Motion, Energy & Charge
PH1.1 BASIC PHYSICS
Content
- Units and dimensions
- Scalar and vector quantities
- Force
- Free body diagrams
- Movements and stability
- Equilibrium
AMPLIFICATION OF CONTENT Candidates should be able to:
(a) recall and use SI units,
(b) check equations for homogeneity using units,
(c) contrast scalar and vector quantities and give examples of each – displacement, velocity, acceleration, force, speed, time, density, pressure etc.,
(d) appreciate the concept of force and understand Newton's 3rd law of motion,
(e) use free body diagrams to represent forces on a particle or body,
(f) recall and use the relationship ΣF = ma in situations where mass is constant,
(g) add and subtract coplanar vectors, and perform mathematical calculations limited to two perpendicular vectors,
(h) resolve a vector into two perpendicular components,
(i) understand the concept of density, use the equation <math>Insert formula here</math> to calculate mass, density and volume; (j) understand and define the turning effect of a force; (k) recall and use the principle of moments; (l) understand and use centre of gravity, for example in simple problems including toppling and stability. Identify its position in a cylinder, sphere and cuboid (beam) of uniform density; (m) understand that a body is an equilibrium when the resultant force is zero and the net moment is zero, and be able to perform simple calculations.