Physics coursework - marked A* (60/64marks)
The factors that affect the motion of a falling object
Scientific Knowledge
When an object falls, many forces are acted upon it: gravity, friction, air resistance and, if in the water, up thrust. When an object starts to fall, gravity over powers air resistance, however, as an object starts to reach terminal velocity (its maximum speed) the opposite forces start to even out until they are equal. Some people believe that if the forces are balanced then the object has stopped moving, meanwhile they could also just be moving at a constant speed (its terminal velocity). All free-falling objects accelerate at the same speed no matter what their mass is (9.8m/s²).
There are two calculations you need for this investigation, no matter which factor you investigate and they are the equations to work out speed and acceleration.
Speed = Distance Travelled Time Taken
Acceleration = Change in Velocity Time Taken
Many people believe that speed and velocity is exactly the same thing but they are wrong; speed is just a number, but velocity has direction too. Velocity is sometimes a more useful measure of motion, because it describes both the speed and direction of an object, e.g. velocity = 30m/s due north. Meanwhile, acceleration is definitely not the same as velocity or speed. Acceleration is the change in velocity in a certain amount of time.
The factors affecting the terminal velocity of a falling object include: its mass, its surface area, the viscosity of a liquid and the height of where the object is dropped. In his First Law, Newton explained the effect of a net force, greater than zero, upon an object at rest. In his Second Law, Newton explains the effect of a force upon a moving object and the relationship between acceleration, force, and the mass of an object
Isaac Newton’s Second Law of Motion (F=ma) explains the relationship between force and acceleration in motion. The application of force on an object causes an
Scientific Knowledge
When an object falls, many forces are acted upon it: gravity, friction, air resistance and, if in the water, up thrust. When an object starts to fall, gravity over powers air resistance, however, as an object starts to reach terminal velocity (its maximum speed) the opposite forces start to even out until they are equal. Some people believe that if the forces are balanced then the object has stopped moving, meanwhile they could also just be moving at a constant speed (its terminal velocity). All free-falling objects accelerate at the same speed no matter what their mass is (9.8m/s²).
There are two calculations you need for this investigation, no matter which factor you investigate and they are the equations to work out speed and acceleration.
Speed = Distance Travelled Time Taken
Acceleration = Change in Velocity Time Taken
Many people believe that speed and velocity is exactly the same thing but they are wrong; speed is just a number, but velocity has direction too. Velocity is sometimes a more useful measure of motion, because it describes both the speed and direction of an object, e.g. velocity = 30m/s due north. Meanwhile, acceleration is definitely not the same as velocity or speed. Acceleration is the change in velocity in a certain amount of time.
The factors affecting the terminal velocity of a falling object include: its mass, its surface area, the viscosity of a liquid and the height of where the object is dropped. In his First Law, Newton explained the effect of a net force, greater than zero, upon an object at rest. In his Second Law, Newton explains the effect of a force upon a moving object and the relationship between acceleration, force, and the mass of an object
Isaac Newton’s Second Law of Motion (F=ma) explains the relationship between force and acceleration in motion. The application of force on an object causes an