Scalars, Vectors and Resultant ForcesAQA GCSE Physics: Flashcards

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What is a scalar quantity?

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What is a scalar quantity?: A quantity that has magnitude only, with no direction, e.g. speed, mass, distance.
What is a vector quantity?: A quantity that has both magnitude and direction, e.g. force, velocity, displacement.
Give three examples of scalar quantities.: Any three of: distance, speed, mass, energy, time.
Give three examples of vector quantities.: Any three of: force, velocity, displacement, acceleration.
How are vector quantities represented in diagrams?: As arrows, where the length shows magnitude and the direction of the arrow shows direction.
What is the difference between a contact force and a non-contact force?: A contact force needs the objects to be touching (e.g. friction, tension); a non-contact force acts between separated objects (e.g. gravity, magnetism).
Name three contact forces.: Any three of: friction, air resistance, tension, normal contact force.
Name three non-contact forces.: Gravitational force, electrostatic force, magnetic force.
What is the resultant force?: The single force that has the same overall effect as all the individual forces acting on an object combined.
A box has a 20 N force pushing right and a 12 N force pushing left. What is the resultant force?: 8 N to the right (20 − 12 = 8 N).
What does it mean if the forces on an object are balanced?: The resultant force is zero, so the object's motion does not change (stays still or moves at constant velocity).
What happens to an object's motion if the resultant force on it is not zero?: The object accelerates in the direction of the resultant force.
What is a free body diagram?: A diagram showing all the forces acting on a single object as arrows.
(HT) What does it mean to resolve a force?: To split a single force into two component forces acting at right angles to each other.
(HT) How do you find the resultant of two forces acting at an angle using a scale diagram?: Draw both force arrows to scale from the same point, complete the parallelogram, and measure the diagonal for the magnitude and direction of the resultant.