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PHYSICS

FORM 4
NOTES

Name: ______________________
Class: ___________

Teacher: Mr. Neil Briffa

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves

Waves carry _______________ from one place to another.

There are two kinds of waves:


a) Transverse waves
b) Longitudinal waves.

Transverse waves
Transverse waves are made up of _________________ and ____________________.
Definition of a transverse wave:
It is a wave in which the vibrations are _________________________ (900) to the direction of the
wave.

Examples of transverse waves: ____________________, _________________, __________________.

Longitudinal waves

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Longitudinal waves are made up of ______________________ and ________________________.


Definition of a longitudinal wave:

It is a wave in which the vibrations are ________________________ (1800) to the direction of the
wave.

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Example of longitudinal wave: ______________________.


http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Rbuhdo0AZDU

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves

Wavelength ( ) S.I. unit: metre (m)


The wavelength of a wave is the length of a single wave. It is denoted by the Greek letter (read as
lambda).
a) Transverse waves
The wavelength ( ) for a transverse wave is the length of a single wave made up of a crest and a trough.
However, it is also equal to the distance between two successive ______________ or two successive
___________________.

3 dimensional view

b) Longitudinal waves
The wavelength ( ) for a longitudinal wave is the length of a single wave made up of a compression and a
rarefaction. However, it is also equal to the distance between two successive ______________________ or
two successive ___________________.

http://einstein.byu.edu/~masong/HTMstuff/WaveTrans.html

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Amplitude and Displacement

S.I. unit: metre (m)

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The displacement is the height of the wave, from its rest position.
The maximum displacement is called __________________.
So the amplitude is the height of a crest or the depth of a trough.
The greater the amplitude, the greater the ________________ of the wave.

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Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

At which points is the displacement zero metres?


_____________________________________
At which points do we measure the amplitude?
_____________________________________

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves

Waves, cycles and oscillations

1 wave = 1 cycle = 1 oscillation

Frequency (f)

S.I. unit: Hertz (Hz)

Definition:
It is the number of waves in _________ second.
If 5 waves are generated in one second, then the frequency = ___________.
If 100 waves are generated in one second, then the frequency = __________.
The frequency of a wave can only change if the frequency of
the source changes.
If you dip your finger in water 3 times in 1 second, your frequency
(the source) is 3Hz and the frequency of the waves is also 3Hz as 3
waves are produced every second. If the waves move in deep or
shallow water the frequency will still be 3Hz as you would still be
producing 3 waves in one second. Unless you change your
frequency (source), the frequency of the waves will not change.

Periodic Time (T)

S.I. unit: seconds (s)

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Definition:
It is the time taken to complete one wave.

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If it takes 3 seconds to complete one wave, then the periodic time = ___________.
If it takes 0.2 seconds to complete one wave, then the periodic time = __________.

Example:

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f =

1
T

and

T = 1
f

If 5 waves are produced in one second, find: a) the frequency, b) the periodic time.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves

Frequency (f) =
no of waves in 1 second

Periodic Time (T) =


Time for one complete wave

Ex 1

Ex 2

Ex 3

Ex 4

Ex 5

Ex 6

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Find the:

Ex 7

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a) Periodic time _________________________________


b) Frequency __________________________________

Six waves hit a breakwater every minute. Find the:


Ex 8

a) frequency

____________________________________________________________________

b) periodic time ____________________________________________________________________

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves

The pendulum takes 2 seconds to swing from A to B. If the


horizontal distance from A to B is 1m, find:
a) its amplitude of vibration _______________________________
Ex 9

b) its periodic time _______________________________________


c) its frequency __________________________________________
During an earthquake, the upper part of a skyscraper moves from
side to side, a horizontal distance of 4m in 1.2 seconds. Find:
a) its amplitude of vibration _______________________________

Ex 10

b) its periodic time _______________________________________


c) its frequency __________________________________________

The ruler is placed at the edge of a table and is set to vibrate as


shown. If the end of the ruler moves a vertical distance of 3cm in
0.2 seconds, find:
Ex 11

a) its amplitude of vibration _______________________________


b) its periodic time _______________________________________
c) its frequency __________________________________________

Wave Velocity (v or c)

S.I. unit: metres per second (m/s)

This is the velocity with which the wave travels.

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Velocity = Frequency
v
=
f
(m/s)

Example 1:

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(Hz)

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Wavelength

(m)

Find the velocity of a wave having a frequency of 3Hz and a wavelength of 0.4m.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Example 2:

Find the frequency of a wave which is moving at 2m/s and which has a wavelength of 30cm.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Gamma rays have the ____________________ frequency, the _____________________ energy and the
__________________________ wavelength.

Radio waves have the _____________________ frequency, the _______________________ energy and
the __________________________ wavelength.

Gamma rays, X-rays, Ultraviolet, Visible light, Infra-red, Microwaves and Radio waves are all

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electromagnetic waves that make up the _____________________________________________. Except for


visible light, all the other waves are invisible to the human eye.

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Common properties of Electromagnetic waves:

1. They are all __________________________ waves.

2. They do not need a medium to travel through, so they can travel in a ________________________.

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3. They have a common ___________________ (3 x 108 m/s or 300,000,000 m/s).


4. Being waves they all carry __________________.

5. They obey the laws of reflection, refraction and diffraction.


6. They are uncharged. (not + or - )

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves

Approximate
(m)

Source

Use

Gamma

Additional information
Is very penetrating and can be
very dangerous if used
inappropriately.
Can
be
detected with a Geiger-Muller
tube.
Produced when electrons hit a
metal target. Can penetrate
flesh but not bones and so
produces a shadow, making
fractures visible. Parts of the
body need to be covered with
lead. Can be detected by
photographic plates.

X-rays

Ultraviolet
Can be detected by using
fluorescent chemicals making
objects glow in the dark.

Visible light

Infra-red

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Microwaves

Radio
waves

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

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The only radiation which we


can see.
Can be further
divided into seven colours.

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They can be detected by using


a
thermometer
with
a
blackened bulb.

Microwaves make the water


particles contained in food
vibrate causing heating. They
cause burns if absorbed by the
body.
Information is encoded into a
radio wave, transmitted to a
receiver where it is decoded.

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves

Ripple tank
Water waves are transverse waves. They can be
studied in a __________________________.
Architects and engineers use ripple tanks to study
the best design for breakwaters before they start
projects on a large scale.
How do you produce straight waves in a ripple
tank?
By using a _____________________ that is forced
to move up and down by an electric motor.
How do you produce circular waves in a ripple
tank?
By using a _____________________ that is forced
to move up and down by an electric motor.
A _____________________ is an instrument that makes waves appear stationary.
The
___________________ is equal to the distance between two successive wavefronts and is measured
with a metre ruler.

Reflection of water waves


The angle of incidence (i) is equal to the angle of
reflection (r). Draw the normal and the reflected
wavefronts in each diagram.

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Underline the correct answer:


After the waves are reflected:
a) the wavelength ( increases, remains the same, decreases)
b) the frequency ( increases, remains the same, decreases)
c) the velocity ( increases, remains the same, decreases)
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

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Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves

Refraction of water waves

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=r0088hYFuws

When water waves change the


depth, they change direction
because
they
change
their
_____________.

Underline the correct answer:


When the wavefronts pass from deep
water to shallow water:
the wavelength (increases, remains the same, decreases)
the frequency (increases, remains the same, decreases)
the velocity (increases, remains the same, decreases)
the wave changes direction and is refracted (towards, away from) the normal.

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Underline the correct answer:


When the wavefronts pass from shallow water to deep water:
the wavelength (increases, remains the same, decreases)
the frequency (increases, remains the same, decreases)
the velocity (increases, remains the same, decreases)
the wave changes direction and is refracted (towards, away from) the normal.

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 10

Complete the diagrams below.

If the wavefronts enter the shallow water along


the normal, they are not refracted. However
the wavelength and the speed still
_______________ in shallow water and
_________________ in deep water.
The
frequency does not change.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=stdi6XJX6gU
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

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Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 11

Question:
A graph of the displacement against distance for a wave is shown in the diagram.

a)

Using the graph, find the amplitude of the wave.


____________________________________________________________________________(1 mark)

b)

Using the graph, find the wavelength of the wave.


____________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

c)

If the frequency of the source is 100Hz, calculate the velocity of the wave.
____________________________________________________________________________(2 marks)

d)

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The wave enters a medium and slows down. What change, if any, is there in the frequency?

____________________________________________________________________________(2 marks)
e)

What change if any is there in the wavelength?

