Physics

Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forces

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AQAEdexcelOCRKS3 groundwork for motion and forces — what GCSE builds on at all three boards.

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PhysicsForces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forces
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Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton
Answer in your head…On a force diagram, what does the length of an arrow show?
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★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0027Front

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton

The size of the force

HintThink about how you would draw a 10 N push next to a 5 N push.

The whyArrows are drawn to scale: an arrow twice as long stands for twice as many newtons.

★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0027Back

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton
Answer in your head…On a force diagram, what does the direction of an arrow show?
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★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0028Front

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton

The direction the force acts in

HintAn arrow has a head for a reason.

The whyA force has a size and a direction, and an arrow shows both at once. Every arrow should also be labelled with the name of its force.

★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0028Back

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton
Answer in your head…A book rests on a table. Which two forces should be drawn on it?
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★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0029Front

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton

Weight downwards and the table's upward push (the normal or reaction force)

HintOne is from the Earth; the other is from the surface underneath.

The whyThe Earth pulls the book down and the table pushes up on it. The book stays still, so the two arrows are drawn equal in length.

★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0029Back

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton
Answer in your head…An apple is falling. In which direction does the weight arrow point?
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★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0030Front

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton

Straight down

HintWeight is the pull of gravity.

The whyWeight is the pull of gravity, and it acts vertically downwards whichever way the object happens to be moving.

★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0030Back

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton
Answer in your head…A pupil draws a parked car with a large forward arrow and nothing else. What is wrong with the diagram?
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★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0031Front

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton

A parked car has no forward force

HintAsk what would happen to a car that really had that arrow.

The whyAn unbalanced forward force would make the car speed up. The correct diagram shows weight downwards and the road's push upwards, equal in size.

★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0031Back

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton
Answer in your head…Is friction a contact force or a non-contact force?
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★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0032Front

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton

A contact force

HintAsk whether it could act across a gap.

The whyFriction comes from surfaces rubbing against each other. Take the surfaces apart and it vanishes.

★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0032Back

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton
Answer in your head…Which non-contact force pulls a dropped ball towards the ground?
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★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0033Front

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton

Gravity

HintIt acts on everything with mass, with no touching needed.

The whyThe Earth pulls on the ball across the gap between them. Magnetism and static electricity are the other everyday forces that act at a distance.

★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0033Back

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton
Answer in your head…Which instrument measures force?
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★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0034Front

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton

A newtonmeter

HintIt contains a spring and a scale.

The whyThe bigger the force, the more the spring inside stretches, and the stretch is read off a scale. It is also called a force meter.

★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0034Back

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton
Answer in your head…You need to measure a force of about 3 N. Which newtonmeter is better: one reading 0–5 N or one reading 0–100 N?
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★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0035Front

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton

The 0–5 N one

HintChoose the scale on which 3 N moves the pointer a long way.

The whyOn the 0–100 N meter, 3 N would hardly move the pointer and could not be read accurately. A meter should be chosen so that the reading falls well up its scale.

★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0035Back

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton
Answer in your head…Why do racing cyclists crouch low over the handlebars?
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★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0036Front

Physics · Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forcesProfessor Newton

To reduce air resistance

HintThink about what the rider has to push through at speed.

The whyAir resistance, or drag, pushes against anything moving through the air. A crouched rider meets less air, so less of the effort is wasted.

★ KS3-PHYS-FOR-0036Back

Forces and motion, Year 7: force diagrams and measuring forces

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4 points on the KS3 Physics map, across Y7. The faint stars are the rest of the subject — this deck is the lit part.

Contact and non-contact forces · Y7Measuring forces in newtons · Y7Drawing force diagrams · Y7Friction and drag · Y7

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