Study

Guide: PS. 10 – Motion, Forces, Work & Simple Machines

DESCRIBING MOTION
Distance: how far something has moved; SI unit meters (m)
Reference point: non-moving object used as a comparison point to detect an object’s motion.
Displacement: the distance between the starting point and ending point of motion.

SPEED

Definition of Speed: the distance an object travels per unit time

Speed Formula:

speed = distance s=d

time t
d measured in meters (m)
t measured in seconds (s)
s measured in meters per second (m/s)

***Speed can also be measured in km/hr OR cm/sec… any distance/time!

Types of Speed:

Constant speed: a moving object that doesn’t change its speed. Represented
by a straight line.
Average speed: the total distance traveled divided by the total time of travel
Instantaneous speed: the speed at any given point in time

Examples:

1) It takes you 30 minutes to drive to grandma’s house, 25 miles away.

What is your average speed while traveling there (in mi/h)?.

25 mi / 0.5h = 50 mi/h

2) Mike rides his motorcycle at an average speed of 20 m/s for 500 seconds, how far did he ride?

20 m/s x 500 s = 10,000 m

3) Jenny ran 500 meters at an average speed of 6 m/s. What was her 500 meter dash time?

500 m / 6 m/s = 83.3 s (1:38 min)

VELOCITY

Velocity Definition: the speed of an object in a given direction

Example: Circle the velocities: 24 km/h 14 mi/h N 10 mi/h toward school

ACCELERATION

Acceleration Definition: the rate of change of velocity

The three ways to accelerate:

1. Speeding up—positive acceleration
2. Slowing down—negative acceleration (aka deceleration)
3. Changing direction
 Study Guide: PS. 10 – Motion, Forces, Work & Simple Machines
Acceleration formula:

acceleration = final velocity –initial velocity

time

Velocity measured in m/s

Time measured in seconds (s)
acceleration measured in m/s²

Examples:

1. Circle the statements that correctly describe acceleration:

a. A car accelerates as it speeds up / slows down / goes around a curve.

b. Moving in a straight line at a constant speed is / is not acceleration.

2. A car accelerates from a stop to 60 m/s in 10 seconds. What is it’s acceleration?

2
(60-0)m/s / 10s = 6 m/s

FORCES
Definition of Force: a push or pull that one body exerts on another; can change an object’s motion

- Net force: the combined forces of two or more forces acting on an object at the same time; the object will
move in the direction of the larger force
- Balanced force: two forces that are equal in size and opposite indirection; the object does not move

Types of Forces:

- Friction: the force between two surfaces that are touching each other; friction will slow down the motion of the
object. Includes static, sliding, rolling, and fluid.

- Gravity: The force that pulls objects toward each other.

o Law of Universal Gravitation:

§ Any two objects with mass will exert an attractive force on each other.
§ The attractive force of gravity depends on the mass of the objects and the distance between
them.
2
§ Objects on earth fall with an acceleration of 9.8 m/s unless acted on by another force, like air
resistance.

o Weight: the gravitational force exerted on an object by earth, measured in Newtons (N)
2
§ Weight (on Earth) = mass (in kg) x 9.8 m/s², 1 N = 1 kg m/s

Force Example Questions:

1. Explain why balanced forces do NOT change an object’s position or motion.

They cancel each other out.
2. Circle the correct word(s) or statement(s).

a. As distance increases, the force of gravity increases / decreases.

b. As mass increases, the force of gravity increases / decreases.

c. As gravity increases, acceleration due to gravity increases / decreases.