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____________________________________________________________________________(2 marks)
f)

How would the same graph be different if the wave had more energy?

____________________________________________________________________________(2 marks)

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Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 12

Diffraction of water waves


When water waves pass through a gap they spread or __________________. The diffraction is greatest
when the gap width is similar to the wavelength of the wave. Spreading of waves is not desired in
harbours.

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The narrow gap being similar to the wavelength of the waves causes more diffraction (spreading) of
waves and this would not be ideal for a harbour.
http://www.ngsir.netfirms.com/englishhtm/Diffraction.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=4EDr2YY9lyA
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 13

Question:
Harbours have breakwaters to stop large waves.

a i) What is the wavelength of the water waves?


__________________________________________________________________________(2 marks)

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ii) 5 waves hit the breakwater every 20 seconds. What is the frequency of the water waves?

________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

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iii) Calculate the velocity of the waves.

__________________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

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b i) Complete the diagram above to show how the waves proceed after passing through the gap.
(2 marks)

ii) Explain why it would not be wise to make the gap too narrow.
________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 14

Question:
This question is about an experimental design about water
waves.
measuring tape

stopwatch

a) A tank 5 m long is filled with water. Using the apparatus above, describe how one could find the
speed of the water wave.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________(4 marks)
b) A student is told that the deeper the water, the less the wave velocity. Describe how he should
investigate this statement.
Method:
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________(3 marks)
Table of results:

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(2 marks)
Graph:
___________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)
Precautions:

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___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________ (3 marks)
From the shape of the graph, how could the student tell if the statement is correct?
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________(2 marks)
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 15

SOUND
Sound energy travels in the form of longitudinal waves.
A longitudinal wave is made up of _______________________ (C) and ____________________ (R).

How does sound travel through air?

By means of compressions and rarefactions of air particles.

Sound waves from a loudspeaker produce compressions and rarefactions of invisible air molecules. A
compression is a region in which the number of air molecules (particles) is high. A rarefaction is a
region in which the number of air molecules is low.

The speaker has a cone which is made to vibrate in and out by an electric current. When the cone
moves, out the air in front is compressed and when it moves in, the air is rarefied.

Sound is not electromagnetic in nature as it requires a medium to travel. Sound does not travel
in a vacuum. If an explosion occurs in space, nothing will be heard as there the sound cannot travel.

Experiment: To show that sound requires a medium to travel.

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Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

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As air is pumped out by a vacuum pump, the ringing of the bell gets
lower and lower. When all the air is removed, the hammer can be seen
vibrating but no sound is heard. This experiment shows that sound
does not travel in a __________________.

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 16

The tuning fork

This is an instrument which after being struck vibrates at a certain frequency. If it has a frequency
of 256Hz, it means that it vibrates 256 times in one second.

Characteristics of sound
a) Pitch: Pitch is a term used by musicians to distinguish different notes.
The higher the pitch, the higher the _____________________.

A tuning fork of frequency


128 Hz produces a sound with a low
pitch (dooong).

A tuning fork of frequency


256 Hz produces a sound with a high pitch
(diiing).

b) Loudness: The loudness of a sound wave depends on how much ______________ it has.
The loudness and energy depend on the ____________________ of the sound wave. Another
word for loudness is _________________.

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A tuning fork of frequency


256 Hz struck hard produces a loud
sound with large amplitude.

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The tuning fork of frequency


256 Hz struck gently produces a quiet
sound with a small amplitude.

Both sounds have the same pitch as the tuning forks vibrate at the same frequency.
So pitch and loudness are independent of each other.

c) Quality (timbre): The same note on


different instruments sounds differently even
though they have same pitch and loudness.
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 17

Question:
In the lab a student connects a microphone to an oscilloscope so that it can be used to detect sound
waves. A loudspeaker producing a note of frequency 300Hz is placed in line with the microphone.
The trace obtained on the oscilloscope screen is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1
a)

Figure 2

Figure 3

Explain how a sound wave travels through the air, from the loudspeaker to the microphone.

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)
b) If the velocity of sound in air is 330 m/s, what is the wavelength of the sound emitted?
_____________________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)
c) The student decreases the intensity (loudness) of the sound produced but does not change the frequency.
Draw the new trace produced on the screen in Figure 2.
(2 marks)

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d) The sound intensity is changed back to its initial value and this time the frequency is varied from 300Hz
to 600Hz. Draw the trace of the new note of frequency 600 Hz in Figure 3.

(2 marks)

e) The loudspeaker and microphone are now placed inside a sealed jar, as shown below. The loudspeaker

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produces a note of 300 Hz, and with the jar full of air the trace produced is as shown in Figure 1.

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If all the air is pumped out of the jar, what trace is now seen on the oscilloscope? Explain.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)
(Total 10 marks)
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 18

Question:
The following are traces seen on an oscilloscope when 4 different sounds are produced.

Which of the figures represents:


A loud high pitch sound.
A quiet high pitch sound.
A loud low pitch sound.
A quiet low pitch sound.

Speed of sound
ANY sound in air travels at around 330 m/s. It does not depend on pitch or loudness.
The speed of sound is affected by the temperature and the material through which it travels.
The higher the temperature, the _______________ the sound travels.
Material
Air
Water
Steel

Reflection of sound

Speed of sound (m/s)

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Sound waves are reflected when incident onto a surface. The reflected sound is called an ___________.
An echo is less loud than the original sound. This is because it has less energy.

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Example :
A man standing at a distance of 200 m from a large high wall, produces a sound and hears an echo after 1.2
seconds. Find the speed of sound in air.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 19

Measuring the speed of sound


Method 1:

A sound is produced (e.g. by clapping once). When the sound reaches microphone X,
_____________________________________.
When the sound reaches microphone Y,
_____________________________________. The distance d is measured with a metre rule and the
formula Speed = Distance is used.
Time

Method 2:

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A person standing at a distance of about 100 m from a large high wall, claps his hands at regular intervals to
coincide exactly with the echoes. The time taken for 50 claps is recorded.

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The distance for each echo heard is 2 x 100 m = 200 m


The time for one echo is found by measuring the total time for 50 echoes and finding an average.

( ex. if the

total time is 30 seconds, average time = 30 50 = 0.6 seconds)

Using the formula: Average speed = Distance =


200 m
will give the speed of sound in air.
Time
time for one echo

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 20

Question:
Luke and David are standing between 2 walls A and B, 480 m from the nearest wall. David beats his drum
and Luke hears the first echo after 3 seconds.

a) Explain why Luke hears an echo.


__________________________________________________________________________(2 marks)
b) Calculate the velocity of sound in air.
__________________________________________________________________________(2 marks)
c) If a second echo is heard 2 seconds later, what is the distance between the walls?
____________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________(3 marks)
d) Luke tries to measure the speed of sound in a liquid. The equipment used is shown below. Explain
briefly how the speed is measured.
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________(3 marks)

Ultrasound

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We can hear sounds with a frequency between ______ Hz and _________Hz.


Sound waves with a frequency higher than 20,000Hz (20kHz) are called _____________________.
Therefore ultrasound waves are just _______________ waves with a very high
frequency. A dogs whistle produces ultrasonic sounds.
Ships use an echo sounding system called sonar, which uses ultrasound to measure
the
_________________________________________
and
to
detect
______________________________.

Doctors use ultrasound to scan ________________________ in


the body and monitor unborn babies.

Bats and dolphins use ultrasound to know how far they are
from objects and to hunt (echolocation).

Detect flaws in welding.


Example :
An echo sounder in a trawler receives an echo from the sea bed 2 seconds after it is
sent. If the speed of sound in water is 1500m/s, how deep is the sea?

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_____________________________________________________________________
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

__________________

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 21

This is a question about the use of ultrasound by bats.


The first known work with ultrasound was carried out by Lazzaro Spallanzani, an
Italian scientist who wondered how bats can fly in complete darkness. He
blindfolded them and noticed that they still could fly well. He then plugged their ears
and found that they bumped into obstacles.
He concluded that they must emit sound waves which we cannot hear and then
listen to the echoes to determine the distance and direction of objects.
a) What is the normal range of hearing for human beings?
________________________________________________________________________

[1]

b) How does sound travel through air?


________________________________________________________________________

[1]

c) Is ultrasound made up of transverse or longitudinal waves?


________________________________________________________________________

[1]

d) A bat emits a sound with a frequency of 34 kHz.


(i)

What is meant by the term frequency?

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________________________________________________________________________
(ii) What is the value of the above frequency in Hertz?

