DYNAMICS/FORCES O LEVEL PHYSICS

FORCES

FORCE:
A push or pull acting/exerted on an object which changes or tends to change the state
of the object.
 SI unit of force is “Newton” [N].
 Force is a vector quantity.
 Spring balance/ Newton meter is used to measure force.

TYPES OF FORCES:
i) Weight.
ii) Friction
iii) Tension
iv) Centripetal Force.

1. Weight [W]:
Pull of gravity on an object.
OR
Force with which earth attracts an object towards its centre, is known as weight
of the object.
W = mg.
Where, W = weight in “N”
m = mass of the object in “Kg” and
g = gravitational field strength [ 10 N/kg ].
rope

T = 60 N
2. Tension [T]:
An opposing force produced in strings/ springs/ropes
etc. due to applied force. block

W = 60 N

3. Friction:
Force that opposes motion of an object. Direction of motion

Applied Force
Subcategories of friction are;
Air resistance, water resistance (water
Friction
drag), surface friction.
 Friction is directly proportional to the speed of the object.

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4. Centripetal Force:
Force that keeps a body moving
F Object moving
on a circular path. F
F on a circular
 Centripetal force is always directed path with
Towards centre of the circular path, F uniform speed, v
As shown in the diagram. F

NEWTON`S LAWS OF MOTION

1. 1st Law of Motion:

Every object maintains its state of rest or of uniform motion, until
it is acted upon by an external force.

 Inertia:
Reluctance of a body(matter) to any change in its state of rest or of
uniform motion, is known as Inertia.

 Inertia is the measure of mass of the object.

More the mass of an object, more will be its inertia and vice versa.
Inertia α Mass

2. 2nd Law of motion:

An external/unbalanced force produces acceleration in an object,
in its own direction.
The acceleration produced is directly proportional to the
magnitude of the Resultant Force (RF) and is inversely
proportional to the mass of the object.

i.e. a α F …………………m = constant…………………(i)

1
and aα ………………F = constant……….…………. (ii)
𝑚
combining (i) and (ii) we get,
F
a𝛼
𝑚
F
Or a=
m
…………………………………(1)

F = ma

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Explanation to 2nd law of motion.

i.e Relating Force (F), Mass(m) and Acceleration(a)

F
m = 2 kg As a=
F1 = 50 N F2 = 50 N m
0
 a=
(a) 2
R.F = 0 N so a=0  a = 0 m/s2

m = 2 kg F
F1 = 50 N F2 = 40 N As a=
m
(b) 10
 a=
R.F = 10 N to left 2
so a = 5 m/s2 towards left  a = 5 m/s2

m = 2 kg F
F1 = 30 N F2 = 50 N As a=
m
20
(c)  a=
2
R.F = 20 N to the right
 a = 10 m/s2
so a = 10 m/s2 towards right

m = 2 kg F
F1 = 42 N F2 = 50 N As a=
m
8
(d)  a=
2
R.F = 8 N to the right
so a = 10 m/s2 towards right
 a = 4 m/s2

m = 8 kg
F1 = 30 N F2 = 50 N F
As a=
m
20
(e)  a=
8
Although Resultant Forceis same
as above  a = 2.5 m/s2
i.e R.F = 10 N to rightwards
but acceleration is lesser.
so,
a = 2.5 m/s2 rightwards

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 Generalizing the above discussion,

We conclude that,

 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝛼 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒, and

 is always in the direction of the Resultant Force

Consider a block of mass m kg, acted upon by TWO Unbalanced Forces, as shown below.

mass = m
F1 kg F2

For above diagram we can write,

R.F = ma

=> F2 – F1 = ma where F2 – F1 = R.F

a α R.F
When Resultant Force Then Acceleration
(RF)/N a/ms–2
is Zero is Zero

Constant Constant

Increases Increases

Decreases Decreases

 When an object accelerates, under the action of Constant Forward

Force
 Its speed(velocity) increases due to which air resistance acting on
the object increases causing Resultant Force (on the object) to
decrease.
As a α R.F hence acceleration of the object decreases.
Further on, as the object continues to move under the constant
forward force,
 The air resistance becomes equal to the Forward Force due to
which the R.F becomes Zero (Forces are Balanced) and object
continues to move with uniform speed (terminal velocity).

