Forces and their interactions Revision - AQA Physics 8463

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43 objective pages available

Scalar and vector quantities10 objectives

Define a scalar quantity as a quantity with magnitude only.
Define a vector quantity as a quantity with magnitude and direction.
Identify distance, speed, time, mass, energy and temperature as scalar quantities in GCSE contexts.
Identify displacement, velocity, acceleration, force, weight and momentum as vector quantities in GCSE contexts.
Distinguish speed from velocity using direction.
Distinguish distance from displacement using direction.
Explain why force must be treated as a vector quantity.
Use arrows to represent vector quantities in simple diagrams.
Interpret vector arrows in terms of direction and relative size.
Avoid adding scalar and vector quantities as if they were the same type of quantity.

Contact and non-contact forces10 objectives

Describe a force as a push or pull that arises from an interaction between objects.
Explain that forces can change the shape or motion of an object.
Identify friction, air resistance, tension and normal contact force as contact forces.
Identify gravitational, electrostatic and magnetic forces as non-contact forces.
Distinguish contact forces from non-contact forces using whether objects must touch.
Explain that non-contact forces can act through a field.
Describe examples of force pairs acting between two interacting objects.
Use force diagrams to show the forces acting on a single object.
Label force arrows with the type of force and direction.
Avoid confusing the object exerting a force with the object experiencing the force.

Gravity and weight12 objectives

Resultant forces11 objectives

Define resultant force as the single force that has the same effect as all the forces acting on an object.
Calculate resultant force for forces acting in the same direction.
Calculate resultant force for forces acting in opposite directions.
Determine the direction of the resultant force from a force diagram.
State that balanced forces have a resultant force of zero.
State that unbalanced forces have a non-zero resultant force.
Explain that a non-zero resultant force can change an object's motion.
Interpret simple free-body diagrams showing forces on one object.
Draw force arrows to scale in simple one-dimensional force diagrams.
Explain why an object can move at constant velocity when resultant force is zero.
Apply vector reasoning when combining forces along a straight line.

Scalar QuantityMagnitudeVector QuantityDisplacementSpeedVelocityVector quantityDirectionVector arrowRelative magnitudescalar quantityvector quantity

Understand Scalars: Remember that scalar quantities only have magnitude. Focus on identifying examples like distance and speed.
Understand Vector Quantities: Use the named force or motion quantity when you always remember that vector quantities have both magnitude and direction. When defining a vector, include both aspects in your answer. Link your answer to Scalar and vector quantities and keep scalar and vector quantities separate.

Confusing Scalars and Vectors: Remember that scalar quantities have magnitude only, while vector quantities have both magnitude and direction. Focus on the definitions and examples of each type.
Confusing Vector and Scalar Definitions: Emphasize that a vector quantity must include both magnitude and direction in its definition.

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