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________________________________________________________________________

[1]

[1]

(iii) Calculate the wavelength of the sound waves produced, if their speed in air is 340 m/s.
________________________________________________________________________

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[1]

e) The bat is flying close to a wall and receives the reflected sound after 0.16 s.
(i)

What is the reflected sound called?

________________________________________________________________________

[1]

(ii) Calculate the distance between the bat and the wall.
________________________________________________________________________
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

[1]

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 22

LIGHT

Objects which emit light are called _________________ objects.

Objects which do not emit light themselves but reflect the light of luminous sources, are called
_______________________________ objects.

We see things because rays either come directly from them if they are luminous, or rays coming from
luminous sources are reflected by non luminous sources into our eyes.

Fill in the table below with the following items: fire, chair, shining mirror, moon, Jupiter, galaxy.
Luminous

Light rays

Non-luminous

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Light rays represent the direction in which light travels. Light rays may be _________________,
_______________________, or __________________________. We use a ray box to produce rays in
the lab.

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a ray box

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 23

REFLECTION OF LIGHT
Light is reflected when it falls on a reflecting surface such as a mirror. Complete the diagram below
marking, the normal, incident ray, reflected ray, angle of incidence (i), angle of reflection (r).

Laws of reflection

The angle of incidence and the angle of reflection are __________________.


The normal, the incident and reflected ray all lie _________________________. This means that they
can be drawn on a flat sheet of paper.
Example:

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The table below shows the angles of reflection for different angles of incidence obtained by a student
during an experiment using a plane mirror and a ray box.

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Angle of reflection (r)


Angle of incidence (i)

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Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

10
10

25
20

30
30

40
40

50
50

Plot a graph of angle r (y-axis) against angle i (xaxis).

When the angle of incidence is 00, the angle of


reflection is ___________.

What should be the value of the wrongly read


angle of reflection? _____________.

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 24

Experiment: Reflection
Apparatus: __________________________________________________________________________

Diagram:

Method:
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Table:
Angle of incidence (0)

Conclusion:

Angle of reflection (0)

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_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

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Not all surfaces are able to reflect


very well the light rays falling on
them. This is due to the surface
itself. The smoother the surface,
the better it reflects and the shinier
it appears.
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 25

The image in a plane mirror is:

_________________________________________
_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Complete the diagrams to show where


the image forms.

What is lateral inversion?


The word
would be seen as
if it were to be seen in a mirror. That
makes it more difficult to read. On an ambulance the word ambulance is laterally
inverted so that drivers could read it properly when they see an ambulance in their
cars mirrors.

The periscope

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A periscope makes use of reflection. It consists of two plane mirrors facing


each other and placed at an angle of 450. Periscopes are useful when one
cannot see something because of an obstacle. The ones used in submarines
use prisms rather than mirrors.

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Real and Virtual images

A ______________ image can form on a screen (e.g. cinema, slide projector,


camera).
A _____________ image does not form on a screen (e.g. mirror, magnifying
lens)
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 26

This question is about reflection.


A shop sign is seen by a student at P but not by one at Q.

a) Draw a ray from the shop sign S which reaches P after reflection at the mirror. Include in your diagram, the
incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal.
(2 marks)

b) Show on the diagram the position of the image of S.


c) What can be said about:

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(1 mark)

(i) the image distance and the object distance?


_____________________________________________________________________________(1 mark)

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(ii) the type of image?

____________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)
d) Why does the boy find it difficult to read the sign?
____________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)
e) Why cant the student at Q see the image?
____________________________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 27

REFRACTION OF

LIGHT (bending of light)

When light travels through different substances or media, it changes direction because it changes
______________________. This phenomenon of bending is called _______________________.

Which of these is an optically denser medium? (glass, water, air).


Which of these is an optically less dense medium? (glass, water, air).

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When light passes from one medium to another, its speed changes.

When light passes from an optically less dense medium (e.g. air) to an optically denser medium (e.g. glass) its
speed ____________________ and it is bent or refracted __________________ the normal.

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When light passes from an optically dense medium (e.g. glass) to an optically less dense medium (e.g. air) its
speed ___________________ and it is bent or refracted ___________________ the normal.

We can compare this effect to a fast car moving on a road that gets stuck in mud and comes out again.

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 28

Other facts about Refraction

A ray is not refracted (bent) when it is enters


normally (along the normal).

An object under water appears at a different


depth.

A pencil immersed in water appears bent


because of refraction.

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The refractive index (n)

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Every optical material has its own refractive index (e.g. n for glass =1.5, n for water = 1.33).
The greater the refractive index of a material, the more is it able to:
a) ________________________________________________________________
b) ________________________________________________________________

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Which material has the greatest


refractive index? Why?
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 29

Refractive index (n)

= speed of light in air


speed of light in medium

Example:
As light passes from air to glass its speed decreases from 3 x 108 m/s to 2 x108m/s. Find the refractive
index of glass.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Refractive index (n)

= real depth
apparent depth

The _____________ depth is the depth at which the


object is.

The _____________ depth is the depth at which the

image forms and the object appears to be.


The apparent depth is always ___________ than the real
depth.
Example:
A diver is at a depth of 6m. He appears to be at a depth of 4.5m. Find the refractive index of water.
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________

Diffraction of light

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http://www.olympusmicro.com/primer/java/diffraction/index.html

Light is made up of waves and so can be diffracted when it passes through a slit (gap). This however has to
be very narrow (< 1/100mm). This is because light has a very short wavelength.

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Light pattern on screen

When light passes through the very


narrow
slit,
it
spreads
or
____________ and produces a central
bright fringe of light with alternate dark and bright fringes on each side. If a wider slit is used there is less
diffraction. This experiment shows that:
a) Light is made up of ____________. b) These waves have a very short _____________________.
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 30

Total Internal REFLECTION

The incident ray is not refracted because it enters the glass


block along the _______________. When the angle of
incidence is very small, there is a strong refracted ray and a
very weak ray that is reflected back into the glass block.

As the angle of incidence is increased by moving the ray box,


at some point the angle of refraction becomes _________. At
this point the angle of incidence is called the
_______________________________.

D
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When the critical angle is ________________ there is


________________________________________.

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At some point no light from the torch


emerges to the surface. Explain why?
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 31

Reflecting Prisms
When the ray enters the face PQ it is not
refracted
as
it
enters
along
the
______________. The critical angle of glass is
420 and when the ray hits the side PR, the
__________________________ is exceeded
and
so
there
is
___________________________________.

Periscope (using prisms)


One application of total internal reflection is used in this type of
periscope which uses _____________ instead of mirrors.
Draw the correct position of the lower prism of the periscope.
Draw a ray showing its path from the object to the observer.
What are the two conditions needed for total internal reflection to
occur?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

Fibre Optics

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Another application of total internal reflection is


fibre optics.
They are used by doctors in
procedures such as ________________. They
are also used for telecommunications. The light
ray is trapped inside the solid optical fibre
because each time the ______________ angle of
the material is exceeded and there is total
internal reflection. They are deliberately thin so
that the critical angle would be exceeded more
easily.
Name three advantages of fibre optics over normal wire cables in carrying information.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

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Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 32

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Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

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Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 33

Dispersion
White light can be split up into a spectrum of 7 different colours. This
phenomenon is called _______________________.
Continue the ray diagram to show the path taken by the different colours.
Mark on the screen where you think might be infra-red and ultraviolet radiation.
Which colour is most refracted? ___________________
Which colour travels fastest in glass? __________________

Lenses

D
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Lenses are used in optical instruments (e.g. microscopes, telescopes). There are two types of lenses:

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convex (converging) lens

concave (diverging) lens

The convex lens is _______________ at the centre and it bends light _______________________.
The diverging lens is ________________ at the centre and it bends light _____________________.
The centre of the lens is called the _________________________.
The line through C at right angles to the lens is called the _________________________________.
The focal point is denoted by the letter F. It is also known as _____________________.
The
focal
length
is
the
distance
between
the
___________________
and
________________________________ of the lens.
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

the

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 34

Lenses Ray Diagrams


Magnifying Lens

The image is: __________________, _____________________, __________________.


Projector

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D
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The image is: __________________, _____________________, __________________.


Camera

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The image is: __________________, _____________________, __________________.


Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 35

Magnification
The magnification m is given by the formulae:

m = height of image
height of object

m = image distance (v)


object distance (u)

or

The image distance is the distance between the ________________ and the lens.
The object distance is the distance between the ________________ and the lens.
Example:
Continue the following diagram, marking the image formed and stating its properties. Give a use for the
diagram below. Calculate also the magnification by using both formulae.

