MechYr1 Chapter 10 ::

Forces and Motion

jfrost@tiffin.kingston.sch.uk
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Last modified: 5th August 2018

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 Force Diagrams and Common Forces
The reaction force of the
plane on the block (i.e.
We consider the forces acting on each
resisting the block sinking  𝑅 object one at a time.
into the plane)

Force pulling the block. When

 a string/cable
Resistances to  𝐹  𝑃 is involved, this Recall that we often
motion, in this is tension . model an object as a
case the friction particle, i.e. a point
between the
with negligible
block and the
plane.
𝑊
  The weight of the block. dimensions.

! Newton’s 1st Law of Motion states than an object at rest will stay at
rest and that an object moving with constant velocity will remain at that
velocity unless an unbalanced force acts on the object.
In other words, if the object is not accelerating, the forces are balanced in every direction,
e.g. forces up = forces down and forces left = forces right.
We use to ‘resolve’
 the forces in a
! The ‘resultant force’ is 40
  𝑁 ?
 𝑅 ( ↑ ) :40 −5=35 𝑁 particular
direction. This is
the overall force acting
 𝑅 ( → ) : 30− ?
30=0 𝑁 standard notation
on the object. An object
will accelerate in the 30
  𝑁 30
  𝑁
expected in exams.

direction of the 3  5 𝑁 Therefore a ‘resultant’ force of

resultant force. 35 N upwards and the object will
5  𝑁 accelerate upwards.
Quickfire Examples

5  𝑁  𝑅 ( ↑ ) : 5− 5=0
? 𝑁 ? Resultant
3  𝑁 𝑃  𝑁  𝑅 ( → ) : ( 𝑃−
? 3) 𝑁 (  𝑃 −3 ) 𝑁
Force
5  𝑁
4  𝑁  𝑅 ( ↑ ) :4 − 6=−2
? 𝑁 ? Resultant
We’ll worry about the

7  𝑁 2  𝑁 𝑅
  ( → ) : 5− 7=−2
? 𝑁
magnitude of this
Force
3  𝑁 force in a sec…

6  𝑁
Forces as Vectors
 
Forces have direction, and therefore we can naturally write
them as vectors, either in - notation or as column vectors.

! You can find the resultant of two or more forces given as vectors by adding the vectors.

 [Textbook] The forces , , and act on an  [Textbook] The vector is due east and due north. A
object which is in equilibrium. Find the particle begins at rest at the origin. It is acted on by
values of and . three forces N, N and N.
(a) Find the resultant force in the form .
(b) Work out the magnitude and bearing of the
resultant force.
 
If in a  2 + 3 −1 4
? equilibrium,
resultant
(1 ) ( ) ( ?) ( )
−2
+
4
=
3
=4 𝒊+3 𝒋

force is 0. b The magnitude of the force is the

 magnitude of the vector:
3
𝜃 
4 ?
Bearing
Test Your Understanding
Edexcel M1 Jan 2012 Q3 Edexcel M1 May 2009 Q2

Fro Tip: If a vector is parallel to say , then it could

 be any multiple of it, i.e.

?
? ?

?
?
Exercise 10B
Pearson Stats/Mechanics Year 1
Pages 161-162

Extension
  force acts in the direction of and a force
A
acts at an angle of to , as shown.  𝐹2
Show that the resultant force has magnitude
𝜃 
 𝐹1
Force
  vector:
Magnitude:

?
 Forces and Acceleration
!  Newton’s 2nd Law of Motion:
(where the force and acceleration are in the same direction)

This ‘feels’ right: if we doubled the force, we double the rate at which it accelerates.
Similarly, if we have an object of twice the mass, we’d require twice the force to make it
accelerate at the same rate.
A child has a mass of 50kg. What is
A car of 2000kg has a driving force of the gravitational force acting on the
800N and forces of 200N resisting its child? (i.e. its weight)
motion. Determine its acceleration.
Acceleration
  under gravity is ms-2.
 𝑎 Fro Preference: Use
double arrow to indicate
?
200 800
direction (and value if
  2000kg   known) of acceleration.  ! Weight
Fro Preference: Put mass of
particle inside circle/square.
A falling sheep of mass 70kg experiences air
? resistance of 300 N. Determine the sheep’s
  acceleration as it plummets towards the ground.
ms-2
300
 
 N
70kg ?
70
  𝑔 (3sf)
 
