Page 5 - Physics Coursebook 2015 (A level)

Contents
Introduction vii
How to use this book viii
Chapter 1: Kinematics – describing motion 1
Speed 2 Distance and displacement, scalar and vector 4 Speed and velocity 5 Displacement–time graphs 6 Combining displacements 8 Combining velocities 10
Chapter 2: Accelerated motion 14
The meaning of acceleration 15 Calculating acceleration 15 Units of acceleration 16 Deducing acceleration 17 Deducing displacement 17 Measuring velocity and acceleration 18 Determining velocity and acceleration in
the laboratory 18 The equations of motion 20 Deriving the equations of motion 22 Uniform and non-uniform acceleration 24 Acceleration caused by gravity 25 Determining g 25 Motion in two dimensions – projectiles 28 Understanding projectiles 29
Chapter 3: Dynamics – explaining motion 37
Calculating the acceleration 38 Understanding SI units 39 The pull of gravity 41 Mass and inertia 43 Top speed 44 Moving through fluids 45 Identifying forces 47 Newton’s third law of motion 49
Chapter 4: Forces – vectors and moments 53
Combining forces 54 Components of vectors 56 Centre of gravity 59 The turning effect of a force 59 The torque of a couple 63
Chapter 5: Work, energy and power 69
Doing work, transferring energy 71 Gravitational potential energy 75 Kinetic energy 76 g.p.e.–k.e. transformations 76 Down, up, down – energy changes 77 Energy transfers 78 Power 80
Chapter 6: Momentum 85
The idea of momentum 86 Modelling collisions 86 Understanding collisions 89 Explosions and crash-landings 91 Collisions in two dimensions 93 Momentum and Newton’s laws 95 Understanding motion 96
Chapter 7: Matter and materials 101
Density 102 Pressure 102 Compressive and tensile forces 104 Stretching materials 105 Elastic potential energy 108
Chapter 8: Electric fields 116
Attraction and repulsion 117 The concept of an electric field 118 Electric field strength 119 Force on a charge 122
Chapter 9: Electric current, potential
difference and resistance 127
Circuit symbols and diagrams 128 Electric current 129 An equation for current 132 The meaning of voltage 134 Electrical resistance 135 Electrical power 136
Chapter 10: Kirchhoff’s laws 143
Kirchhoff’s first law 144 Kirchhoff’s second law 145 Applying Kirchhoff’s laws 146 Resistor combinations 148
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