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_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

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_________________________________________________________________________________________
Refer to page 12 to complete the table below
Height of image (cm)

Magnifying lens
Projector
Camera
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Height of object (cm)

Magnification

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 36

Experiment: Finding the focal length of a converging lens (approximate method)


The lens is moved until rays coming from a distant object (e.g. a window) form a sharp image on the wall
(screen).
The focal length would be the distance between the ______________ and the
______________________ on the wall.

The ray diagram for the above experiment would be the following:

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The image is: __________________, _____________________, __________________.

This method is approximate because the rays coming from the distant object may not be perfectly parallel.

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 37

Experiment: Finding the focal length of a convex lens (accurate method)


Light from the lamp passes through the hole in the screen and is refracted by the lens onto the mirror.
The mirror reflects the light back to the convex lens producing an image of the hole with crosswires
on the screen. The distance between the image and the lens is equal to the focal length of the lens.

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Power of a convex lens

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If a convex lens is thick it will be more able to bend parallel rays of light
over a short distance. Therefore the shorter the focal length, the greater the
power of the lens. Which of the lenses shown has the greatest power A, B
or C? Why? ___________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 38

Object on F:

No image forms in this case.

Object on 2F

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The image is: __________________, _____________________, __________________.

Example:

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A slide is placed 8cm away from a convex lens of focal length 12cm. Draw a ray diagram to scale to show how
the image forms. State the characteristics of the image. Find the image distance and also the magnification.

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 39

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Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

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Theme 3 -The Nature of Waves 40

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Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

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Linear Motion Theme 1 On the Move

When a car keeps moving at the same speed, we say that the car

uniform __________________.
If the driver increases the speed of the car at a constant rate, we say that there is a constant or

is moving at constant or

uniform ______________________.

If the driver decreases the speed of the car at a constant rate, we say that there is a constant or
uniform ______________________.

Average Speed

Total Distance
Total Time

This formula can be used either:


To find the average speed of an object.
When an object is moving at constant speed.
It CANNOT be used to find the speed at a point, if the object is accelerating or decelerating.
Example :
An athlete runs a 40 km race in 90 minutes. Find his speed in km/h and in m/s.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Symbol

D
O
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Unit

Initial velocity
Final velocity
Time
Acceleration/Deceleration
Distance

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When an object is stationary (at rest) or moves at constant speed, its acceleration is ___________.
Acceleration is a vector quantity as it has ______________________ and _________________.

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Equations of motion

1)
3)

v = u + at

or

a = (v-u)
t

s = ut + a t2

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

2)
4)

s = (u+v) x t
2
2
2
v = u + 2as

Linear Motion Theme 1 On the Move

Example 1:
A sprinter increases his speed from 2m/s to 6m/s in 8 seconds. Find:
a) his acceleration.
b) the distance travelled.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Example 2:
A car moving at a speed of 20 m/s is decelerated to rest in 4 seconds. Find:
a) its deceleration
b) the distance travelled.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Example 3:
A car starts from rest and is accelerated at 5m/s2 for 8 seconds. Find:
a) its final velocity.
b) the distance travelled.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Example 4:

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A boy starts from rest and completes a 200 m race in 20 seconds. Find:
a) his final velocity.
b) his average speed.
c) his acceleration.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Linear Motion Theme 1 On the Move

Example 5:
An athelete runs a 100m race. He takes 5 seconds to cover the first 30m. If he continues to run the rest of the
race at constant speed, find:
a) his final velocity after 30m.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
b) his acceleration.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
c) the total time to run the race.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

Thinking and Braking distance

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The thinking distance is the ______________ moved by the car while the driver is ______________.
The braking distance is the ______________ moved by the car while the driver is _______________.

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During the thinking distance we assume the car moves at ____________________________.

TOTAL STOPPING
DISTANCE

THINKING
DISTANCE

BRAKING
DISTANCE

What affects the thinking distance? __________________________________________________________


What affects the braking distance? ___________________________________________________________
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Linear Motion Theme 1 On the Move

Example:
A car is moving at 15m/s. The driver sees a child standing in the middle of the road and takes 0.6seconds to
apply the brakes. If the car stops in a further 4 seconds. Find:

a) the thinking distance


________________________________________________________________________________________

b) the deceleration of the car.


________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

D
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________________________________________________________________________________________

c) the braking distance.

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________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________________________________

d) the total stopping distance.


________________________________________________________________________________________

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Linear Motion Theme 1 On the Move

Example:

A driver is driving his car at a speed of 10m/s. A child crosses the road and while the driver reacts, the car
moves a distance of 5m. The car is then brought to rest 6 seconds later. Find:

a) the thinking time.


________________________________________________________________________________________

b) the deceleration of the car.


________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

D
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________________________________________________________________________________________

c) the braking distance.

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________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________________________________

d) the total stopping distance.


________________________________________________________________________________________

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Linear Motion Theme 1 On the Move

Velocity time graphs


A motorcycle moves at the same
speed of 20m/s for 6 seconds. The
graph shows that it is moving at
_________________________ or
____________________________.

A car is driven from ___________


and its speed is increased uniformly
by 5m/s every second. The car is
moving
with
a
uniform
____________________ of 5m/s2.

D
O
H

The speed of a car is decreased


uniformly from ________ to
_______ in ____ seconds. The car
makes
a
uniform
____________________.

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Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

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Linear Motion Theme 1 On the Move

Example 1:
A car moves at a constant speed of 20m/s for 10 seconds. It is decelerated to rest in a further 4 seconds.
Sketch a velocity time graph and find:
a) the deceleration.
b) the total distance travelled.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Example 2:
The speed of a car is increased from 4m/s to 12m/s in 10 seconds. Sketch a velocity time graph and find:
a) the acceleration.
b) the total distance travelled.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

D
O
H

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Example 3:

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A car moves at a speed of 15m/s for 10 seconds. Its speed is decreased to 5m/s in a further 3seconds. Sketch
a velocity time graph and find:
a) the deceleration.
b) the total distance travelled.
________________________________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Linear Motion Theme 1 On the Move

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Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

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Linear Motion Theme 1 On the Move

Distance time graphs


Consider a man standing at a certain distance from a wall.

As time goes by, the distance


between a man and a wall remains
_____m. This means that the man
is _____________.

The man is standing against the


wall. Every second the man is
moving a distance of ________
AWAY FROM the wall. He is
moving with a constant speed of
___________.

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The man is standing _______ away


from the wall. He starts to move
with constant speed TOWARDS
the wall. After 6 seconds he is
__________________.

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Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Linear Motion Theme 1 On the Move 10

Example:
Using the distance time graph shown find the speed of the
moving object shown.
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

Summary: Describe the type of motion in each case.

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Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

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Linear Motion Theme 1 On the Move 11

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Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

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Linear Motion Theme 1 On the Move 12

Acceleration due to gravity (g)


If the marble, the iron ball and the feather are dropped from the
same height, the marble and the iron ball fall and hit the ground
exactly at the same time. This is because on Earth all objects
fall with an acceleration (g) of 9.8m/s2. The feather falls with
less acceleration because of

________ ________________.

This is negligible in the case of the marble and the iron ball.

Experiment:
Air is extracted by means of a vacuum pump.
A _____________ is created inside the tube.
The marble and feather inside the glass tube fall in the same way.
In a vacuum, there is no _____ ________________ since no air is present.
Therefore, the feather and the marble fall with an acceleration of
9.8m/s2.

This is called g, the acceleration due to _____________ or

acceleration of __________________.
Usually when we work problems, g is taken to be 10m/s2.
Object dropped
from 1m height
Typical
acceleration

Stone of
mass 0.1kg

Stone of
mass 5kg

Stone of 5kg
in vacuum

Feather

D
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Feather in
vacuum

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For falling objects which are DROPPED

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Small
parachute

Same parachute
in vacuum

( u = 0 m/s )

s= g t 2

Example 1 :
A ball is dropped from a certain height and takes 5 seconds to reach the ground. From which height was it
released? What have you assumed in your calculation?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Linear Motion Theme 1 On the Move 13

Example 2 :
A stone is dropped from a height of 15m. Find the time it takes to hit the ground. What have you assumed?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

Experiment: Measuring g the acceleration due to gravity

D
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When the switch is on position 1, the ________________ attracts the iron ball.
When the switch is moved quickly to position 2, the iron ball __________ and the
_____________ starts.
The timer stops counting when the ____________ hits the _____________.
The distance fallen is measured with a __________________.
Using the equation:

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s= g t 2
g=2 s
t2

For example, if the distance fallen is 1 m and the time recorded is 0.45seconds:
g= 2x1
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

(0.45)

= 9.88m/s
2

Linear Motion Theme 1 On the Move 14

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Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

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Linear Motion Theme 1 On the Move 15

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Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

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Newtons Laws of Motion Theme 1 On the move

Newtons 1st law:

(The law of INERTIA)

If there are no external forces:


an object that is at rest will stay ___________.
a moving object will continue to move _________________.

