Grade 10

Physics
 Scientific Notation

Scientific notation is a ______________________________ way to express very ________________ or very

____________________ numbers.

Ex. The distance to the sun =

The time it takes for sunlight to cross the classroom =

It would be nice to _____________________ these numbers without all the ______________.

Coefficient = the ___________________________ digits of the ________________________ number

Exponent = the _______________________ of places the _________________ point moved.

Converting to Scientific Notation

1. Move the ________________ point to behind the ______________ non-zero ___________________

and make this the _______________________________.

2. Count the number of _____________________ the decimal _________________ moved and

______________ this the __________________________.

a. Decimal moves ________________ = ______________________ exponent.

b. Decimal moves ________________ = ______________________ exponent.

3. _______________________ all the _______________ zeroes.

Ex. 470 000 into scientific notation

Ex. 0.000 000 063 into scientific notation

Ex. 58 200 000 Ex. 0.009 270 Ex. 30 500 000 000

Back to Standard Notation

1. Write the ________________________

2. Move the ______________________ point the _______________________ of places indicated by

the ________________________.

3. Place _________________ in the __________________ places as ________________________________.

Ex. 3.55 X 104 into standard notation

Ex. 8.85 X 10-5 into standard notation

Ex. 8.123 X 107 Ex. 3.2 X 10-3 Ex. 6.56 X 10-6

 Unit Conversion

Conversion Factor Method

Steps:

1. Write the ___________________________ first.

2. Draw a ___________________ set of ____________________________ with a line in the middle.

3. Place the ________________________________ in the brackets, _________________________ to

where they are in the _______________________________.

4. Put the ___________________________________ in the empty space.

5. Put a ____________ with the larger unit.

6. Put the _________________________________________ value with the other unit.

7. Do the ____________________.

a. _____________________________ numbers on the top.

b. ________________________ numbers on the bottom.

8. Cancel _____________________ to _______________________________ the new units.

Ex. Convert 538 m  km

Ex. Convert 27 min  seconds

Ex. 5 days  hours

Ex. 2.34 g  mg

Complex Conversions
For more ______________________________ units more than ___________ conversion ___________________

may be required.

Ex.

The same __________________ are used when __________________________ complex units as it is when

converting ________________________ units.

Ex. 1 week  seconds

Ex. 50 km  m/s

Ex. 5 m2  cm2

Ex. 15 m/s  km/h

 Distance vs. Displacement, Speed vs. Velocity

Distance vs. Displacement

• When an object moves between _______ points, there are two ways of measuring its new
position relative to its original position – as _______________ travelled or as
______________________.
• __________________ is a measurement of the actual path travelled by an object.
o Distance is an example of a _____________ quantity, which means it has a
_____________________ (size) but does not have a ___________________.
o Distance is represented by the symbol _____ and is officially measured in metres
but can also be measured in km, cm, mm, or other units
o It is measured by adding together the distances of each leg of the journey.
o Total distance can only ___________, it will never decrease
o The following equation is used when calculating distance:

• __________________________ is a measurement of how far away an object is from its

original position. In other words, if a straight line was drawn between an object’s starting
position and its finishing position, that would be its displacement.
o If an object’s finishing position is the same as its starting position, its
displacement will equal ________.
o Displacement is an example of a ___________ quantity, which means it has a
magnitude and it has a __________________.
o Displacement is represented by a ______ and is also officially measured in metres
but can also use km, cm, mm.
o Displacement is involved in 2 types of problems:
§ __________________________
§ __________________________
 ** When solving either of these problems, drawing a picture will make solving the
problem much easier**
• One-Dimensional Displacement Problems
o For one-dimensional displacement problems the following formula should be
used:

o Positive and negative signs should be used to indicate the different directions the
object is moving.

• Two-Dimensional Displacement Problems

o For two-dimensional displacement problems, the _________________________
theory must be used as the formula:

• Distance is always ___________________________________ to displacement,

depending on the path travelled by an object.
o If an object moves in a straight line, the distance travelled will be ____________
to the object’s displacement.
o If an object does not move in a straight line, the distance travelled will be
____________________ the object’s displacement.

Example 1: A girl rollerblades 300 m east to the 7-11 for a slush with friends before
rollerblading 550 m west to the ball field. What is the girl’s displacement?
Example 2: A girl rollerblades 300 m east to the 7-11 for a slush with friends before
rollerblading 550 m south to the ball field. What is the girl’s displacement?