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 The car of mass m = 800 kg shown in diagram accelerates from the rest and continues to move
under the action of constant forward force of 5000 N (say).

The motion of the car at different stages can be explained as below;

 In the beginning at t = 0 initial speed, u = 0 so air

resistance is = 0.
i.e. Forward Force FA = 5000 N Backward Force FB = 0 At t = 0, u = 0, FB = 0 so R.F = 5000 N
as speed is u = 0. [R.F = 5000 N] Then a = 6.25 m/s2

 After t = 4 s its speed becomes v = 5 m/s (say) due to which it

experiences air resistance
i.e. FB = 1000 N (say) that makes R.F = 4000 N
At t = 4 s, v = 20m/s, FB = 1000 N so R.F = 4000 N
[R.F = 5000 – 1000 = 4000 N] Then a = 5 m/s2
less RF less acceleration.

 since the car is accelerating its speed increases to v = 12 m/s (say)

so air resistance also increases to FB = 2000 N (say)
and then R.F = 3000 N.
Lesser RF further less acceleration. At t = 8 s, v = 30 m/s, FB = 2000 N so R.F = 3000 N
Then a = 3.75 m/s2.

 Since air resistance keeps on increasing which makes R.F to

decrease consequently decreasing the acceleration. (speed of
the car increases at decreasing rate).
At t = x s, v = 30 m/s, FB = 5000 N so R.F = 0 N
Finally, FB = 5000 N and then R.F = 0, and the car continues to Then a = 0 m/s2, uniform motion.
Forces balanced.
move with uniform speed.
i.e. “Zero acceleration”.

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3. 3rd Law of motion:

To every action there is equal and opposite reaction.
OR
Action and reaction are equal in magnitude but opposite in
direction.
 Examples of action- Reaction Forces. Direction
of motion

R = 50 N
Normal Reaction

Action Force Reaction Force

Action
W = 50 N
Rotation of
wheel of a car

Direction of
motion of the car

Action of the wheel Reaction of the road.

Direction of the force exerted by Direction of the force exerted by the road
the rotating wheel on the road. on the wheel to keep the car moving.

Wall exerts Reaction Force on the

ball so it bounces off the wall
v
Action on
the wall
Ball thrown
on the wall  Action-
reaction
Wall forces NEVER
act on the
same object.

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DYNAMICS/FORCES O LEVEL PHYSICS

MOENTUM, IMPULSE AND LAW OF CONSERVATIONOF MOMENTUM:

1. MOMENTUM [P]:
The product of mass and velocity of an object.

Moentum = mass x velocity.

P = mv
 SI unit of momentum is,” Kgm/s” or “Ns”
 Momentum is a vector quantity, and is in the direction of velocity.

Example 1. An object of mass 4.0 Kg is moving with a velocity of 12 m/s, rightwards,

as shown below.
Calculate the momentum of the object.
4.0 Kg
12 m/s

Solution.
Momentum = mv
Or P = 4 x 12
P = 48 Kgm/s. -------------------- Answer

Example 2. An object of mass 7.0 Kg is moving with a velocity of 8 m/s, left wards, as
shown in diagram.
Calculate the momentum of the object.

7.0 Kg
8 m/s

Solution.
Momentum = mv
Or P = 7 x (– 8)
P = – 56 Kgm/s. -------------------- Answer.