Isaac Newton
1643-1727

Inertia is the reluctance (laziness) to change _____________________________.


The greater the __________ of an object, the greater its inertia.
Examples of INERTIA in everyday life:
Inertia makes it difficult to run fast the first few
metres of a race. The athletes body is at rest
and does not want to change its state of motion.
It wants to remain at rest. However, once the
athlete gains speed, it would be difficult to stop,
as the body does not want to change its state of motion. It wants to keep on moving.
When a fan is switched on, it rotates very slowly in the first few seconds. It is
reluctant to start moving. When it switched off, it continues to rotate for some
time as it is again reluctant to change the state of motion.

D
O
H

When the sheet of paper is pulled rapidly, the coin falls into the glass. The coin is at
rest and does not want to change its state of motion.

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It is hard to push a stationary object. The van is at rest


and wants to remain at rest. It does not want to change its state of motion.

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When a car stops suddenly, the body moves forward due to inertia. Seatbelts prevent the forward motion
caused by inertia. Airbags also help to prevent injury. Inertia can kill.
Website about crashtests: http://regentsprep.org/regents/physics/phys01/accident

The Resultant Force (Unbalanced Force)


Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Newtons Laws of Motion Theme 1 On the move

Example 1:

_______________________________
In this case the object would __________________ to the _____________.

Example 2:
Name the forces:
F1 __________________________________
F2 __________________________________
F3 __________________________________
Force F1 is equal to 6,000N, force F2 is
equal to 1,000N and F3 is equal to 2,000N. Find the resultant force acting on the car in this case.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
In this case the car would __________________ to the _____________.

Example 3:

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N

The resultant force in this case is 0 N.


In this case the object can be either:

a) _________________________________

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or

b) __________________________________

Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

D
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Newtons Laws of Motion Theme 1 On the move

Find the resultant force and state the type of motion in each case.

Resultant Force = ________________________________


Type of motion = ________________________________

Resultant Force = ________________________________


Type of motion = ________________________________

Resultant Force = ________________________________


Type of motion = ________________________________

Resultant Force = ________________________________


Type of motion = ________________________________

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Resultant Force = ________________________________


Type of motion = ________________________________

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Suggest a value for the air drag if the car is:


a) moving at constant speed.
______________________________________

b) accelerating.
Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

______________________________________

Newtons Laws of Motion Theme 1 On the move

Example 4:
A rope is used to lift an object of mass 30kg.
a) Name the force caused by the mass of the object and label it in the diagram.
____________________________________________________________________
b) What is the value of the tension when the object is stationary?
____________________________________________________________________
c) What is the value of the tension when the object is lowered at constant speed?
____________________________________________________________________
d) What is the value of the tension when the object is lifted at constant speed?
____________________________________________________________________
e) Suggest a value for the tension when the object is accelerated upward.
_____________________________________________________________________

Newtons 2nd law:

( F = m a )

The resultant force is the product of ________ and _________________.

a
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N
(N)

(kg)

D
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(m/s2)

Example 1:
Find the resultant force acting on an object having a mass of 6kg and which is being accelerated at 5m/s2.
___________________________________________________________________________________

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Example 2:
If the object has a mass of 3kg, find:
a) resultant force __________________________
b) acceleration

_____________________________________________________________________

Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Newtons Laws of Motion Theme 1 On the move

5
Example 3:
A van is travelling on a horizontal road at constant velocity. The forces acting on the van are shown in the
diagram below. The force F produced by the engine is 500N.

a) Name the force P and calculate a value for it. _____________________________________________


b) Name the force Q and calculate a value for it. _____________________________________________
c) Calculate the mass of the van. __________________________________________________________
The engine force F is suddenly increased to 1200N. Calculate:
d i) the resultant force driving the van forward assuming there is no change in Q.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
ii) the acceleration of the van.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Momentum
(kg m/s)

mass
(kg)

x velocity
(m/s)

D
O
H

Definition: Momentum is the product of _____________ and ___________________.


S.I. units: kg m/s Other units: kg cm/s

a
f
f
i
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B
.
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Momentum is a ________________ quantity as it has magnitude and direction.


Example:
Find the momentum of a car of mass 2000kg moving at 25m/s.

________________________________________________________

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Which one has more momentum in each case? (Use the signs >, < or =)
Car moving at 20m/s.

Same car moving at 35m/s.

Car moving at 20m/s.

Truck moving at 20m/s.

Car moving at 20m/s.

Aeroplane at rest on the runway.

Car of mass 1000kg moving at 20m/s.

Truck of mass 5000kg moving at 4m/s.

Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Newtons Laws of Motion Theme 1 On the move

Example 4:
When accidents happen at sea, injured persons are often rescued by
helicopter as shown in the diagram.
a) If the mass of the helicopter is 1500kg, what upward force
must be produced by the rotation of the rotor blades to keep
the helicopter at constant height?
Explain.
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________

b) The injured person and the rescuer of combined mass


120kg, have belts attached to their waists. A rope, which is
hooked to these belts, is then wound up by an electric motor in the helicopter.
acceleration, the two people rise vertically at a constant speed of 10m each minute.

i)

After a brief

What is the tension in the rope as it is drawn into the helicopter at constant speed?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
ii) Is the tension in the rope during the acceleration likely to be greater than, less than or equal to your
answer in part b i)? Explain.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

D
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iii) The acceleration while they are being lifted is 0.5m/s2. Calculate the value of this tension.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

c) Calculate the power of the motor when the people at the end of the rope are rising at a constant speed.
(Assume the process is 100% efficient).

.
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_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Newtons Laws of Motion Theme 1 On the move

Example 5:
A car starts from rest and reaches a speed of 20m/s in 5 seconds. If it has a mass of 1500kg, Find:
a) the acceleration. _____________________________________________________________________
b) the resultant force. ___________________________________________________________________
c) initial momentum. ___________________________________________________________________
d) final momentum. ____________________________________________________________________
e) change in momentum. ________________________________________________________________

Example 6:
A driver of mass 80kg loses control of his car which is moving at 10m/s, and crashes into a wall. He comes to
rest in 0.5 seconds. Find:
a) the deceleration of the driver ___________________________________________________________
b) the average decelerating force of the seatbelt on the driver if it is to hold him firmly in his seat.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

D
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An object moving to the right has a ________________ momentum.


An object moving to the left has a _________________ momentum.
Example 7:

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

High flying birds such as mallard ducks could be


a source of danger to aircrafts because if they

collide with the windscreen, the resulting impact could cause

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serious damage to the aircraft. Fifteen mallard ducks each of mass


1kg, travelling at 20m/s collide with an aeroplane. The aeroplane
of mass 2000kg is travelling with a velocity of 200m/s in the

opposite direction.

a) Calculate the momentum of the aeroplane before the collision. ________________________________


b) Calculate the momentum of the ducks before the collision. ___________________________________
c) Calculate the total momentum of the plane and mallard ducks before collision. ___________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Newtons Laws of Motion Theme 1 On the move

d) One of the mallard ducks hits the aeroplane windscreen. Calculate the impact force on the windscreen, if
the collision lasts for 0.001seconds. ___________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
e) The aeroplane windscreen is designed to withstand an impact force of 5.0 x 104N. Will it break or not?
________________________________________________________________________________________
Newtons 2nd law : (Everyday examples)
F = m a
or

and
so F = m (v u)
a = (v u)
t
t
mv - mu = (change in momentum)
t
time
and

F =

Seatbelt
What is the use of a seatbelt?
_______________________________________________________________
Why should it stretch a little bit?
_______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
Airbag
How does an airbag help to prevent injury?
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

Crumple zones
What are crumple zones?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

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Catching a ball
Why should the hand be moved slightly backward?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Flexing knees after jumping
Why should we flex our knees when jumping?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

D
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Newtons Laws of Motion Theme 1 On the move

Packaging material
Packaging material is designed in a way to ______________ the time of
_______________ and so protect fragile objects inside.

Hammering a nail
When a nail is hammered in a wooden block, the impact should last a
________ time, so that the force created is _____________________.

