Physics
Definitions
● Acceleration: The change in
velocity per unit time, including
direction
● Displacement: The shortest
distance from your initial position
to your final position, including
direction
● Distance: How far something
travels
● Magnitude: A numerical value
with units
● Scalar: A quantity that has
magnitude only (no direction) e.g.
distance, speed
● Speed: How fast an object is
moving, or how far an object
goes per unitof time
● Time: How long something takes
to happen
● Vector: A quantity that has
BOTH magnitude and direction
e.g. displacement, velocity
● Velocity: The change in speed
per unit time
DISTANCE vs DISPLACEMENT
Distance and displacement are two
VERY different quantities.
● Distance: The total length of the
path traveled, regardless of
direction.
● Displacement: The shortest
straight-line distance from the
starting point to the ending
point, including direction.
EXAMPLE
SCALAR vs VECTOR
Speed, Distance, and Time
Newton's First Law of Motion
Forces
● A force is a push or pull upon an object resulting from the object's interaction with
another object.
● Whenever there is an interaction between two objects, there is a force upon each of
the objects.
● Force in measures in Newton’s - shown by “N”
● One Newton is the amount of force required to give a 1kg mass an acceleration of 1
m/s/s. Thus, the following unit equivalency can be stated:
1 Newton = 1 kg m/s/s
● Force is a VECTOR quantity - it has magnitude AND direction
Balanced Forces
● the Earth's gravitational pull - exerts a downward force.
● the push of the table on the book (sometimes referred to as a normal force) -
pushes upward on the book.
● Since these two forces are of equal magnitude and in opposite directions, they
balance each other.
The book is said to be at equilibrium
Unbalanced Forces
● The book has been shoved to the right - putting it in motion
● The downward force of gravity pulling and the upward force of the table are of
equal magnitude and opposite directions - BALANCED.
● As the book moves to the right, friction acts to the left to slow the book down.
There is an unbalanced force; and causes the book to changes its state of motion.
● The book is not at equilibrium, therefore the forces of unbalanced and the book
will subsequently accelerate.
● Unbalanced forces cause acceleration
Newton’s First Law of Motion
The Law of Inertia
An object will not change its motion unless acted on by an unbalanced force.
● if it is at rest, it will stay at rest
● if it is in motion, it will remain at the same velocity
Objects with a greater mass have more inertia.
It takes more force to change their motion.
Newton's Second Law of Motion
Newton's second law states that; the acceleration of an object is directly related
to the net force and inversely related to its mass. Acceleration of an object
depends on two things, force and mass.
This means that;
Force = mass x acceleration or F=mxa
This also relates directly to Weight as weight is a force;
Weight = mass x gravity or W = m x g where g = 9.8ms-2
Newton's Third Law of Motion
Sir Isaac Newton's Third Law of Motion states;
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
That is, when an object applies a force to a second object, the second object applies an
equal and opposite force to the first object
Energy
Year 10 Science – Physics Practice Test
Total Marks: ~40
Time: 50 minutes + 3 minutes reading time
Section A – Multiple Choice (20 marks)
Circle the correct answer for each question. (1 mark each)
1. What is the unit of force?
a) Joule (J)
b) Newton (N)
c) Watt (W)
d) Pascal (Pa)
2. A car moves 200 m north, then 100 m south. What is the displacement?
a) 300 m
b) 100 m north
c) 100 m south
d) 200 m north
3. Which of the following is a scalar quantity?
a) Velocity
b) Acceleration
c) Distance
d) Displacement
4. Newton’s First Law is also known as the Law of:
a) Acceleration
b) Action-Reaction
c) Inertia
d) Gravity
5. Which of the following is NOT an example of unbalanced forces?
a) A stationary book on a table
b) A person kicking a soccer ball
c) A car accelerating on a highway
d) A falling apple
6. The acceleration of an object depends on:
a) Only the force applied
b) Only its mass
c) Both mass and force
d) Neither mass nor force
7. A skydiver jumps from a plane. Before the parachute opens, they are in:
a) Balanced motion
b) Free fall
c) Constant velocity
d) Static friction
8. What is the correct formula for kinetic energy?
a) KE = mv
b) KE = ½ mv²
c) KE = mg
d) KE = F × d
9. An object with more mass will have:
a) Less inertia
b) More inertia
c) The same inertia as a lighter object
d) No inertia
10.If the force on an object is doubled, what happens to its acceleration?
