Chapter 1 – Making Measurements

When students have completed this lesson they will find out:

• How to make measurements of length, volume, and time
• How to increase the precision of measurements of length and time
• How to determine the densities of solids and liquids

• How to interpret distance-time and speed-time graphs
• How to calculate speed and distance
• How to calculate acceleration
• The difference between scalar and vector quantities

• How to identify the forces acting on an object
• How a resultant force changes the motion of an object
• The difference between mass and weight
• How a resultant force can give rise to motion in a circle
• The effect of air resistance on a moving object
• How force, mass and acceleration are related
• How a force changes an object’s momentum
• How to calculate the resultant of two or more vectors

• How to describe the turning effect of a force
• The conditions needed for an object to be in equilibrium
• How to calculate moments, forces and distances
• How the center of mass of an object affects its stability

• That forces change the shape and size of a body
• How to carry out experiments to produce extension – load graphs
• How to interpret extension – load graphs
• About Hooke’s law and how to apply it
• What factors affect pressure
• How to calculate pressure

• How to identify forms of energy
• How to describe energy conversions
• About applying the principle of conservation of energy
• The meaning of energy efficiency
• How to calculate percentage efficiency
• How to calculate potential energy and kinetic energy

• About the different energy resources we use
• How we rely on the sun for most of our energy resources

• The ideas of work and power
• How to calculate work and power