If both cardboard tubes are released from a height of 3m, the egg which
is resting on the crumpled aluminium foil would not break. Explain why.
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

Example 8:
a) A car advert specifies that the car can reach a speed of 25m/s from rest in 18 seconds. Calculate the
acceleration of the car.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
b) Cars are tested for safety during accidents in special laboratories.

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

D
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i) When a car crashes into a wall, the person continues to move forward.
Explain why this happens.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

ii) Seatbelts are slightly elastic and stretch slightly before stopping the passenger from moving forward. What
is the advantage of this?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

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iii) Airbags are designed to open in front of passengers in the case of an accident. Suggest two ways in which
an airbag can decrease the force of impact.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Newtons Laws of Motion Theme 1 On the move 10

The air track

Finding the average speed of a glider on an airtrack

D
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The formula SPEED = DISTANCE is used.


TIME
When the front of the glider reaches the photodiode, the timer ___________.
When the back part of the glider passes the photodiode, the timer ____________.

a
f
f
i
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B
.
N

The distance is equal to the length of the glider and is measured with a metre ruler.

Example:

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A glider has a length of 10cm. It takes 0.4 seconds to pass in front of the photodiode.
Find the average speed of the glider.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Newtons Laws of Motion Theme 1 On the move 11

On a LEVELLED airtrack the glider will move at CONSTANT SPEED when slightly pushed

When the glider is slightly pushed the time recorded on each timer is the _________. This means that the
glider is neither _________________ nor ___________________.
It is moving at __________
______________. The speed in each case can be found by using Speed = Distance/Time. The air track is
levelled by using a ________ _______________.

________________________________________________________________________________________

According to Newtons second law:

F=ma

a =

and so

aF

F
m

D
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acceleration and Force are ____________ proportional.


( the greater the force the ___________ the acceleration).

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

e.g The harder you push a shopping trolley the more it will accelerate.

a 1
m

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acceleration and mass are ____________ proportional.


( the greater the mass the ____________ the acceleration).

e.g The greater the mass of the shopping trolleys the less they will accelerate.

Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Newtons Laws of Motion Theme 1 On the move 12

Experiment:
The GREATER the

Force the GREATER the acceleration ( a F )

A weight (force) is used to pull the glider. The glider is released and its acceleration is noted. This is
repeated several times by adding more ___________________ to increase the force. It is noted that as the
force to pull the glider is increased the ______________________ increases. So acceleration and force are
____________________ proportional.
Table of results:
Force (N)

Acceleration (m/s2)

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

Sketch the graph that would be obtained:

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Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

D
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Newtons Laws of Motion Theme 1 On the move 13

Experiment:
The GREATER the

Mass

the SMALLER the

acceleration ( a 1/m )

A weight (force) is used to pull the glider. The glider is released and its acceleration is noted. This is
repeated several times by adding more ___________________ on top of each other to increase their
____________.
It is noted that as the mass of the gliders is increased, the acceleration
____________________. So acceleration and mass of gliders are ____________________ proportional.
Table of results:
Mass of Gliders (kg)

Sketch the graph that would be obtained:

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Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Acceleration (m/s2)

a
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Newtons Laws of Motion Theme 1 On the move 14

Newtons 3rd law:


For every ___________ there is an equal and opposite _________________.

Terminal Velocity
The feather is dropped from a
certain height. Initially its speed
increases and so there is an
______________________. At
this point the _____________ of
the feather is greater than the
_________ _________________.
However the air resistance
increases until it is equal to the
______________ of the feather.
At this point the resultant force is
equal to ___ N. The feather does
not accelerate any longer and
reaches it maximum constant
velocity
also
known
as
____________ ______________.

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a
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D
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Determine whether each of the following will reach terminal velocity.


A table tennis ball falling a height of 30m.
A raindrop.
An iron ball falling a distance of 5m.
A parachutist falling down.
A feather falling a height of 20cm.
An iron ball falling a distance of 5m in oil.

Yes

Simulation terminal velocity: http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/newtlaws/sd.html


Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Momentum and Collisions - Theme 1 On the Move

Momentum is the product of _____________ and ____________________. The SI unit is _____________.

The Law of conservation of Momentum:


The total momentum ______________ collision is equal to the
total momentum _______________, provided that there are
____________________________________. (e.g. friction).
Types of collision:
An ___________________ collision occurs when the objects STICK TOGETHER after colliding.
An ___________________ collision occurs when the objects SEPARATE after colliding.
An ___________________ occurs when two combined objects separate by moving in opposite directions.
State whether each of the following is an inelastic collision, an elastic collision or an explosion.
Inelastic
collision

Elastic
collision

Explosion

Toy car A hits toy car B and they move on together.


Toy car A hit toy car B which is at rest. A stops and B moves off.
Toy car A and B are held together by a spring. They are released and then they
move in opposite directions.
Firing a gun.
Stepping off a skateboard.
Rubber ball hitting the floor.
Plasticine hitting the floor.

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

A white billiards ball hitting a red one.

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Hot gases coming out of a rocket.

Cork shooting high after opening champagne.


Kicking a ball.

An ice skater skating towards another one, moving on together after colliding.

A bumping car hitting a wall.


Jumping into mud.
Inflating a balloon without tying a knot and letting it go of.
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

D
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Momentum and Collisions - Theme 1 On the Move

Example: (Inelastic Collision)


A trolley A of mass 2kg moving at 3m/s collides with a stationary trolley B of
mass 3kg. If the trolleys move on together after impact, find their common
velocity.

Total Momentum Before impact = Total Momentum After impact

m1v1 + m2v2

(m1+m2)

v3

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

The same question can be asked as follows:

D
O
H

a) Find the momentum of trolley A before collision. ______________________________________________


b) Find the momemtum of trolley B before collision. ______________________________________________
c) What is the total momentum before collision? _________________________________________________
d) What is the total momentum after collision? __________________________________________________
e) Find the common velocity after the collision.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
f) Find the total K.E. before the collision. ______________________________________________________
g) Find the total K.E. after the collision. _______________________________________________________
h) Find the K.E. lost during the collision. _____________________________________________________
i) Is K.E. conserved in this case? Why? _______________________________________________________

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a
f
f
i
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B
.
N

So only _________________ is conserved.


_________ is not conserved in an inelastic collision.
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Momentum and Collisions - Theme 1 On the Move

This question is about momentum and collisions.


a) Define the momentum of an object and state its units.
______________________________________________________________________________________(3)
b) The diagram shows an experiment on collisions between trolleys. Both trolleys have a mass of 2kg.
Trolley A moving at 1.5m/s collides and sticks to trolley B which is at rest.

i) What is the momentum of A before collision?


_____________________________________________________________________________________ (1)
ii) What is the momentum of B before collision?
_____________________________________________________________________________________ (1)
iii) What is the total momentum before the collision?

D
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_____________________________________________________________________________________ (1)
iv) What is the total momentum after?

Explain.

_____________________________________________________________________________________ (3)

a
f
f
i
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B
.
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v) What is the velocity of the trolleys after the collision?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________ (2)
vi) What is the kinetic energy of A before the collision?

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_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________ (3)
vii) What is the total kinetic energy of A and B after the collision?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________ (2)
viii) Can you explain the difference between the answers in vi) and vii)?
_____________________________________________________________________________________ (4)
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Momentum and Collisions - Theme 1 On the Move

Example: (Elastic Collision)


A trolley A of mass 4kg moving at 9m/s collides with a stationary trolley B of mass 2kg. If after colliding,
trolley A moves at a speed of 3m/s, find the speed at which trolley B moves off.

Total Momentum Before impact = Total Momentum After impact

m1v1 +

m2v2

m1 v3

m2v4

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

Example:

D
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A sphere X of mass 4kg moving a 1m/s collides with an identical sphere Y which is at rest. If X stops:
a) Find the speed of sphere Y after collision.
b) Is K.E. conserved in this case?

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a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

So both ______________ and ________ are conserved in a perfectly elastic collision.


Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Momentum and Collisions - Theme 1 On the Move

Example:
A minibus of mass 2000kg travelling at 10m/s collides headon with a car of mass 1200kg and which is moving at 30m/s
in the opposite direction. If the two vehicles stick together
on impact, find their common velocity and state in which direction they move.

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

Explosions

D
O
H

When an explosion occurs the two objects separate and have an equal and opposite momentum.

Explosions are related to Newtons 3rd law which states that for every _______________ there is an equal and
opposite ________________.

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

The total momentum before and after an explosion is 0 kgm/s.