Speed vs. Velocity

• The terms speed and velocity are often used interchangeably, but in physics there is an
important difference in their meaning.
• _______________ is a measure of the rate at which __________________ changes.
o It is a ____________ quantity, with a magnitude but no direction
o Speed is represented by a _____ and is measured in meters per second (_______)
as well as kilometers per hour (_______)
o Speed is calculated using the following formula:

• ______________________ is a measure of the rate at which ______________________

changes.
o It is a ______________ quantity, with a magnitude as well as a direction
o Velocity is represented by a _____ and just like speed it is measured in m/s and
km/h.
o Velocity is calculated using the following formula:

• Steps Recommended When Calculating Speed or Velocity

1. List the information you know. Label them with the proper symbol.
 2. Put a ‘?’ beside the item you want to find
3. Write the formula needed for the question
4. Substitute known values
5. Make slow calculations
• There are ____ different types of speed and velocity we will look at:
1. __________________________
• When an object travels the same speed/velocity over a period of time.
2. __________________________
• A measurement of how fast an object is moving at one exact moment.
• Ex) the speedometer in a car
3. __________________________
• How fast an object is moving at the beginning of a scenario
• Represented by: v1 or vi
4. __________________________
• How fast an object is moving at the end of a scenario
• Represented by: v2 or vf

Example 1; A shark swims 30 meters in 12 seconds. What speed is the shark travelling?

Example 2: A cheetah is travelling 120 km/h and travels 150 meters. How long does it take the
cheetah to run this far?
Example 3: A boy cross-country skis 8 km southwest in 1.5 hours. What is his velocity?

Example 4: A girl runs 1 lap (400 m) around a track in 65 seconds. What is her velocity?
 Displacement-Time Graphs and Velocity-Time Graphs

Displacement-Time Graphs

• A ________________________________ graph shows the relative position of an object

over time (that is why it is also called a ______________________________ graph)
• The d-t graph plots ________________________ of an object (on the ____________)
against _____________ (on the ______________)
• When drawing d-t graphs make sure to also include a ____________, __________, and
that an appropriate ____________ is chosen.

Example 1: A shark swims 30 meters in 12 seconds. Draw the d-t graph.

Example 2: A man runs 5 km south in 10 minutes. He stops to rest and have a water break for
another 5 minutes. He then finishes off his run by running 10 km north in 10 minutes. Draw the
d-t graph.
D-T Graph Shapes
There are many __________________ shapes that d-t graphs can form that are extremely
__________________ to help you distinguish the different movements.
1. __________________ line = object is staying still

2. ____________________ line away from the _____________ = object is moving away

from the origin at a constant velocity

3. Diagonal line ________________ the x-axis = object is moving towards the origin at a
constant velocity

4. _______________ line = object is changing its velocity (acceleration)

Interpreting D-T Graphs

• Remember, displacement is considered a _______________ quantity, which means that it
has a magnitude and direction.
 • When looking at the top of the graph you have a ________________ displacement which
means that the object is moving in _____ direction (ex. ____________) from the general
starting point.
• The bottom of the graph, however, has a _________________ displacement meaning that
the object is moving in the ____________________ direction (ex. ______________)
from the starting point
• An object is moving ______________ the __________________ the slope, whereas an
object is moving ______________ when the ______________ is less steep.

Ex) Explain what is happening in the graph below.

t
What Does the Slope in D-T Graphs Tell Us?
• The slope of a d-t graph tells us the _____________ of an object. It is calculated using
the following equation:

• In order to use this equation, you can pick any two points on the slope of the graph.
o Rise = vertical distance between points
o Run = horizontal distance between points
Ex) What is the speed of the jogger that is depicted in the graph below?

Speed of Jogger

30

l
Displacement (m)

25
l
20
l

15
l

10
l

5
l

l l l l l l l
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Time (s)

Velocity-Time Graphs
• ________________-time graphs (v-t graphs) are used to show how an objects velocity
changes in a given period of time.
• Just like displacement-time graphs, ____________ is always located on the ___________
and velocity is on the ____________.

V-T Graph Shapes

1. __________________ line = object is moving with ___________________ velocity

2. Horizontal line at _____________ means that the object is ____________________

 3. Diagonal line away from the x-axis = the object is __________________
a. Positive velocity values mean the object is moving in one direction (ex. a car
moving forward)

b. Negative velocity values mean the object is moving in the opposite direction (ex.
a car moving backwards)

4. Diagonal line towards the x-axis = the object is _____________________

Interpreting V-T Graphs

• Remember, velocity is considered a ________________ quantity, which means that it has
a magnitude and direction (just like displacement).
• When looking at the ________ of the graph you have a _______________ velocity which
means that the object is moving in one direction (ex. left) from the starting point.
• The _________________ of the graph, however, has a ________________ velocity
meaning that the object is moving in the opposite direction (ex. right) from the starting
point
• An object is _________________________ or decelerating faster the ______________
the slope, whereas an object is accelerating or _______________________ slower when
the _______________ is less steep.
Ex) Explain what is happening at each step in the graph below.
v

t
What Does the Slope and Area in V-T Graphs Tell Us?
• Slope tells us the ________________________ of the object
• ___________ underneath the slope of a v-t graph also gives information about the
______________ of the object (unlike d-t graphs)
o It tells us the displacement of the object
o How you determine the area underneath the slope depends on the shape of your
graph
o The shape can be either a triangle, rectangle/square, or a combination of both
• Area of a triangle:
• Area of a rectangle:
Ex) What is the displacement of the jogger that is depicted in the graph below?