 Study Guide: PS. 10 – Motion, Forces, Work & Simple Machines

3. Compare and contrast mass and weight (p 359-361 of Interactive Science textbook/Pearson eText).

Weight
Mass


Definition:
Definition:
force of gravity pulling on an
amount of matter in an object's mass
object


Units: Newtons (N, kg m/s)
Units: grams (g)


Relationship to location:
Relationship to location:
decreases with decreasing
stays the same
gravity (i.e. outer space)

NEWTON’S LAWS OF MOTION

- Newton’s First Law (Law of Inertia): An object in motion keeps moving at the same velocity until a net force
acts on it; and an object at rest stays at rest until a net force acts on it.

o Inertia: The tendency of an object to resist a change in its motion (direction, speed, etc.)
§ The greater the mass, the greater the inertia.
§ Examples:
• You are thrown forward into your seat belt when the car comes to a sudden stop.
• The glass of water sitting on the table stays upright unless you knock it down.

o Centripetal Force: A force that causes an object to move in a circular path.

§ Centripetal forces combine with inertia to keep objects moving in a circle.
§ Examples:
• A tether ball circling the poll (centripetal force = tether, inertial force = you hitting the ball).
• A satellite orbiting earth (centripetal force = gravity, inertial force = the rocket launch).

- Newton’s Second Law: The net force acting on an object causes the object to accelerate in the direction of that
force, and is proportional to the object’s mass. (aka F = m x a)

o Example:
§ A lightweight performance race car will go from 0-60 in 10 seconds,
whereas your mom’s minivan will take 10 minutes!

o Formula: force= mass x acceleration (F = m x a)

a = acceleration, measured in m/s²
m = mass, measured in kilograms (kg)
f = force, measured in kg m/s² or Newtons (N)
 Study Guide: PS. 10 – Motion, Forces, Work & Simple Machines

o Momentum: how much force is needed to change an objects motion; the product of mass x velocity.
§ As you increase velocity or mass it becomes harder to stop the object; it has greater momentum
§ Example: A heavy bowling ball is harder to stop than a marble.

o Conservation of Momentum: momentum can be transferred between objects and is not lost or gained
§ Example: When you are playing pool, the que ball collides with the 8 ball & transfers its
momentum to move the 8 ball into the pocket.

- Newton’s Third Law: for every action force there is an equal and opposite reaction force
o Example: When you exert a force on the ground to push off on your skateboard, the ground exerts a force
back on you that causes you to roll forward.

Newton’s Laws Example Questions:

st
1. Explain why an object thrown into the air will fall back down. Because of Newton’s 1 Law – external forces
must be acting on it (specifically gravity, air resistance).
2
2. An object accelerates 10 m/s when you exert a force of 20 N on it. What was its’ mass?
2
M = f / a = 20 N / 10 m/s = 2 kg
2
3. A 10 kg object is accelerating at 5 m/s . How much force will be needed to stop it?
2
F = m x a = 10 kg x 5 m/s = 50 N
4. List one real life example of each Newton’s Law not already in your study guide (pages 362-367).
1st Law – A heavy backpack is harder to move, a roller coaster is hard to stop.
2nd Law – You have to push a full shopping cart harder than an empty one, more dogs = faster sled.
3rd Law – Leaning against a wall, swimming

WORK & POWER

WORK: The transfer of energy that occurs when a force makes an object move. For
work to occur, the object must move AND movement must be in the SAME direction
as the applied force

- Formula: Work = force x distance (F x D)

o work measured in Joules (J)
o force measured in Newtons (N)
o distance measured in meters (m)

Work Example Questions:

1. Circle all correct examples of work:

a. Lifting a book bag 1 m into the air while (otherwise) standing still.

b. Holding a cafeteria tray at a height of 1 m while walking 10 m to your seat.

c. Pushing a laptop cart from your classroom to the library.

2. You lift a 10 N object up to a height of 20 m. How much work did you do?
W = f x d = 10 x 20 = 200 J

POWER: The amount of work done in a certain amount of time. Can mean MORE work
is down in the SAME amount of time OR the SAME amount of work is done in LESS
time.
o Formula: Power = work/time (P = W/T)
§ Power is measured in watts (W)
 Study Guide: PS. 10 – Motion, Forces, Work & Simple Machines

Power Example Questions:

1. You used 1,000 Joules of energy to run for 50 seconds. How much power did
you use? P = W / T = 1,000 J / 50 s = 20 W

2. Circle the correct word(s) to complete the statement:

a. A more powerful machine will complete the same work in more / less / the same amount of time

b. Running with your book bag requires more / less / the same amount of work as walking.

c. Running with your book bag requires more / less / the same amount of power as walking.