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Total Momentum before explosion

Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Total momentum after explosion


- m1v1 + m2v2

Momentum and Collisions - Theme 1 On the Move

Example 1:

The velocity of a bullet of mass 5g after being fired is 60m/s. If the mass of the gun is 4kg, find the recoil
velocity of the gun.
Momentum bullet = Momentum gun

m1v1

m2v2

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

The same question can be asked as follows:


a) What is the total momentum before the gun is fired? Why?
________________________________________________________________________________________
b) What is the total momentum after the gun is fired? Why?
________________________________________________________________________________________
c) Find the momentum of the bullet after it is fired.
________________________________________________________________________________________
d)What is the momentum of the gun after it fires the bullet? Explain.
________________________________________________________________________________________
e)Find the recoil velocity of the gun.

D
O
H

________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

________________________________________________________________________________________
Example 2:

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A man of mass 70kg jumps out of a boat with a speed of 3m/s. The
boat of mass 300kg moves backwards.

a)Why does the boat move backwards?


________________________________________________________________________________________
b)Find the speed at which the boat moves backwards.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Momentum and Collisions - Theme 1 On the Move

Example 3:

The diagram shows two stationary trolleys separated by a compressed spring and held together by a thread.
The mass of trolley A is 2kg and that of B is 1kg. When the thread is cut, the trolleys move rapidly apart.
a) Which force is causing the movement of the trolleys?
________________________________________________________________________________________
b) What is the total momentum before and just after the thread is cut? Why?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
c)If trolley A moves off with a speed of 0.25m/s, calculate the speed at which trolley B moves off.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Example 4:
The diagram shows two girls on roller skates. Nicole has a mass of 25kg while
Roberta has a mass of 20kg. They are initially at rest.
a) What is the total momentum before they push each other? Why?

D
O
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________________________________________________________________

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

b) Is momentum a scalar or vector quantity? Why?


________________________________________________________________

c) Soon after they push each other, Nicole moves at a speed of 2m/s. Calculate her momentum.
________________________________________________________________________________________
d) What is the momentum of Roberta at this point? Why?
_______________________________________________________________________________________

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_______________________________________________________________________________________
e) Find the speed at which Roberta starts to move.
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Momentum and Collisions - Theme 1 On the Move

Experiment:
To prove the LAW OF CONSERVATION OF MOMENTUM ( for an inelastic collision)

Method:
Some plasticine is attached to glider 1 which is then slightly pushed. It passes in front of the first photodiode.
It then hits glider 2 which is at ___________. The two gliders ______________________________ and pass
in front of the second photodiode.
Results:
m1 is the mass of the ____________ glider.
m2 is the mass of the _____________ glider.
v1 is the velocity of the _____________ glider BEFORE collision = length of glider 1
Time of timer 1
v2 is 0m/s because glider 2 is at __________ BEFORE collision.
v3 is the velocity of ____________ trolleys AFTER collision =

Calculation:

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

Total momentum before = m1v1 + m2v2


Total momentum after =

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Precautions:

(m1+m2)

D
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length of BOTH gliders


Time of timer 2

v3

The air track is leveled with a ___________________________.


A constant flow of air is checked to be present so that there is no __________________ between the
gliders and the airtrack.
Conclusion:
The total momentum before collision is found to be equal to the total momentum after and so momentum is
_________________________ in an inelastic collision.
Mr. N. Briffa B.Ed (Hons.)

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home

THE STRUCTURE OF THE ATOM

All matter is made up of very small particles called ___________.

The centre of the atom is called the _____________.

The nucleus contains ___________ and ____________. Moving on the


outer surface, there are very small particles called _________________.

A proton has a ______________ charge.

An electron has a _____________ charge.

A neutron is neutral and has _______________.


In an atom the NUMBER OF ELECTRONS = NUMBER OF PROTONS.
Therefore the atom is overall uncharged. It is ___________________.
However, an atom may become charged when it loses or gains electrons.

This atom has a lack of electrons.


It lost ___ electrons. So it is
______________ charged.

Only the electrons


can move .

D
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The protons and

This atom has an excess of

a
f
f
ri

electrons. It gained ___ electron.

So it is ______________ charged.

.
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B
.
N

When rubbed with a cloth, POLYTHE

neutrons are

imprisoned in the
_____________.

NE becomes _____________________ charged.

When rubbed with a cloth, PERSPEX (or cellulose acetate) becomes ___________________ charged.

Law of charges

LIKE charges (- - or ++) ___________,


UNLIKE charges (+ -) ____________.
Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home

Result
Positive

Positive

Negative

Negative

Positive

Negative

Positive

Neutral

Negative

Neutral

Neutral

Neutral

Charging by FRICTION

If a polythene strip is rubbed against a cloth, electrons would move


from the _____________ to the _________________. The
polythene becomes _____________ charged because it ends up with
an ______________ of electrons. The cloth becomes
___________________ charged because it ends up with a
_____________ of electrons.

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

D
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H

If a perspex strip is rubbed against a cloth electrons would move


from the _____________ to the _______________. The perspex

becomes _____________ charged because it ends up with a

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____________ of electrons. The cloth becomes


___________________ charged because it ends up with an
_____________ of electrons.

Charged objects lose their charge faster in wet and humid conditions.
Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home

CONDUCTORS AND INSULATORS


Some materials allow current to flow through them. They are called _____________. Conductors have
__________ electrons. The greater the number of free electrons, the better the conductor. Good conductors
of electricity include gold, silver, copper and aluminium.
Some materials do not allow current to flow through them. They are called ________________. They have
loosely bound electrons called _________ electrons. _____________ are bad conductors of electricity and
have strongly bound electrons. Wood, plastic, rubber, and polystyrene are bad conductors of electricity.

Conductor/Insulator

Bulb lights (yes/no)

Wooden bar
Plastic ruler
Metal ruler

D
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Earthing: If a charged metal object is earthed with a conductor it becomes ________________.

.
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a
f
f
i
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B
.
N

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home

.
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Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

a
f
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B
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D
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Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home

When a negatively charged sphere is earthed as


shown, __________ flow from the sphere to earth.
The ________________ gives a reading while the
electrons are flowing down. This simple experiment
shows that current is a flow of ____________. The
flow of current lasts for a very short time until the
sphere becomes _____________. The greater the
charge

on

the

sphere,

the

greater

the

______________ that will flow.

Charge and Current


The amount of electrons present on the sphere is called ________________.
Current is the __________ of flow of charge (how many electrons flow in one second).
Symbol

Unit

Example

Andre Ampere
1775 -1836

Charge
Current

Q
Charge
(Coulombs)

=
=

I
Current
(Amps)

t
x

D
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time

(seconds)

Example :
Find the amount of charge present if a current of 5A flows every 2 minutes.

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

________________________________________________________________________________________
Electrical components

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Cell

Battery

Power supply (d.c)

Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Picture

Symbol

Use

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home

Bulb/Lamp

Open switch
Closed switch
Ammeter

Voltmeter

Multimeter

Resistor
Variable resistor
(rheostat)
Conventional current and Electron flow

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a
f
f
i
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B
.
N

Conventional current is the way current


flows from the ______________ to the
______________ terminal of the cell.

D
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Electron flow is the way electrons flows


from the _____________ to the
_______________ terminal of the cell.

Before electrons were discovered, scientists believed that current flowed from the positive to the negative
terminal of a cell. Later, they realized it was a mistake. It was too late to redefine all the electrical Physics,
so the inconvenience holds to this day. In the coursework we will use __________________________.
Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home

Voltage
The difference in the number of electrons between the terminals of a cell is called
____________. The greater the difference, the greater the voltage. For ___________ to
Alessandro Volta
1745 -1827

flow, voltage needs to be present. If there is no voltage there can be no current flowing.
E.m.f stands for ________________________________ and is the voltage across a cell.
P.d stands for ___________________________ and is the voltage across the circuit.
Both e.m.f. and p.d . are measured in _____________.

E
Energy
(Joules)

=
=

Q
Charge

V
x

(Coulombs)

Voltage
(Volts)

Example:
Find the electrical energy used if the charge is 5C and the potential difference is 12V.
________________________________________________________________________________________

These 3 bulbs are connected in


_________.

D
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If

one

bulb

___________, the others would


________________.

.
r
M
Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

These 2 bulbs are connected in


____________.

If

one

bulb

___________, the others would


___________________.

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home

Resistance
The opposition to current flow is called __________________. Resistance depends on:
a) __________________ ( the thicker the wire, the _______________ the resistance).
b) ___________________ ( the longer the wire, the ____________ the resistance).

