The first sheet is the brief version, the second one has more detail in it.
Don’t forget you can get more information and detail from the National 5 section of this website. GO to the PHYSICS NOTES link in the header and click on the DYNAMICS section. You can also answer some of the Compendium Questions and check the answers in the LO Answer section.
Below are the same files as above but as word versions
Here is the link to the questions for Newton’s Second Law F=ma. Don’t forget to use IESSUU when answering these questions but no need to write out the question, just summarise the information.
If the above are still a little too hard try the sheet below. Here I am not asking you to calculate speed distance or time, but can you extract the information from the sheet, write the equation and substitute?
Here is the start of the TRANSPORT materials for lower school. You could choose to use this as an applications based upper school science course.
I have uploaded the powerpoint presentations and the corresponding pdf versions. Please note most of these files are very big! The file we are working on is highlighted in red.
Tart Ma Cart If you wish to have a copy of this document in powerpoint please contact Mrs Physics.
Below are a set of resources for use with various parts of the Road Safety Topic. All these documents are currently in word format. Eventually I will upload pdf copies too. They are not necessarily in order- sorry.
We mentioned using the calculator to convert hours and minutes to decimals. You can find the link here. Using your calculator
holiday competition instructions Pupils find their average speed for a journey they made during the holidays. Issue prior to the holidays
Finding the Area Here is an exercise for students who might find it difficult to find the area under a v-t graph
Casualties grouptask This task might be a good starter for National 5 Assignments
Physics of Road signs Linking Physics with Road Signs, to introduce how Road Safety is all about Physics. This makes a good starter homework. The answers aren’t fixed and can be a great discussion opportunity.
MEASURING REACTION TIME Some ideas on how to find the reaction time of students, including some great websites. If you have a FIFEX reaction timer they make great practicals too.
This excel spreadsheet will allow you to find your reaction times from a dropping ruler. Just enter the drop distances in the yellow boxes and excel does the rest. Don’t forget to write down the values it gives you.
Is the change in speed in one second. . An unbalanced force causes acceleration or deceleration.
Usually this is measured in m/s2 but can be measured in mph/s
Air Resistance
It is the force that slows things down when they are moving through air.
At rest
we use this term to mean not moving. We can also say the object is stationary.
Average speed
found by timing how long it takes a vehicle to travel a known distance. Distance travelled per second.
measured in m/s
Balanced forces
When two equal forces are acting on an object in opposite directions and cancel each other out
Chemical energy
A store of energy in the form of a chemical, eg fuel for cars and food
construction
how something is made
Deceleration
The decrease in speed in one second. Something slowing down. This should be represented by NEGATIVE ACCELERATION
metres per second squared (m/s2) or ONLY in Transport mph/s
Displacement
how far you have travelled in a straight line. We would say “as the crow flies”
It is measured in metres or miles but must also have a direction. eg 10m north, 20 miles to the left.
Distance
how far you have travelled. It is another name for length.
It is measured in metres or during our road safety topic miles.
Dynamics
The mechanics part dealing with Forces
Effects of a Force
A force can change an objects speed, shape and direction.
Energy
Can be changed from one form into another form but cannot be created or destroyed
Force
A push or a pull. Has the symbol F and is measured in Newtons (N).
Newton
Force of gravity
Another name for weight
Newton
Friction
Is a force that can oppose the motion of a body.
Newton
Gravitational field strength
It is the force of gravity or weight acting on every kilogram. The weight per unit mass
Newton’s per kilogram
Gravitational potential energy
The work done against gravity
Joule
Gravity
A phenomena that causes objects to fall down, BE CAREFUL HOW YOU USE THIS TERM and where possible try to avoid it.
Heat energy
The energy produced when objects are slowed down by friction.
Joule
Heat energy
The internal energy of an object. Heat may be defined as energy in transit from a high temperature object to a lower temperature object.
Joule
Hookes Law
This law states that providing you don’t overstretch a spring the stretch or extension of a spring will double if the force on the spring is doubled.
Instantaneous speed
is the speed at which you are travelling over a very short distance.
It is measured in metres per second or miles per hour.
Instantaneous speed
The speed at one particular point in time (and can be very different from the average speed). It is the same as average speed if journey time is very small or if the object is traveling at a constant speed.
m/s
Kinematics
Mechanics dealing with motion, speed, acceleration etc
Kinetic energy
Symbol Ek Is the energy an object has because it is moving. The higher the speed the greater will be it’s kinetic energy
Joule
maintenance
the care or upkeep of a mechanical object
Mass
The amount of matter in an object and is measured in kilograms.
kilogram
Mechanics
The branch of Physics dealing with motion (how things move).
Momentum
The product of mass and velocity. A quantity that only moving objects possess.
Newton balance
Is used to measure force (a spring balance)
Newtons First Law
States that an object remains at rest or continues in the same direction at the same speed, unless there is an unbalanced force acting
Newtons Second Law
States that F = m x a
Potential energy
A store of energy
Joule
Reaction Force
A force pushing in the opposite direction to the action force eg, a gun fires a bullet, the gun places as action force on the bullet but the bullet places a REACTION force on the gun.
Newton
Reaction Time
The time it takes our brain to process information that something has changed, or a danger has occurred.
second
Resultant force
A force can change an objects speed, shape and direction.
Newton
Scalar
A quantity that is fully described by a value and unit
Speed
how far you travel every second.
In the lab our distances are measured in metres and our time is measured in seconds so our units of speed would be metres per second.
Speed
is the distance travelled in unit time.
In road safety we look at miles travelled every hour or miles per hour.
Stationary
we use this term to mean not moving. We can also say the object is at rest.
Time
how long your journey took.
It is measured in seconds or during our road safety topic hours.
Uniform Speed
When your speed is uniform we mean that your speed isn’t changing. It remains constant.
Upthrust
It is the force that pushes things up in water.
Vector
A quantity that is fully described by a value, a direction and unit.
Vehicle
A thing used for transporting people or goods, esp. on land, such as a car, truck, or cart.
Weight
It is the force of gravity pulling an object down and is measured in Newtons
Work done
Is a measure of the energy transferred when a force moves through a distance. Work done = force x distance in the direction of force
This excel spreadsheet will allow you to find your reaction times from a dropping ruler. Just enter the drop distances in the yellow boxes and excel does the rest. Don’t forget to write down the values it gives you.
