2025/2026
force - Answer-- this can change something's speed, direction, or shape
- it can be push/repulsive or pull/attractive
vector - Answer-a quantity with magnitude (size) AND direction
scalar - Answer-a quantity with magnitude (size) but NOT direction
examples of vectors - Answer-force, weight, velocity, acceleration, displacement
examples of scalars - Answer-distance, mass, speed, energy, time
contact forces - Answer-occur when an object is supported by or strikes another
object e.g. friction
non-contact forces - Answer-the objects don't physically come into contact, e.g.
gravity, magnetic force
mass - Answer-the measure of the amount of matter that anything (including
people) are made up of (this is a scalar)
,weight - Answer-the measure of the force on an object due to gravity (gravity has
a direction, towards the centre of the Earth, so this is a vector)
the Earth's gravity - Answer-9.81m/s² (approx.) - it is in m/s² because gravity refers
to the acceleration that is put on objects as they are pulled in
weight - Answer-= mass X gravity (can be rearranged) - (also, gravity will always be
9.81 on Earth (above))
average velocity - Answer-= (v+u) ÷ 2
acceleration - Answer-= force ÷ mass (can be rearranged so f=ma)
acceleration (m/s²)
a - Answer-= (final velocity (m/s) - initial velocity (m/s)) ÷ time (s)
= (v-u)÷t
(this is over one stretch)
distance travelled if velocity is changing (s) - Answer-= ((v+u) ÷ 2) X t
when we combine the above two formulae: - Answer-2as = v² - u²
SUVAT - Answer-s, u, v, a, and t are the 5 different things in the 3 above formulae -
in any given question, we will probably be given 3 of them, will be asked to find 1,
, and 1 will be left out - we have to write down which ones we have and then figure
out which equation to use depending on what we have been given
terminal velocity - Answer-when the weight going downwards is equal to the air
resistance going upwards
gravity ideas on the moon and Earth - Answer-- the gravity of the moon is less
than on Earth as the moon has less mass than the Earth
- one would weigh less on the moon than on Earth, but still have the same mass
- there is no air resistance on the moon as there is no air, so two objects dropped
simultaneously, regardless of their weight/mass, would hit the ground
simultaneously, as there is no force working against gravity
resultant forces - Answer-the eventual force of two forces acting on one object
- if the forces are acting in the same/opposite directions, just add/subtract
- if they are acting at an angle to each other:
- draw a scale drawing of all the forces acting
- measure the distance from tip to tip of the forces; thats the resultant force
- use a protractor to find a bearing for the force, as force is a vector (so has to
have direction too)