Georg Ohm
1789 -1854

c) ___________________ ( the higher the temperature, the ____________ the resistance).


d) the type of material. (eg. copper, silver, iron, gold).
Resistance is measured in ohms (). For example, we say a wire has a resistance of 6 .
The best conductors (e.g. gold) have the _________________ resistance.
Insulators have an infinitely ______________ resistance.

The brightness can be controlled by using the _____________________ (rheostat).


High resistance - _______ current - Lamp is __________.
Low resistance - _______ current - Lamp is __________.

D
O
H

Measuring instruments
Current is measured by using an _______________. It is always connected in ____________ and has a
_______________ resistance.

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

Voltage is measured by using a ___________________. It is always connected in _________________ and


has a _____________ resistance.
Label the measuring instruments in each diagram.

.
r
M

Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home

Voltage

Current

(Volts)

R
x

Resistance

(Amps)

(Ohms)

Example:
A current of 0.5A passes through a resistor of resistance 10. Find the voltage across it.
________________________________________________________________________________________
EQUATIONS:
1. Q = It

Example:
The p.d. across a resistor is 2V and a current of 4A flows through it. Find:

2. E = Q V
a) the resistance of the resistor.
3. V = I R

___________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

4. E = V I t
2

5. E = V t
R
6. E = I2 Rt

b) the energy dissipated by the resistor as heat in 3 minutes.


___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

Finding the RESISTANCE of a metal wire

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

D
O
H

To find the resistance of a metal wire we need to know its voltage and its current (R= V/I).

The voltage is noted on the ______________.

.
r
M
Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

The current is noted on the ______________.


The equation R = V/ I is used.

The resistance of any component can be found


in this way. (e.g filament lamp, resistor etc.)

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home 10

OHMS LAW
_____________ is directly proportional to ____________
as long as the _______________ remains constant.

Experiment:
The voltage is noted on the ________________.
The current is noted on the ________________.
This is repeated several times by changing the
current with the ___________________________.
Table:
Voltage (V)

Current (A)

Precaution: _______________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
Graph:

D
O
H

The gradient of the graph (Y/X) gives the ______________.

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

OHMIC and NON-OHMIC conductors

__________________ conductors obey Ohms law and the graph obtained

.
r
M

is a straight line. Voltage and current are ______________ proportional.


(eg. metals, constantan wire)

Metal

__________________ conductors do not obey


Ohms law and the graph obtained is not a
straight line. Voltage and current are not
directly proportional (eg. filament lamp,
themistor, diode).

Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Filament lamp

Thermistor

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home 11

Example 1:
a) Find the total resistance _____________________________
b) Find the total current flowing _________________________
c) Find the voltage across the 6 resistor.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
d) Find the voltage across the 2 resistor.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Example 2:
a) Find the total resistance _____________________________
b) Find the total current flowing _________________________
c) Find the voltage across the 5 resistor.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
d) Find the voltage across the 1 resistor.
___________________________________________________
Example 3:

___________________________________________________
a) Find the voltage across the 4 resistor. _________________
___________________________________________________
b) Find the voltage across R ____________________________

D
O
H

c) Find the resistance of R.______________________________


___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

Complete the diagrams to show how voltage may divide in series and parallel circuits

.
r
M
Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home 12

Example 4:
a)Find the voltage across the 12 resistor .
___________________________________________________
b)Find the voltage across the 6 resistor .
___________________________________________________
c) Find the current in the 12 resistor.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
d) Find the current in the 6 resistor.
___________________________________________________
e) Which resistor has more current flowing through it? Why?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Example5:
a) Find the voltage across AB.
___________________________________________________
b) Find the voltage across BC.
___________________________________________________
c) Find the current in the 8 resistor.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
d) Find the current in the 2 resistor.
___________________________________________________
Example 6:

a
f
f
i
r
B
.
N

D
O
H

a) Find the voltage across AB .


__________________________________________
b) What is the voltage across BC?
__________________________________________

.
r
M

c) What is the voltage across CD?


__________________________________________
Example 7:
d) Find the current in the:
i ) 2 resistor ______________________________
ii ) 3 resistor _____________________________
iii) 6 resistor _____________________________

Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home 13

Example 7:

a) Find the voltage across AB . _______________________________________________________


b)What is the voltage across BC ? _____________________________________________________
c) Find the current in the 3 resistor.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
d) Find the resistance of R.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

Combined resistance of resistors in parallel


The total resistance for these resistors in series is ______

For two resistors in parallel the total resistance is found by using the
formula:
1 = 1 + 1
R
R1 R2

so 1 = 1 + 1
R
6
4
1 = 5
R
12

= 2 + 3 = 5
12
12

so R = 12 = 2.4
5

The combined resistance of resistors in parallel is always less than the resistance of the smallest resistor.

Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home 14

Example 8:

a) Find the total resistance of the circuit.


________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
b) What is the reading on the ammeter?
________________________________________________________________________________________
Example 9:

a) Find the total resistance between B and C.


________________________________________________________________________________________
b) Find the total resistance between A and C.
________________________________________________________________________________________
c) Find the current passing through the 3.5 resistor.
________________________________________________________________________________________
d) Find the voltage across AB.
________________________________________________________________________________________
e) What is the voltage across BC?
________________________________________________________________________________________
f) Find the current passing through the 2 resistor.
________________________________________________________________________________________
g) Find the current passing through the 6 resistor.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home 15

Example 10:
A current of 1A flows through the 2 resistor.
a) Find the voltage across the 2 resistor?
___________________________________________________
b)Find the current in the 4 resistor.
___________________________________________________
c) Find the current passing through R.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
d) Find the resistance of R.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Semiconductor components
These devices are made up of special material that gives them special properties.
Electrical
component

Symbol

Function

Diode

Allows current to flow in one __________________.

L.E.D

A diode that can emit _______________________.

L.D.R

A resistor whose resistance depends on _________________.

Thermistor

A resistor whose resistance depends on ___________________.

The diode:
The lamp will light in circuit _________.

In circuit A, the diode is said to be _______________


______________. The current can flow through the
circuit.
In circuit B, the diode is said to be _______________

B
Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

______________. The current flowing is negligible


(almost no current flows).

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home 16

Protecting equipment using diodes


If the cell is connected as shown in the diagram
the radio will work because the diode will be
___________ ______________. If the cell is
connected the other way round the radio would
not work as the diode would now be
__________ ______________.

No damage

would be done to the components inside the


radio.

The Light Emitting Diode (L.E.D):

A L.E.D is a special diode that emits ____________ when it is forward biased.


The uses of a L.E.D:
a) ________________________________________________
b) ________________________________________________

The seven segment display used in


alarm clocks makes use of 7 light
emitting diodes.

Example:
A L.E.D has a voltage drop across it of 2V and needs a current of only 0.01A. If it is connected to a 9V
supply , find the resistance of a protective resistor which is needed.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home 17

A fixed resistor would usually look as shown and would not have any special
property apart from decreasing current. However, there are special resistors made up
of semi-conductor material that give these resistors special properties.

fixed resistor

SPECIAL RESISTORS:

L.D.R

Thermistor

The Light Dependent Resistor (L.D.R):

A Light Dependent Resistor or (L.D.R) is a special resistor whose resistance varies with the amount of
____________________. It is made up of a special semiconductor material (cadmium sulphide). In the dark
it has a very high resistance (e.g. 2M) and in sunlight it has a very low resistance (e.g 100).
DARK - _______________ resistance

SUNLIGHT - _______________ resistance

When will the L.D.R conduct more current? _____________________________________________.


Use for an L.D.R: ____________________________________________________

The Thermistor:

A thermistor is a special resistor whose resistance varies with ____________________. When cold, it has
a very high resistance, while when hot it has a very low resistance.

COLD - _______________ resistance

HOT - _______________ resistance

When will the thermistor conduct more current? _________________________________________.


Use for a Thermistor:

Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

__________________________________________________

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home 18

The Lightmeter

When light falls on the LDR, the milli-ammeter


gives a reading because current flows.
In the dark, the resistance of the LDR
is__________________,

and

the

current

is

__________________.
In sunlight, the resistance of the LDR is
__________________,

and

the

current

is

__________________.
The greater the amount of light, the ___________
the current flowing through the circuit.

Describe briefly an experiment to find the resistance of a thermistor at 750C

Method:
When the temperature reaches 750C, the voltage is
noted on the _______________ and the current is
noted on the _______________.

Equation: ________________________________

Precaution:
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________

Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

Electricity Theme 5 Part 1 -Electricity in the Home 19

Mr. N. Briffa B. Ed. (Hons)

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