Summary
Summary GCSE OCR Gateway Physics P2 Forces Definitions
Definitions for the 'P2:Forces' topic of the GCSE OCR Gateway Spec. Fully detailed, easy to understand & perfect definitions for use in the exams.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
P2 Forces Definitions:Acceleration due to gravity- the acceleration, g, experienced by an object travelling in
free-fall. Its value at the surface of Earth is 10 m/s².
Acceleration- the rate of change of velocity.
Balanced forces- a resultant force of zero.
Centripetal force- the resultant force that acts towards the centre of the circular path
of an object travelling with circular motion.
Circular motion- the motion of an object travelling in a circle. An object travelling in
circular motion is always accelerating due its continual direction change.
Contact force- a force that acts on an object through physical contact.
Displacement- a measure of how far an object moves in a given direction. It is a vector
quantity.
Distance-time graph- a plot of how an object’s distance changes over time.
Distance- a measure of how far an object moves. It is a scalar quantity.
Distortion- the changing of an object’s size or shape as a result of a deforming force.
Elastic deformation- non-permanent deformation; the object will return to its
original shape when the deforming forces are removed.
Elastic limit- the force beyond which an object will no longer deform elastically, and will
instead deform plastically.
Electric field- a region where a charge will experience a non-contact electrostatic force.
Force field- a region where an object will experience a non-contact force.
Free-fall- a motion under the force of gravity alone.
Friction- a resistive contact force that acts to oppose the relative motion between two
surfaces.
Gears- a simple mechanism that can transmit the rotational effect of a force. They can act
as force multipliers.
Gravitational field- a region where a mass will experience a non-contact gravitational force.
All matter produces a gravitational field around it, and the greater its mass, the stronger the
field.
Gravitational force- a force that all matter experiences when placed in a gravitational field.
This force is always attractive.
Hooke’s Law- the extension of a spring is directly proportional to the force applied to it, up
to the limit of proportionality. The constant in this relationship is known as the spring
constant.
Hydraulic lift- a system that can act as a force multiplier by connecting two platforms with
different areas by a fluid. The pressure in the fluid is the same throughout and so the
platform with the smaller area experiences a greater force.
Inertial mass- a measure of how hard it is to change an object’s velocity.
Lever- a simple mechanism that can act as a force multiplier.
Limit of Proportionality- the point beyond which the extension of an elastic object is no
longer directly proportional to the force applied to it.
Magnetic field- a region where a magnetic material will experience a non-contact magnetic
force.
Moment- the turning effect of a force
Newton’s First Law- if a stationary object’s resultant force is zero, the object will remain
stationary. If a moving object’s resultant force is zero, the object will continue to move at a
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller nidachoudhry. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £2.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
80189 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now