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DYNAMICS/FORCES O LEVEL PHYSICS

2. FORCE AND MOMENTUM [P]:

If an external/unbalanced force “F” acts on an object of mass “m” for a time

interval of “∆t” and velocity of the object changes from “u” to “v”, as shown
below.

m m
u F v

Object moving with velocity u Force acting on the object for time ∆t
Initial Momentum Pi = mu Changing its velocity to v.
Final Momentum Pf = mv

Then acceleration produced by the force can be expressed as,

𝑣−𝑢
a= -------------------------- (1)
∆𝑡
According to Newton’s second law the Force can be written as,
F = ma ---------------------------- (2)
From equation (1) putting the value of “a” in equation (2)
We get,
𝑣−𝑢
F=m( )
∆𝑡
𝑚𝑣−𝑚𝑢
Or F= ----------------------- (3)
∆𝑡
𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚−𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚
Or F=
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛
𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚
F= ---------------- (4)
𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛

From above equation (3) Force can also be stated as;

“Force equals to the change in momentum of an object, per unit time.”

OR
“Force equals to the rate of change of momentum of an object.”
3. IMPULSE[I]:
The product of force “F” and time interval “∆t”, for which it acts, is
known as Impulse.
Impulse(I) = F x ∆t
Rearranging equation No. (3), we get,
F ∆t = mv – mu
I = mv – mu OR Impulse = change in momentum of the object.
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DYNAMICS/FORCES O LEVEL PHYSICS

4. LAW OF CONSERVATIONOF MOMENTUM:

The total momentum, of two colliding objects, before and after the collision
remains constant/same, if no external force acts on the colliding objects.
OR
Total momentum of an isolated system remains conserved, provided that no
external force acts on the system.

m1 m2 m1 m2 m1 m2
1 u1 u2 1 1 v1 v2

Colliding with each

Before collision other in time interval ∆t After collision

For two objects of mass m1 and m2,

moving along straight line, with
initial speeds u1 and u2 respectively
(where u1 > u2), collide with each other.
After collision their velocities change
to v1 and v2, respectively.
Then according to the
law of conservation of momentum,
We can write;

Total momentum before collision = Total momentum after collision.

m1 u1 + m2 u2 = m1 v1 + m2 v2

OR, rearranging the above equation, we get,

m1 v1 – m1 u1 = – (m2 v2 – m2 u2)
change in momentum of 1st object = – (change in momentum of 2nd object).

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DYNAMICS/FORCES O LEVEL PHYSICS

 Centripetal Force:
Force that keeps a body moving
on a circular path. F F Object moving
F on a circular
 Centripetal force is always directed path with
Towards centre of the circular path, F uniform speed, v
As shown in the diagram. F

Examples;
(i) Planetary Motion:
The gravitational pull of the sun provides centripetal force to the planets
(Earth) to keep moving on circular orbits.

(ii) Car moving along curved road:

The friction between road and the tyres provide centripetal force to the
car to keep moving on curved road.

(iii) Electrons moving around Nucleus:

The electrostatic force of attraction between unlike charges (negative
electrons and positive nucleus) gives centripetal force to electron to move
on circular shells, in an atom.

(iv) A stone tied to string whirling on circular path:

The tension (T) in the string gives centripetal force to the stone to move
along circular path.

 When an object moves on a circular path,

with uniform speed `v` the direction of v
motion of the object changes at every B
point on the circular path, as shown at v
positions A, B, C, D and E, due to which C F a
F Object moving
velocity of the object changes (as velocity a A on a circular
F
is a vector quantity i.e. a combination of v a path with
F
Speed and Direction). uniform speed, v
a a
This change in direction of motion F v
D
produces acceleration in the object. E
 Direction of this acceleration is also v
towards centre of the circular path,
as shown in the diagram.

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DYNAMICS/FORCES O LEVEL PHYSICS

 Thinking Distance:
Distance covered by the car before the brakes are applied.
Factors effecting Thinking Distance:

i) Speed Of the car.

ii) Poor Eyesight.
iii) Age of the driver.
iv) The driver is drunk.