a) It stays the same
b) It doubles
c) It halves
d) It becomes zero
11.Which energy transformation occurs when a ball falls from a height?
a) Kinetic → Gravitational Potential
b) Gravitational Potential → Kinetic
c) Elastic Potential → Kinetic
d) Kinetic → Elastic Potential
12.If an object is moving at a constant velocity, its acceleration is:
a) Increasing
b) Decreasing
c) Zero
d) Unpredictable
13.What is the acceleration due to gravity on Earth?
a) 10 m/s²
b) 9.8 m/s²
c) 9.8 m/s
d) 1 m/s²
14.According to Newton’s Third Law, when you push against a wall, the wall:
a) Does not push back
b) Pushes back with equal force
c) Pushes back with less force
d) Absorbs all the force
15.The force of friction always acts:
a) In the same direction as motion
b) Opposite to the direction of motion
c) Perpendicular to motion
d) Randomly
16.If a 5 kg object accelerates at 4 m/s², what is the force acting on it?
a) 1.25 N
b) 9.8 N
c) 20 N
d) 5 N
17.A person jumps off a boat and moves forward. The boat moves backward due to:
a) Newton’s First Law
b) Newton’s Second Law
c) Newton’s Third Law
d) Gravity
18.If a car’s velocity changes from 10 m/s to 30 m/s in 5 seconds, what is its
acceleration?
a) 4 m/s²
b) 6 m/s²
c) 10 m/s²
d) 20 m/s²
19.A satellite in space keeps moving because:
a) There is no gravity
b) No external force is acting on it
c) It has no mass
d) Air resistance keeps it going
20.A 2 kg object is lifted to a height of 5 m. What is its gravitational potential energy?
a) 10 J
b) 49 J
c) 98 J
d) 100 J
Section B – Short Answer & Extended Response (20-25 marks)
Short Answer (2-4 marks each)
21.Define the difference between distance and displacement and give an example.
(3 marks)
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22.Calculate the kinetic energy of a 10 kg object moving at 3 m/s. (2 marks)
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23.A force of 30 N is applied to push a 6 kg object. What is its acceleration? (2 marks)
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24.Explain why a larger mass requires more force to accelerate at the same rate as a
smaller mass. (3 marks)
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Extended Response (4-6 marks each)
25.A ball is thrown straight up into the air. Describe its kinetic energy and
gravitational potential energy at different points in its motion. (4 marks)
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26.A cyclist is moving at 10 m/s when they apply brakes and come to a stop in 5
seconds.
a) Calculate the acceleration of the cyclist. (2 marks)
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b) Explain what forces are acting on the cyclist to bring them to a stop. (3 marks)
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Using Newton’s Three Laws of Motion, explain how
a rocket launches into space. (6 marks)
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Law of Conservation of energy. Energy cannot be created or
destroyed, but can change forms.
Different Forms of Energy
Kinetic Energy
Gravitational Potential energy
Kinetic Energy
● All objects that are moving have kinetic energy.
● The faster an object moves, the more kinetic energy it has.
● Kinetic energy depends on the mass of the moving object;
○ E.g: a heavy truck travelling at 60 kilometres per hour has more kinetic energy than a lighter car travelling at the same speed.
Kinetic energy, is measured in Joules denoted by J
KE (J) = Energy due to the motion of an object
KE = ½ mv2
Where;
● m = mass in kg
● v = velocity in m/s
Gravitational Potential Energy
● Potential energy is energy that an object possesses due to its position
● Objects above the ground have gravitational potential energy because the Earth’s gravitational force
can cause them to fall to Earth.
● The higher an object, the more gravitational energy it has.
Gravitational Potential energy,
GPE (J) = mgh
Where;
m = mass of the object in kg
g = acceleration due to gravity = 9.8 m/s2
h = height in m