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P2 Forces

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do springs stretch under a force, what is Hooke's law, and how is energy stored in a stretched spring?

Elastic and inelastic deformation, Hooke's law and the force on a spring, the limit of proportionality, the energy stored in a stretched spring, and the force-extension practical.
A focused answer to OCR Gateway GCSE Physics A topic P2 on springs and elasticity, covering elastic and inelastic deformation, Hooke's law and the force on a spring, the limit of proportionality, the energy stored in a stretched spring, and the force-extension practical.
9 min answer →

What is the turning effect of a force, and how do moments, levers and gears work?

The moment of a force as a turning effect, the principle of moments for a balanced object, levers and gears as force multipliers, and applications such as spanners and seesaws.
A focused answer to OCR Gateway GCSE Physics A topic P2 on moments, covering the turning effect of a force, the moment equation, the principle of moments for a balanced object, and how levers and gears act as force multipliers.
8 min answer →

What is momentum, why is it conserved in collisions, and how does it explain road-safety features?

Momentum as mass times velocity, the conservation of momentum in collisions and explosions, force as the rate of change of momentum, and how safety features increase collision time to reduce force.
A focused answer to OCR Gateway GCSE Physics A topic P2 on momentum, covering momentum as mass times velocity, the conservation of momentum in collisions and explosions, force as the rate of change of momentum at Higher tier, and how safety features reduce the force in a crash.
9 min answer →

How do we describe motion with speed, velocity and acceleration, and read distance-time and velocity-time graphs?

Scalar and vector quantities, distance, displacement, speed, velocity and acceleration, distance-time and velocity-time graphs, the meaning of gradient and area under a graph, and the SUVAT equation for uniform acceleration.
A focused answer to OCR Gateway GCSE Physics A topic P2 on motion, covering scalar and vector quantities, distance, displacement, speed, velocity and acceleration, distance-time and velocity-time graphs, the meaning of gradient and area, and the SUVAT equation for Higher tier.
9 min answer →

What are Newton's three laws, and how do resultant force, mass and weight determine how an object moves?

Newton's three laws of motion, resultant force, the difference between mass and weight, the equations for weight and resultant force, friction and drag, and terminal velocity.
A focused answer to OCR Gateway GCSE Physics A topic P2 on Newton's laws, covering the three laws of motion, resultant force, the difference between mass and weight, the equations for weight and force, friction and drag, and terminal velocity.
9 min answer →