Combining with equations
 
Since involves both force and acceleration, it allows us to connect calculations
involving forces with a calculations involving values.
[Textbook] A body of mass 5kg is pulled along a rough horizontal table by a
horizontal force of magnitude 20N against a constant friction force of magnitude
4N. Given that the body is initially at rest, find:
(a) the acceleration of the body
(b) the distance travelled by the body in the first 4 seconds
(c) the magnitude of the normal reaction between the body and the table

 𝑎 a  
 𝑅
ms-2 ?
 4? Diagram 20
5 kg b  
m
5
  𝑔 ?

c If the object is not

  accelerating in a particular
N ? direction, e.g. up-down,
then forces up = forces
down.
Testing Your Understanding
Edexcel M1 May 2012 Q5 (abridged)

?
Exercise 10C
Pearson Stats/Mechanics Year 1
Pages 164-166
Motion in 2 dimensions
In Chapter 8 we saw that many physical quantities could have both direction
and magnitude, and therefore could be represented as a vector:

? displacement
Can be a vector: Force, acceleration, velocity,
Scalar only: Mass, area, volume ?
 This naturally means that works with vectors too.

[Textbook]
  Let represent East and North. A resultant force of N acts upon a particle
of mass 0.5 kg.
(a) Find the acceleration of the particle in the form ms-2.
(b) Find the magnitude and bearing of the acceleration of the particle.

a  
ms-2
?
b
 ms-2 (3sf)
16 Bearing:
𝜃  ?
6
Test Your Understanding
[Textbook]
  A boat is modelled as a particle of mass 60 kg being acted on by three forces.

Given that the boat is accelerating at a rate of ms-2, find the values of and .

 Resultant force:
N

?
and
Exercise 10D
Pearson Stats/Mechanics Year 1
Pages 167-169
Connected Particles
Up to now we’ve only considered one particle at a time.
When we have multiple connected objects moving in the same direction, they can
be considered as a single particle:

[Textbook]
  Two particles, and , of masses 5kg and 3kg respectively, are connected by a light inextensible string.
Particle is pulled by a horizontal force of magnitude 40N along a rough horizontal plane. Particle experiences a
frictional force of 10N and particle experiences a frictional force of 6N.
(a) Find the acceleration of the particles.
(b) Find the tension in the string.
(c) Explain how the modelling assumptions that the string is light and inextensible have been used.

a If  we considered the two particles as

 𝑎
 𝑅1  𝑅2 one, we can ignore the tensions (they
cancel as they are in opposite
 𝑄  𝑃
 𝑇 ? Diagram
 𝑇 40
  𝑁
directions):
3kg 5kg
6  𝑁 10
  𝑁 ms-2

?
3𝑔
  𝑁 5𝑔
  𝑁  If we considered them as separate
particles (not recommended):
Key Point 1: The tension in a given Key Point 2: Recall that is used for
piece of string is the same in any
 
the ‘reaction’ force, acting At
part of the string (at a given time). perpendicular to the plane. The At
The tension acts away from each reaction forces may be different for
particle in the direction of the string. and , so we used and . Adding the equations to eliminate :
as before.
Connected Particles
[Textbook]
  Two particles, and , of masses 5kg and 3kg respectively, are connected by a light inextensible string.
Particle is pulled by a horizontal force of magnitude 40N along a rough horizontal plane. Particle experiences a
frictional force of 10N and particle experiences a frictional force of 6N.
(a) Find the acceleration of the particles.
(b) Find the tension in the string.
(c) Explain how the modelling assumptions that the string is light and inextensible have been used.

b  For :
N ?
 𝑎
 𝑅1  𝑅2 c Inextensible
  acceleration of objects
the same
 𝑄  𝑃
 𝑇  𝑇 40
  𝑁
3kg 5kg Light tension is the same throughout
6  𝑁 10
  𝑁 ?
the length of the string and the mass
of the string is negligible
3𝑔
  𝑁 5𝑔
  𝑁
Newton’s 3rd Law
! Newton’s 3rd Law: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

 
Therefore when two bodies and are in contact, if body exerts a force on body ,
then body exerts a force on body that is equal in magnitude and acts in the
opposite direction. Confusion I had as a student: “If
the opposite is equal but opposite,
[Textbook]
  A light scale-pan is attached to a vertical light inextensible string. surely the object can’t move?”
The scale-pan carries two masses and . The mass of is 400g and the mass of Solution: The forces are acting on
is 600g. rests on top of , as shown in the diagram. different objects!
The scale-pan is raised vertically, using the string, with acceleration 0.5 ms-2.
(a) Find the tension in the string.
(b) Find the force exerted on mass by mass .
(c) Find the force exerted on mass by the scale-pan.

b By
 thatNewton’s 3 Law, we force exerted on by is the same as
rd

exerted on by . So considering forces at :

a
Considering
  the whole system
  𝑅  
(i.e. the triangle):  𝐴 ?N
 𝑇
ms
  -2
0.4 kg So force exerted on by is
 𝐴 4.1N downwards.

