What does OCR A-Level PE biomechanics cover?

It is Section C of Component 01 and covers the mechanics of sporting movement: mechanical principles and levers (mass, weight, centre of mass, the lever classes and mechanical advantage), linear motion and Newton's laws (force, momentum and impulse), projectile motion (the factors affecting flight and the parabola), angular motion (moment of inertia, angular momentum and its conservation), and fluid mechanics (drag, lift, the Bernoulli principle and the Magnus effect). It is the most calculation-heavy section, with formulae whose units carry marks.

Which formulae must I know for OCR PE biomechanics?

The key formulae are weight equals mass times gravity, force equals mass times acceleration (F equals ma, Newton's second law), momentum equals mass times velocity, impulse equals force times time (which equals the change in momentum), velocity equals displacement divided by time, acceleration equals change in velocity divided by time, mechanical advantage equals effort arm divided by load arm, and angular momentum equals moment of inertia times angular velocity. Learn each with its units.

Why is the optimum release angle not always 45 degrees?

Exactly 45 degrees gives maximum horizontal distance only when the release height equals the landing height. When the release is above the landing height, as in a shot put or javelin thrown from above shoulder height, the extra height already adds flight time, so the optimum angle is below 45 degrees (around 37 to 42 degrees). For a long jump take-off, where horizontal velocity matters most, the effective angle is much lower, around 20 degrees.

How does a gymnast control the speed of a somersault?

Angular momentum is conserved in flight because no external torque acts, and it equals moment of inertia times angular velocity. By tucking, the gymnast brings their mass close to the axis, reducing the moment of inertia, so angular velocity rises and the spin speeds up. By opening out before landing, they spread their mass from the axis, raising the moment of inertia, so angular velocity falls and the spin slows for a controlled landing.

How should I revise biomechanics for OCR PE?

Drill the formulae and their units until calculations are automatic, because this section rewards speed and accuracy under time pressure. Practise reading force-time graphs (the area is the impulse), free body diagrams and projectile diagrams. Learn the lever classes, the three projectile factors, the conservation of angular momentum and the Bernoulli and Magnus mechanisms, then apply each to a named sport. Work through the five biomechanics dot-point pages, then attempt the quiz.

EnglandPhysical Education

OCR A-Level PE biomechanics: a complete overview of Component 01 Section C

A complete overview of OCR A-Level PE biomechanics (Component 01, Section C). Covers the mechanical principles and levers, linear motion and Newton's laws, projectile motion, angular motion and fluid mechanics, with the formulae and calculations the paper rewards.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.813 min readH555-1.3Updated 2026-06-02

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

Jump to a section

What this section demands
Mechanical principles and levers
Linear motion and Newton's laws
Projectile motion
Angular motion
Fluid mechanics
Check your knowledge

What this section demands

Biomechanics is Section C of Component 01 and the most calculation-heavy part of the whole A-Level. It tests the formulae of force, momentum, impulse and angular momentum (with their units), the reading of force-time, free body and projectile diagrams, and the explanation of drag, lift and spin. Marks are lost on missing units and gained by applying each principle to a named sport. This overview ties the dot-point pages together.

Mechanical principles and levers

Mass (kg) is matter; weight ( $W = mg$ , N) is the force of gravity on it; inertia is the resistance to changing motion. The centre of mass is the balance point through which weight acts, and stability rises with a low centre of mass over a wide base. A lever has a fulcrum, effort and load, and its class is set by which is in the middle (first: fulcrum; second: load; third: effort). Mechanical advantage is $\frac{\text{effort arm}}{\text{load arm}}$ : above 1 favours force, below 1 favours speed. See the biomechanical principles and levers page.

Linear motion and Newton's laws

Newton's three laws are inertia, acceleration ( $F = ma$ ) and action-reaction. The linear quantities are distance and displacement, speed and velocity, and acceleration. Momentum is $\text{mass} \times \text{velocity}$ (kg m/s); impulse is $\text{force} \times \text{time}$ (Ns) and equals the change in momentum, read as the area under a force-time graph. A net positive impulse means the performer accelerates. See the linear motion and Newton's laws page.

Projectile motion

The horizontal distance of a projectile depends on the speed, angle and height of release. The optimum angle is 45 degrees only when release and landing heights are equal; a shot put (released high) needs less. In flight, the horizontal velocity is constant and the vertical velocity changes under gravity, giving a parabola; light objects with large air resistance follow a non-parabolic path. See the projectile motion page.

Angular motion

Angular displacement, velocity (rad/s) and acceleration are the rotational quantities. The moment of inertia is the resistance to changing rotation and depends on how far the mass is from the axis. Angular momentum is $H = I \times \omega$ and is conserved in flight (no external torque), so tucking (lower moment of inertia) speeds the spin and opening out slows it. See the angular motion page.

Fluid mechanics

Drag increases with velocity, frontal area, an unstreamlined shape and a rough surface, so athletes streamline. The Bernoulli principle (faster air, lower pressure) creates lift across an aerofoil. The Magnus effect applies this to a spinning ball: topspin dips, backspin floats, sidespin curls. See the fluid mechanics page.

Check your knowledge

Attempt these, then check the solutions.

A 60 kg jumper accelerates at 3 m/s squared. Calculate the force they produce and give the unit. (2 marks)
Define impulse and state what it equals. (2 marks)
A diver has a moment of inertia of 10 kg m squared and an angular velocity of 6 rad/s. Calculate their angular momentum. (2 marks)
State the three factors affecting the horizontal distance of a projectile. (3 marks)
Explain in one sentence why a ball with backspin floats further. (2 marks)

Sources & how we know this

OCR A Level Physical Education (H555) specification — OCR (2016)