 Braking Distance:
Distance covered by the car after the brakes are applied.
Factors effecting Braking Distance:

i) Speed of the car:

Faster the speed more will be the braking distance and vice versa.
 Braking distance α speed

ii) Road Condition:

If the road is wet, it provides less friction so less will be the
deceleration hence longer will be the braking distance and vice
versa.

iii) Tyres condition:

If the tyres are new, they provide more friction so more will be
the deceleration hence smaller will be the braking distance and
vice versa.

iv) Mass of the car:

When there is more mass in/of the car there will be less
𝐹
deceleration [as 𝑎 = 𝑚 , 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑎 ] hence
longer will be the braking distance and vice versa.

 Braking distance α m

v) Braking Force:
Larger the braking force more will be the deceleration hence
smaller will be the braking distance and vice versa.

1
 Braking distance α
𝐹

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ADDITION OF VECTORS/FORCES:
Graphically vectors can be added by the following two methods,
5. Head to Tail Rule:
To add vectors/forces by this method, the given vectors/forces are drawn
according to some suitable selected scale such that head of the first
vector coincides/touches the tail of the second vector then resultant
vector is drawn from the tail of the first vector to the head of the second
vector.
Example. Find the resultant of the forces given below. Head
F2 = 50 N

600
F1 = 80 N
Tail Tail
Head

i) Select a suitable scale

Scale
Let 10 N = 1 cm. This means 80 N = 8 cm
50 N = 5 cm
ii) Draw the given forces in given directions
according to the selected scale such that
5 cm
head of first force touches the tail of the
second force, as shown below. 600
8 cm

iii) Now draw the resultant force From the

tail of the first force to the head of the 5 cm
second force.
θ 600
8 cm

iv) Measure the length of the resultant force using ruler and multiply this
measured length with selected scale to get your R.F in units of `N`.
Measured length = 11.4 cm (say)
Then R. F = 11.4 x 10 N
So, magnitude of R.F = 114 N.
v) Direction of R.F is the angle `θ` measured with protractor, at the tail of
the Resultant Force, as shown in vector diagram.
Say measured value of θ = 320
Hence Direction of R.F = θ = 320 with 80 N force.
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 MAGNITUDE OF RESULTANT FORCE OF TWO PERPENDICULAR FORCES can be found by

using PHTHAGORAS RULE, as given below.

Example:
Find the magnitude of Resultant of the given forces.
F2 = 60 N

F1 = 80 N

Solution:
Simply draw the given forces according to HTTR without using any scale.
Draw resultant force. [complete right-angle triangle of the vectors/forces.]
Apply Pythagoras rule to get magnitude of R.F.

Magnitude of R.F = F12 + F22 F2 = 60 N

Magnitude of R.F = 802 + 602 θ

F1 = 80 N
Magnitude of R.F = 10000 C

Magnitude of R.F = 100 N

 For direction = θ = Use protractor to find angle [Direction].

3N

(a) θ
4N

9N

(b) θ
12 N

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6. Parallelogram of vectors/forces:
Preferred for TWO vectors/forces acting at a point.

700

i) Select a suitable scale to

Scale
Let 40 N = 1 cm. This means 200 N = 4 cm.
120 N = 3 cm.

ii) Draw the given forces with their tails joined, according to the selected scale to
represent adjacent sides of the parallelogram, as shown below.
5 cm

θ
5 cm

iii) Now draw the resultant force which is the diagonal drawn from common tails to the
common heads.

iv) Measure the length of the resultant force using ruler and multiply this measured
length with selected scale to get your R.F in units of `N`.

Measured length = 6.4 cm (say)

Then R. F = 6.4 x 40 N
So, magnitude of R.F = 256 N.

v) Direction of R.F is the angle `θ` measured with protractor, at the tail of the
Resultant Force, as shown in vector diagram.
Say measured value of θ = 280
Hence Direction of R.F = θ = 280 with 200 N force.

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