0.4 kg
N ? 0.4
  𝑔
 
kg Fro Tip: When you have objects stacked on top of each other,
 
you would typically resolve forces on the top object, and the
𝐵
0.6 kg  
1𝑔
 
two objects combined. It’s too complicated to consider forces
on the bottom object in isolation. We can use Newton’s 3 rd Law
to reverse “force of on ” to “force of on ” and vice versa.
Test Your Understanding
Edexcel M1 May 2013 Q2

?
Exercise 10E
Pearson Stats/Mechanics Year 1
Pages 171-172
Pulleys
A pulley is a wheel on which a rope/string/cable passes.
For the purposes of Mechanics Year 1, the two particles hanging either side will
either be horizontal or vertical.
[Textbook] Particles and , of masses and , are attached to the ends of a light
 inextensible string. The string passes over a small smooth fixed pulley and the
Why can’t we just model both particles masses hang with the string taut. The system is released from rest.
as a single particle as before? (a) Write down an equation of motion for and for .
The particles are moving in different (b) Find the acceleration of each mass.

?
directions, so the tensions do not
cancel.
(c) Find the tension in the string.
(d) Find the force exerted on the pulley by the string.
(e) Find the distance moved by in the first 4 s, assuming that does not reach
the pulley.
Under what conditions is the tension in
each part of the string the same? a For
  ,: (1)
Single piece of string and smooth  𝐹 For , : (2) ?
pulley. ? b Adding equations:
 𝑇  𝑇
ms-2 ?
Substituting back into (1):
 𝑎
? 𝑎 c
  N
?
 𝑇
Remember that tension acts
Force exerted on pulley by string:
away from each object in the
𝑇
 Diagram
3𝑚 d
direction of the string. This
2𝑚    N
includes the pulley!
2𝑚𝑔
3𝑚𝑔
  ?
Ensure that you add the
 
e m (3sf)
direction of acceleration at
each moving particle, and
resolve forces in this direction.
?
 Horizontal and vertical string
 𝑅  𝑎
[Textbook]
 connected byTwo particles and of masses 0.4kg and 0.8kg respectively are
a light inextensible string. Particle lies on a rough horizontal

 𝐴
table 4.5m from a small smooth pulley which is fixed at the edge of the table.
𝑇 𝑇
0.4𝑘𝑔
The string passes over the pulley and hangs freely, with the string taut, 0.5m
0.08    
  𝑔  
𝑇 above horizontal ground. A frictional force of magnitude 0.08g opposes the
  motion of particle . The system is released from rest. Find:
?  𝑎 (a) The acceleration of the system
0.4 𝑔
  Diagram (b) The time taken for to reach the ground
𝑇 
(c) The total distance travelled by before it first comes to rest.

 𝐵
0.8𝑘𝑔
  a For
  ,,
For , ,
(1)
(2)
0.8
  𝑔 Adding: ?
b
?
Strategy for (c):
  c First
  find speed of when it hits ground:
1. This is a ‘two-time period’ problem, in this case
(i) before hits ground and (ii) after. Consider how ms-1.
the forces change in the second period after has hit
the floor: the string becomes slack so there is no
This becomes the initial velocity of as we consider the period after
hits the ground.
tension. We will need to recalculate acceleration.
2. Remember that applies across a period of time. ?
String then becomes slack so only force acting on :
The final velocity of in the first period will become
the initial velocity in the second.
hits ground.
  𝑣 →𝑢 𝑠=?
start moving. comes to rest.
  𝑢=0 𝑠=0.5 𝑣 =0
         m (2sf)
Total distance: m (2sf)
Time
 Test Your Understanding
Edexcel M1 Jan 2010 Q6

(“N2L” = Newton’s 2nd Law)

?
?
?

?
Exercise 10F
Pearson Stats/Mechanics Year 1
Pages 175-177