2025 Physics Notes: Dynamics V2

1. What is the difference between contact & non contact forces?

Contact Forces Non Contact Forces

both Objects touching each other both objects can be a distance
apart
e.g. . friction, air resistance, tension and e.g. gravitational, electrostatic and
normal force magnetic forces

2. What is mass?
A measure of the amount of matter in a body (from syllabus 6091)

3. What is gravitational field?

A region in which a mass experiences a force due to gravitational attraction(from syllabus 6091)

4. What is gravitational field strength, g ?

The gravitational force per unit mass placed at that point.

5. Difference between mass and weight?

mass Weight ( W = m x g )
a measure of the amount of gravitational attractional
matter in a body force by the planet
On Earth 6.0 kg 6.0 kg x 10 N/kg = 60 N

On Moon 6.0 kg 6.0 kg x 1.6 N/kg = 9.6 N

On Mars 6.0 kg 6.0 kg x 3.7 N/kg = 22.2 N

On Jupiter

Measured using Beam Measured using Spring

Balance Balance

6. What is the effect of balanced and unbalanced forces on a body?

balanced forces → resultant = 0 N → object at rest OR uniform velocity in a straight line
unbalanced forces → resultant force is not 0 N → object accelerates , decelerates or change
direction

7. How can a force may change the motion of a body?

- change direction , increase speed , decrease speed

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8. What is action-reaction pairs acting on two interacting bodies?

Object P exerts a force on object Q. Object Q will exert an equal but opposite (direction) force on
object P. (newton’s 3rd law of motion)

Example A Example B
Box resting on a table Man kicking the swimming pool wall

Boy kicks wall with 20 N to the left. Wall

will exerts 20 N on boy to the right.

Example C Example D
Huge truck colliding with small car Strong Magnet attracting a weak magnet

Example E Example F
Man attracted by planet Earth

Planet attracts boy with 400 N.

Boy attracts planet with 400N.

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9. How to draw free body diagram(s) representing the forces acting on the body?

Example A Example B
Book Resting on a horizontal table Box being pushed on a horizontal floor

Example C Example D
Book resting on a slope Man supporting a wheelbarrow

10. Two interpretation of g

Gravitational free fall acceleration Gravitational Field Strength

g = 10 m/s2 g = 10 N/kg

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11. resultant force = mass × acceleration (simplified newton 2nd law of motion)

Standard case Special Case

Resultant force = mass x acceleration

Resultant force = mass x acceleration 4 N – 4 N = 2.0 kg x a
10 N – 4 N = 2.0 kg x a a = 0 m/s2
a = 3.0 m/s2 TWO possibilities :
- box is at rest
-box moves at constant speed in straight line

Resultant force = mass x acceleration Resultant force = mass x acceleration

800 N – 500 N = 80.0 kg x a 800 N – 800 N = 80.0 kg x a
a = 3.75 m/s2 a = 0 m/s2

diver moves with terminal velocity (constant

speed downwards)

12. What is Inertia ?

Inertia is the property of mass that resists change in motion of the body. It is the difficulty
(reluctance) for an object to start moving and stop moving.

13. An object will continue its state of rest or uniform speed in a straight line unless a resultant force
acts on it. (newton’s 1st law of motion) [no need to memorise Newton’s Law]

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 14. explain the effects of friction on the motion of a body

(a) Man pushes box (b) Box on slope

(c) Man walking * (d) Car Wheels (drive wheel vs idle wheel)

15. describe the motion of bodies with constant mass falling in uniform gravitational field with or
without air resistance, including reference to terminal velocity.

without air-resistance (vacuum)

Q (terminal velocity)
with air-resistance

Section P : as speed increases, air resistive force increases. Resultant force on object decreases. Since
resultant force = mass x acceleration, therefore acceleration decreases.

Section Q : air resistive force = weight. resultant force on object = 0 N. Since resultant force = mass x
acceleration, therefore acceleration = 0 m/s2. Object drops with constant speed (terminal velocity)

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 16. (i) solve problems for a static point mass under the action of three forces for two-dimensional
cases by a graphical method

Choose a scale. Draw a big vector diagram, showing the directions of all vectors. If the object is in
equilibrium, the three vectors should form a closed triangle with the vectors “flowing” in “circular
manner” around the triangle.

~ End of notes ~

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Drawing

Contact force Contact force

by box on man by man on box

normal contact
force by table on box

normal contact
force by box on
table

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 S N
S
attraction attraction
force (1.5 N) by force (1.5 N) by
weak magnet strong magnet
on strong on weak
magnet magnet

normal contact
force by table on box

weight

Normal contact
force by table
Contact force
by man on box

frictional force
by floor on box weight

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 Normal contact
Frictional force force by slope on
by slope on box box

Weight

(gravitational force by planet

on box)

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 Acceleration

Engine wheel idle wheel

Frictional force Frictional force

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4.0 N 4.0 N
2.0 kg`

Air resistive force= 800 N

Weight = 800 N

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