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EnglandPhysics

3 Forces and motion

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do forces combine, balance and turn objects, and what keeps a body in equilibrium?

Forces in action: types of force and free-body diagrams, density and pressure, moments and couples, the principle of moments, centre of mass and the conditions for equilibrium, and terminal velocity.
A focused answer to the OCR H556 forces and motion content on forces in action, covering types of force and free-body diagrams, density and pressure, moments, couples and the principle of moments, centre of mass, the conditions for equilibrium, and terminal velocity.
12 min answer →

How do materials deform under load, and what do stress, strain and the Young modulus tell us?

Materials: Hooke's law and the force constant, elastic and plastic deformation, stress, strain and the Young modulus, elastic strain energy, and the behaviour of ductile, brittle and polymeric materials.
A focused answer to the OCR H556 forces and motion content on materials, covering Hooke's law and the force constant, elastic and plastic deformation, stress, strain and the Young modulus, elastic strain energy as the area under a force-extension graph, and ductile, brittle and polymeric behaviour.
12 min answer →

How do we describe motion in a straight line using graphs and the equations of constant acceleration?

Motion: displacement, velocity and acceleration, motion graphs and their gradients and areas, the equations of motion for uniform acceleration, and free fall under gravity.
A focused answer to the OCR H556 forces and motion content on kinematics, covering displacement, velocity and acceleration, interpreting motion graphs by gradient and area, the four equations of motion for uniform acceleration, and free fall under gravity.
12 min answer →

How do Newton's laws and the conservation of momentum govern collisions and explosions?

Newton's laws of motion and momentum: the three laws, linear momentum and its conservation, impulse as the change in momentum, and elastic and inelastic collisions.
A focused answer to the OCR H556 forces and motion content on Newton's laws and momentum, covering the three laws of motion, linear momentum and its conservation, impulse as force times time and the change in momentum, and the distinction between elastic and inelastic collisions.
12 min answer →

How do we analyse two-dimensional projectile motion by separating horizontal and vertical components?

Projectile motion: independence of horizontal and vertical motion, constant horizontal velocity and vertical free-fall acceleration, and the effect of air resistance on a real trajectory.
A focused answer to the OCR H556 forces and motion content on projectile motion, covering the independence of horizontal and vertical motion, constant horizontal velocity with vertical free fall, calculating range, height and time of flight, and the effect of air resistance.
11 min answer →

How are work, energy and power related, and how does the conservation of energy constrain what is possible?

Work, energy and power: work done by a force, the principle of conservation of energy, kinetic and gravitational potential energy, power as the rate of doing work, and efficiency.
A focused answer to the OCR H556 forces and motion content on work, energy and power, covering work done by a force, the conservation of energy, kinetic and gravitational potential energy, power as the rate of doing work with the relation to force and velocity, and efficiency.
11 min answer →