Further Mechanics 3.

You must be able to:

o Circular Motion
 Understand how all objects which change direction must be accelerating, even
at constant speed. You must be able to apply this knowledge to explain why all
changes in direction must involve a centripetal force.
 You must know the relationship between velocity and centripetal force and be
able to state the work done by a centripetal force
 Understand the concept of angular velocity as angle turned through per second
and be able to use and apply the equation linking angular velocity and linear
velocity. Be able to relate angular velocity to period of rotation and frequency
 Be able to use and apply the equations for centripetal acceleration in terms of
angular velocity and linear velocity
 Be able to use and apply the equations for centripetal force in terms of angular
velocity and linear velocity. Know that these equations are basically the same as
the acceleration equations with F=ma applied
o Simple Harmonic Motion
 Define Simple Harmonic Motion
 Understand how the definition relates to the equation linking acceleration and
·displacement
 Know the terms period and frequency and be able to convert between the two.
 Be able to find amplitude and frequency from the number of oscillations in a
given time
 Use the equations relating acceleration and velocity to displacement
 Use the equations for max velocity and max acceleration
 Be able to apply the equation relating displacement to time and know the
conditions under which it is valid. In particular you must be able to re-arrange
the equation for the variables in the trig function and know which mode your
calculator must be set to.
 You must be able to sketch graphs for acceleration, velocity and displacement
showing how they vary with time. You must also be able to use the graphs to
answer questions about SHM and know how one graph is generated from
another
o Simple harmonic Systems
 Be able to use the equation relating the period of a pendulum to its length and
acceleration due to gravity. This includes being able to predict the effect of
changing one of the variables by a particular multiplication factor
 Use experimental data of length and period for a pendulum to find time “g”
 Be able to use the equation relating the period of mass on a spring oscillator to
its stiffness and mass. This includes being able to predict the effect of changing
 one of the variables by a particular multiplication factor. Make sure you can still
apply the equation for stiffness, force and extension
 Be able to relate the kinetic and potential energy of an oscillator to its
displacement both in terms of calculation and sketching graphs. Be able to apply
conservation of energy to oscillators and know that for an undamped oscillator
total energy is constant
o Forced vibrations and resonance
 Be able to explain and define forced and free vibrations
 Be able to describe resonance and sketch a graph of Amplitude against
frequency for different amounts of damping. Make sure you can label the
natural frequency of the oscillator
 Be able to describe the motion of the oscillator relative to its driver in terms of
amplitude and phase difference. You should be able to do this at resonance and
for frequencies above and below resonance
 Be able to give examples of where resonance is desirable and undesirable in the
real world. Explain how unwanted resonance can be reduced

Fields and Their Consequences 3.7

Gravitation

o Newton’s Law of Gravity

 Be able to use the equation to find the force between two masse from the
separation of their centres of gravity. Be aware that “r” does not necessarily
stand for radius.
o Gravitational Field strength
 Understand that field strength is a property of a location and that the number
tells us two things about the location. You should be able to know what these
two things are from the two units for field strength
 Be able to calculate field strength due to a point mass. Again be aware that “r”
does not necessarily stand for radius. “M” stands for the mass of the object
creating the field
 Know what is meant be a radial field and be able to draw the gravitational field
for a circular mass
 Know what the field lines represent
 Know that gravitational field strength is a vector quantity and be able to use
this, particularly when calculating the point where the field strength is zero
between two masses
 Be able to relate the field strength on the surface of a sphere to its density and
radius
 Be able to apply the butter gun effect to the way that gravitational field strength
varies with distance (inverse square law)
  Know the relationship between radius and volume for a sphere. e.g. if we
double the radius of a sphere the volume increases by what factor
 Know the characteristics of polar and geostationary and use of satellites in these
orbits
 Be able to relate gravitational field strength to centripetal acceleration for a
satellite in a circular orbit. You should be able to do this in terms of velocity or
angular velocity
 You need to be able to calculate the angular velocity for the Earth’s rotation and
use this to calculate the radius of a geostationary orbit
 You need to understand what is meant by gravitational potential, how to
calculate it and where it is zero
 You need to be able to use Gravitational Potential to find the work needed to
move an object between 2 locations and know that this work done is equal to
the change in potential energy of the object
 You need to be able to understand escape velocity and know how to calculate it
 You need to able to calculate the potential, kinetic energy and total energy of a
satellite in orbit and the changes in energy moving between 2 orbits.
 Be able to derive Kepler’s Third Law relating the period of an orbit to its radius
o Electric fields and Potential
 Know what is meant by an electric field and be able to predict the direction of
the force on a positive or negative charge
 Be able to draw field patterns for 2 like point charges, 2 opposite point charges
and for 2 oppositely charged parallel plates
 Know the angle between field lines and equipotentials and know the term
equipotential
 Know the equation relating the force between 2 charges to the magnitude of
the 2 charges and the separation of the 2 charges
 Be able to define field strength in terms of the equation and a sentence. Know
both of the units
 Be able to calculate the Field Strength due to an isolated point charge
 Know that Field Strength is a vector and be able to use basic vector maths to
combine to electric fields. Including finding the point between 2 like charges
where the field strength is zero
 Know that Field strength is equal to a potential gradient and that for a uniform
field E=V/d
 Be able to derive the equation relating the work done moving a charge through
a field to its change in potential energy
 Know the definition of potential at a point in space as a sentence and an
equation
 know that potential is a scalar quantity
 Be able to calculate potential at a point in space including for multiple charges
  Be able to use potential to calculate the work done moving a charge between 2
locations. Know whether this work done depends on the route taken
 Find the point between 2 opposite charges where potential is zero

