Cambridge International AS and A Level Physics Coursebook with CD-ROM

Page 5

Contents Introduction

vii

Chapter 5: Work, energy and power

69

How to use this book

viii

Doing work, transferring energy Gravitational potential energy Kinetic energy g.p.e.–k.e. transformations Down, up, down – energy changes Energy transfers Power

71 75 76 76 77 78 80

Chapter 1: Kinematics – describing motion Speed Distance and displacement, scalar and vector Speed and velocity Displacement–time graphs Combining displacements Combining velocities

Chapter 2: Accelerated motion

1 2 4 5 6 8 10

14

The meaning of acceleration Calculating acceleration Units of acceleration Deducing acceleration Deducing displacement Measuring velocity and acceleration Determining velocity and acceleration in the laboratory The equations of motion Deriving the equations of motion Uniform and non-uniform acceleration Acceleration caused by gravity Determining g Motion in two dimensions – projectiles Understanding projectiles

18 20 22 24 25 25 28 29

Chapter 3: Dynamics – explaining motion

37

Calculating the acceleration Understanding SI units The pull of gravity Mass and inertia Top speed Moving through fluids Identifying forces Newton’s third law of motion

Chapter 4: Forces – vectors and moments Combining forces Components of vectors Centre of gravity The turning effect of a force The torque of a couple

15 15 16 17 17 18

38 39 41 43 44 45 47 49

53 54 56 59 59 63

Chapter 6: Momentum The idea of momentum Modelling collisions Understanding collisions Explosions and crash-landings Collisions in two dimensions Momentum and Newton’s laws Understanding motion

Chapter 7: Matter and materials Density Pressure Compressive and tensile forces Stretching materials Elastic potential energy

Chapter 8: Electric fields Attraction and repulsion The concept of an electric field Electric field strength Force on a charge

Chapter 9: Electric current, potential difference and resistance

85 86 86 89 91 93 95 96

101 102 102 104 105 108

116 117 118 119 122

127

Circuit symbols and diagrams Electric current An equation for current The meaning of voltage Electrical resistance Electrical power

128 129 132 134 135 136

Chapter 10: Kirchhoff’s laws

143

Kirchhoff’s first law Kirchhoff’s second law Applying Kirchhoff’s laws Resistor combinations

144 145 146 148

iii


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