SIMPLE MACHINES
Machines make work easier by:
1. Decreasing amount of input force needed (by increasing the input distance)
2. Decreasing the input distance (by increasing input force needed)
3. Changing direction of the applied force (making the work more convenient)

Mechanical Advantage: The number of times a machine increases the force exerted on it.
o Formula: AMA = Output force ÷ Input force
o Example: April provides an input force of 10 N on a drum key to tighten her base drum. The key provides
an output force of 15 N. What is the mechanical advantage? 15N / 10 N = 1.5 N

Efficiency: Comparison of the output work to input work OR comparison of the actual mechanical advantage (AMA) to
the ideal mechanical advantage (IMA). NO machine is 100% efficient.
o Formula: (Output work ÷ Input Work) x 100 OR (AMA ÷ IMA) x 100
o Example: What is the efficiency of a bicycle if the input work to turn the pedals is 45 J and the output
work of the bike moving is 30 J? (30 / 45 ) x 100 = 67%

TYPES OF SIMPLE MACHINE (pages

Machine How it Works/Actual Mechanical Ideal Mechanical Advantage

Advantage (AMA) (IMA)

Output force (the object’s weight) Length of incline
Input force (your push/pull) Height of incline

*Decreases input force needed to move Example: What is the mechanical
object by increasing distance. advantage of a ramp that is 4.5 m long &
2.0 m tall?
Output force (weight)> Input force (push)
Output distance (height) < Input distance
(length of ramp)


Study Guide: PS. 10 – Motion, Forces, Work & Simple Machines

Output force (the wedge’s force) Length of wedge
Input force (the force you exert) Width of wedge

*Changes the direction of force from Example: Calculate the mechanical
directly up/down to 90° angle. advantage of a wedge that is 4 cm wide
& 22 cm long.




 Study Guide: PS. 10 – Motion, Forces, Work & Simple Machines

Output force (the screw’s force) Length around threads
Input force (the force you exert) Length of screw (output distance)

*Decreases input force needed to move Example: What is the mechanical
object by increasing distance (output advantage of a 3 cm screw with threads
force > input force) that measure 24 cm in length?
Screw





Output force (force on load) Length from fulcrum to effort (input)
Input force (your effort) Length from fulcrum to load (output)

st
*1 Class Levers change direction of input
AND increase output force OR output Example: What is the mechanical
distance. advantage if you grip a 2m long hockey
stick at a distance of 0.5 m from its end?
nd rd
**2 Class Levers increase output force, (*hint – a hockey puck is a 3 class lever)
but DO NOT change direction of input.
(Input force < output force).

rd
***3 Class Levers increase output
distance but do not change direction of
input. (Input force > output force).

Lever

Pulley Output force (force on load)
Input force (your effort to pull) IMA = Total # of Ropes pulling UP on
the object.
*Decrease input force required to lift the
object (output force > input force).

*Changes direction of applied force (you Example: What is the mechanical
pull down, the object moves up). advantage of the pulley system
pictured?



 Study Guide: PS. 10 – Motion, Forces, Work & Simple Machines

SIMPLE MACHINES PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1. A nutcracker is an example of which type of lever?
st nd rd
1 class 2 class 3 class

2. A baseball bat is an example of which type of lever?

st nd rd
1 class 2 class 3 class

3. A seesaw is an example of which type of lever?

st nd rd
1 class 2 class 3 class

4. What is the ideal mechanical advantage of an inclined plane that is 10 m high and 30 m long?

IMA = length / height = 30 / 10 = 3

5. List all of the ways a pulley can make work easier.

Change direction, change input force (reduce it).