o Capacitance

 Be able to calculate the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor when it has air
or a dielectric between the plates
 Be able to explain how a dielectric increases capacitance in terms of molecules
 Be able to define capacitance in term of pd and charge stored and know the
units of capacitance.
 Know how charge is stored, in a capacitor, in terms of the movement of
electrons between the plates
 Know the shape of a charge pd graph and use it to find capacitance

o Energy Stored by a capacitor

 Be able to calculate the energy stored in a capacitor from
 pd and charge
 pd and capacitance
 charge and capacitance
 a charge against pd graph
 Know that if you are stuck in the exam and find the equation E=QV, it will not
work and that you need to keep looking
o Capacitor Discharge
 Sketch and interpret graphs of a capacitor discharging and charging. This could
include graphs of pd, current or charge.
 Know how to calculate the time constant in a circuit and be able to show that it
has units of seconds.
 Know what the time constant tell us about the fall of charge, pd and current
with time
 Be able to find the time constant from graphs including ln graphs
 Be able to use the exponential equations for the change of current, pd and
charge with time. If logs aren’t your thing, learn the re arrangements.
 Be able to explain how you would use a data logger for monitoring the discharge
of a capacitor. Including making intelligent comments about sampling rate and
time constant

Magnetic Fields

o Magnetic flux density

  Define the Tesla and know the term Flux Density
 Be able to calculate the force on a current in a magnetic field
 Be able to predict the direction of the force on a current in a magnetic field
and moving charges in a magnetic field
 Be able to calculate the force on a charged particle moving in a magnetic field
 Be able to find the direction of the force on a charged particle moving in a
magnetic field, for both positive and negative charges
 Be able to explain the circular path of charged particles in magnetic fields
 Be able to find the radius of the circular path of a charged particle in a magnetic
field
 Be able to show that the time to complete one circle, for a charged particle in
magnetic field, is independent of the particles velocity and that this is the basis
of the Cyclotron accelerator

o Magnetic flux and flux linkage

 Be able to calculate Flux from Flux density
 Be able to calculate Flux linkage
 Know the difference between flux and flux linkage
 Be able to calculate the flux linkage of a coil where the normal to the coil makes
an angle “theta” to the flux lines

o Electromagnetic induction

 Know Faraday’s Law and Lenz’s Law

 Be able to apply them to a range of situations including a wire moving in a
magnetic field, a magnet falling through a coil, a coil moving in a magnetic field
and a coil entering or leaving a magnetic field
 Be able to relate graphs of flux linkage and induced emf
 Be able to calculate the induced emf in a coil rotating at angular velocity
“Omega” in a uniform magnetic field
 Be able to use the transformer equation to relate voltage to number of turns
 Be able to explain where energy is lost in a transformer and how this energy loss
is reduced
 Be able to explain why the National grid operates at a high voltage in terms of
energy loss in wires (hint use p=I2R)
o AC

 know that alternating current and voltage show sinusoidal variation and be able
to calculate rms current or voltage from peak current or voltage. You should
also know the term peak to peak voltage
 Know, in an A/C circuit, how to calculate power
  know the terms time base and y-gain (or voltage sensitivity) in relation to an
oscilloscope
 be able to determine peak voltage, time period or frequency from a picture of
an oscilloscope display.
 You should be able to interpret both AC an DC on an oscilloscope
 when supplied with suitable information, sketch the display on an oscilloscope
and be able to state the effect on this display of changes to the settings on the
oscilloscope or changes to the signal. For example now the display would
change if the time base was doubled or the peak voltage of the signal was
halved

o Transformers
 Be able to use the transformer equation
 be able to calculate transformer efficiency or use efficiency to calculate the
output of a transformer
 Be able to explain how energy is lost in a transformer and how these losses
could be reduced
 Be able to explain how and why transformers and AC currents are used in the
national grid to increase transmission efficiency