AQA · Physics · 8463

GCSE Physics: Resultant forces

Forces · AQA GCSE Physics (8463), specification point 4.5.1.4. Cards are generated from the exam board's own specification for "Resultant forces", and every card links back to the page it came from. Specification © AQA — used with attribution.

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  1. What is a resultant force?

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    A single force that has the same effect as all the original forces acting on an object together.

  2. A number of forces acting on an object may be replaced by a single force called the ? force.

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    resultant

  3. How do you find the resultant of two forces acting in the same direction along a straight line?

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    Add their magnitudes; the resultant acts in the same direction.

  4. How do you find the resultant of two forces acting in opposite directions along a straight line?

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    Subtract the smaller from the larger; the resultant acts in the direction of the larger force.

  5. What is the resultant force on an object when the forces acting on it are balanced?

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    Zero.

  6. When all the forces on an object are balanced, the resultant force is ?.

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    zero

  7. What is a free body diagram used for?

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    To show all the forces acting on a single object as arrows, so the resultant force can be worked out qualitatively.

  8. What does it mean to resolve a force?

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    To split a single force into two components acting at right angles to each other, which together have the same effect as the original force.

  9. A single force can be resolved into two components acting at ? to each other.

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    right angles

  10. What is the combined effect of the two components of a resolved force?

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    The same effect as the original single force.

  11. Which two properties of a resultant force does a scale vector diagram give?

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    Its magnitude and its direction.

  12. Why is force a vector quantity?

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    Because it has both a magnitude and a direction.

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