Lesson: Distinguishing Weight from Other Forces High School Physics

Physics

In this lesson, we will learn how to distinguish between the effects of the weight of an object and other forces acting on it.

Video

14:27

Sample Question Videos

05:42
05:26
02:15

Worksheet

Q1:

A car has a mass of 460 kg. The weight of the car is evenly supported by its four identical wheels. What force does each wheel apply to the ground?

Q2:

An astronaut who has a mass of 80 kg is in a space station that orbits Earth in free fall. The astronaut is floating in a room of the space station, touching a wall that is perpendicular to Earth’s surface with her hand. She pushes against the wall with a force of 20 N. What is her acceleration perpendicular to the wall?

Q3:

A child who has a mass of 30 kg jumps into the air and lands on the ground. The child hits the ground at a speed of 1 m/s and comes to rest 0.1 s after landing.

What is the child’s weight?

What is the average force applied to the ground by the child’s feet during the landing?

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