitude and direction are important, which is why force is considered a vector quantity.

o Vector Quantity: A quantity that has both magnitude and direction.

o Scalar Quantity: A quantity that only has magnitude (no direction), such as temperature
or mass.

5. How Force Interacts:

 Forces can combine to create a resultant force, which is the total force acting on an object.

o Forces in the Same Direction: When forces act in the same direction, their magnitudes
are added together.

 Example: Two forces of 5 N and 3 N in the same direction result in a total force
of 8 N.
 o Forces in Opposite Directions: When forces act in opposite directions, the smaller force
is subtracted from the larger one, and the direction of the resultant force is that of the
larger force.

 Example: Two forces of 5 N and 3 N in opposite directions result in a force of 2

6. Measuring Force:

 A spring balance is commonly used to measure force. It measures how much a spring stretches
when an object is attached, which corresponds to the amount of force exerted on the object.

7. Key Points to Remember:

 Force is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction.

 The unit of force is the Newton (N).

 Force can change the motion, shape, size, or position of an object.

 Forces in the same direction add up, and forces in opposite directions subtract from each other
to give the resultant force.

Summary

 Force is any push or pull on an object that can change its motion, shape, size, or position.

 The unit of force is the Newton (N), and it is measured using devices like a spring balance.

 Forces are vector quantities, and they interact by either adding or subtracting based on their
direction.
Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Review

1. Definition of Force: A force is a push or pull on an object that can cause a change in motion. It can be
measured in units called Newtons (N).

2. Balanced Forces:

 Definition: Balanced forces are two or more forces acting on an object in such a way that their
magnitudes are equal and their directions are opposite.

 Effect: When forces are balanced, they cancel each other out, and there is no change in motion.
The object remains at rest or continues to move at a constant velocity.

 Example: An object hanging from a string has the downward gravitational force (weight)
balanced by the upward tension in the string, so it remains stationary.

 Key Point: When the net force (total force) on an object is zero, the forces acting on it are
balanced.

3. Unbalanced Forces:

 Definition: Unbalanced forces occur when the forces acting on an object are unequal in
magnitude or direction. This results in a net force that causes a change in the object's motion.

 Effect: When forces are unbalanced, the object will accelerate in the direction of the net force,
causing a change in speed or direction.

 Example: Kicking a ball or pushing a cart are examples where unbalanced forces cause the
object to move.

 Key Point: When there is a net force (a non-zero total force), the object will experience a
change in motion.

4. Net Force:

 The net force is the total force resulting from the combination of all individual forces acting on
an object.

 If the net force is zero, the object is in equilibrium, and there is no change in motion (balanced
forces).

 If the net force is not zero, the object will accelerate, and its motion will change (unbalanced
forces).

Summary of Key Points:

 Balanced Forces:

o Equal in magnitude, opposite in direction.

o No change in motion.
 o Net force is zero.

 Unbalanced Forces:

o Unequal in magnitude or direction.

o Causes a change in motion (acceleration).

o Net force is not zero.

1. Definition of Speed:

 Speed is the measure of how fast an object moves, specifically the distance it travels in a certain
amount of time. It describes the rate of motion without considering the direction of movement.

 Speed is a scalar quantity, which means it only has magnitude (size) and no direction. This
makes it different from velocity, which is a vector quantity that involves both speed and
direction.

2. Formula for Speed: The formula to calculate speed is:

S= D/T

Where:

 s = speed (measured in units such as kilometers per hour (km/h) or meters per second (m/s))

 d = distance (measured in units such as kilometers (km) or meters (m))

 t = time (measured in units such as hours (h) or seconds (s))

This formula helps you calculate the speed of an object when you know the distance it travels and the
time it takes to travel that distance.

3. Key Characteristics of Speed:

 Higher speed means the object moves faster, covering a greater distance in less time.

o For example, a car moving at 100 km/h is moving faster than one moving at 60 km/h.

 Lower speed means the object moves slower, covering less distance in the same amount of
time.

o For instance, a person walking at 3 km/h is slower than a cyclist riding at 15 km/h.

 Zero speed means there is no movement, or the object is stationary, such as when a parked car
has a speed of 0 km/h.

4. Rearranging the Formula: In some situations, you may need to rearrange the formula to solve for
distance or time:

 To calculate distance (d) when speed and time are known:

This formula tells you how far an object travels if you know its speed and the time it moves.

 To calculate time (t) when speed and distance are known:

5. Understanding Units of Speed: Speed is typically expressed in the following units:

 Kilometers per hour (km/h): Commonly used for travel over long distances, such as in cars,
buses, or airplanes.

 Meters per second (m/s): Often used in physics or for describing motion over short distances,
such as the speed of a runner or a ball.

 Miles per hour (mph): Used mainly in the United States for vehicle speeds on roads.

The units of distance and time determine the units of speed. For example, if the distance is measured in
kilometers and time in hours, the speed will be in km/h. If the distance is in meters and time in seconds,
the speed will be in m/s.

6. Important Relationships:

 Speed is directly proportional to distance and inversely proportional to time. This means:

o If the speed increases while the distance remains the same, the time taken will
decrease.

o If the speed decreases while the distance remains the same, the time taken will
increase.

 Speed and velocity: While speed measures how fast an object moves, velocity also considers
the direction of movement. For example, an object moving at 50 km/h eastward has a velocity,
but an object moving at 50 km/h without specifying a direction only has speed.

7. Real-Life Applications of Speed: Understanding speed is essential in many real-world situations. Here
are a few areas where speed plays an important role:

 Transportation: Speed determines how long it will take to travel between two points. For
example, a car driving at 80 km/h will take 2 hours to cover a distance of 160 kilometers.

 Sports: Athletes aim to maximize their speed to complete a race in the shortest time. Runners,
cyclists, and swimmers all rely on their speed to achieve better performance.

 Safety: In traffic, speed limits are set to ensure safety. Exceeding the speed limit can lead to
accidents because higher speeds reduce the time available to react to potential hazards.

8. Summary of Key Points:

 Speed is a measure of how quickly an object moves and is calculated using the formula

o Higher speed means moving faster, covering more distance in less time.

 Lower speed means moving slower, taking more time to cover the same distance.
 Speed is a scalar quantity, meaning it only includes magnitude, not direction.

 The formula can be rearranged to calculate distance or time if the other values are known.

 Understanding speed helps solve real-world problems related to travel, safety, sports, and
logistics.