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SingaporePhysics

Newtonian Mechanics

8 dot points across 8 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Why does a body moving in a circle at constant speed require a centripetal force, and how large must that force be?

Describe uniform circular motion using angular velocity, relate it to centripetal acceleration and force, and apply these to horizontal and vertical circular motion
A focused answer to the H2 Physics learning outcome on circular motion. Angular velocity, centripetal acceleration and force, and applications including a conical pendulum, banked tracks and vertical circles.
9 min answer →

What conditions must hold for an extended body to be in equilibrium under several forces?

Apply the conditions for translational and rotational equilibrium, using the principle of moments and the resolution of forces, to extended rigid bodies
A focused answer to the H2 Physics learning outcome on equilibrium. Types of force, the moment of a force, couples, the principle of moments, and the two conditions for the equilibrium of an extended body.
8 min answer →

How does Newton's law of gravitation describe the field around a mass, and how does it govern the motion of satellites and planets?

Apply Newton's law of gravitation and the concept of gravitational field strength, derive orbital relationships, and account for geostationary orbits and Kepler's third law
A focused answer to the H2 Physics learning outcome on gravitation. Newton's law of gravitation, gravitational field strength, gravitational potential, orbital speed and period, Kepler's third law, and geostationary orbits.
10 min answer →

How do the equations of uniformly accelerated motion describe and predict the motion of a body moving in a straight line?

Define displacement, velocity and acceleration, interpret motion graphs, and apply the equations of uniformly accelerated motion to one-dimensional problems
A focused answer to the H2 Physics learning outcome on linear kinematics. Definitions of displacement, velocity and acceleration, reading motion graphs, and applying the four equations of uniformly accelerated motion.
8 min answer →

Why is the total momentum of an isolated system conserved, and how does this distinguish elastic from inelastic collisions?

Apply the principle of conservation of linear momentum to collisions and explosions in one dimension, and distinguish elastic from inelastic collisions using kinetic energy
A focused answer to the H2 Physics learning outcome on momentum conservation. The principle, its basis in Newton's third law, one-dimensional collisions and explosions, and the elastic versus inelastic distinction using kinetic energy.
9 min answer →

How do Newton's three laws relate force, mass and motion, and how is the second law expressed through momentum?

State and apply Newton's three laws of motion, expressing the second law as the rate of change of momentum, and identify Newton's third-law force pairs
A focused answer to the H2 Physics learning outcome on Newton's laws. The three laws, the second law as rate of change of momentum, the impulse-momentum link, and identifying genuine third-law force pairs.
9 min answer →

How does treating horizontal and vertical motion independently let us predict the path of a projectile?

Analyse projectile motion by treating the horizontal and vertical components independently, and determine range, maximum height and time of flight
A focused answer to the H2 Physics learning outcome on projectile motion. Independence of horizontal and vertical motion, the parabolic path, and finding range, maximum height and time of flight, including the effect of air resistance.
9 min answer →

How do work, energy and power describe energy transfer, and how does the work-energy theorem connect force to a change in kinetic energy?

Define work, kinetic and potential energy and power, apply the work-energy theorem and conservation of energy, and calculate efficiency
A focused answer to the H2 Physics learning outcome on work, energy and power. Work as force times displacement, the work-energy theorem, kinetic and gravitational potential energy, conservation of energy, power and efficiency.
9 min answer →