Displacement of Jogger

30
l

25
l
Velocity (m/s)

20
l

15
l

10
l

5
l

l l l l l l l
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Time (s)
 Acceleration
• ______________________ is a measure of the rate of change of velocity or speed. In
other words, it is a measure of how quickly an object ________________ or
__________________ its velocity/speed
• Acceleration is a _________________ quantity, so it has a magnitude, but no direction
• If an object’s velocity is ___________________ (not changing), then it is ___________
accelerating
• Acceleration is most commonly measured in ________ and is represented by the letter __
• When an object experiences an ________________ in speed (getting faster), it will have
a positive acceleration. Therefore, the object is said to be _______________________
• When an object experiences a __________________ in speed (getting slower), it will
have a negative value for acceleration. Therefore, the object is said to be
___________________
• The formula used when calculating acceleration is:

• However, Δ𝑣 can be expanded into 𝑣! − 𝑣" which makes the formula much easier to
manipulate and visualize. Therefore:

Ex) A car accelerates from 15 m/s to 24 m/s in 6 seconds. What was the car’s rate of
acceleration?
Manipulating the Acceleration Formula
• In some cases, you may face an acceleration question that asks you to find one of the
other three variables (t, v2, v1)
• The following three formulas can be used:

Ex) An airplane is travelling 55 m/s and accelerates at a rate of 6 m/s2 to reach a final velocity of
89 m/s. How long did it take the plane to accelerate to 89 m/s?

Acceleration Due to Gravity

• All objects are attracted to Earth due to the force of ___________________.
• Free-falling objects do not move towards Earth at a constant velocity. Instead, they
accelerate towards Earth at _______________
o This rate of acceleration is the ___________ for all objects, regardless of size
and/or mass
• The motion of objects due to gravity follows the same acceleration formulas described
previously – it simply involves inserting the value of ____________ for acceleration
• It is important to note that in acceleration problems:
o If an object is stated as __________________, it means that acceleration equals
9.8 m/s2
o If an object starts or ends __________________ it means that the speed is ______
Ex) A ball is dropped from a bridge.
a. Calculate the speed of the ball 3 seconds after it is dropped.

b. Calculate the time taken for the ball to hit the ground if it hit the ground at 53.9 m/s.
 Newton’s Laws
• Newton’s Laws are a section in physics that deals with ___________________ which is
the study of _________ things move
• Objects move because of ____________
• A force is grouped into two main categories:
1. ___________ force = causes an object to move away from the source of the force
2. ___________ force = causes an object to move towards the source of the force
• Forces are measured in units called ______________ (kg m/s2), which is represented by
the symbol _____
• Force is a ________________ quantity, so it will have magnitude and direction

Newton’s 1st Law

• Known as the _______________________
• Newton’s 1st Law states that “An object in motion stays in motion, or an object at rest
stays at rest, unless acted upon by an unbalanced force”
• __________________________ force = forces on one side of an object is greater than the
force on the opposite side; an unbalanced force is called the net force (Fnet)

Ex) A person sitting on a chair experiences the force of gravity pushing them downwards and the
resistance of the chair pushing them upwards. Because these forces are balanced, the person
experiences a zero net force. However, if the chair should break, the forces will no longer be
balanced, and the person will fall down to the ground.

Newton’s 2nd Law

• States that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on
it and inversely proportional to its mass
• Newton’s 2nd Law can be written as the following formula:
Ex) What acceleration will a 50 kg person experience if a 35 N unbalanced force is applied to
them?

Net Force
• In some cases, the __________ will not be provided for you. Instead, you may have to
solve it yourself.
• The following equation can be used to help you determine Fnet:

• Remember that force should always be represented with directions, therefore, make sure
to use the signs L = --, and R = + when completing questions

Ex) A puppy pulls her toy to the right with a force of 11.3 N while her human pulls to the left
with a force of 9.6 N. What is the net force felt by the toy?

Newton’s 3rd Law

• Newton’s 3rd Law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction
• In other words, when an object _____________ a force on another object, the object
experiencing this force exerts a force __________ on the first object that is __________
in magnitude and ______________________ in direction
• This law can involve interactions between ______ moving objects, a moving object and a
stationary object, or two objects that are initially stationary

Ex2) When a golf club hits a golf ball, the club exerts a force on the ball, propelling it forward.
At the same time, the ball exerts a force on the club, which can be felt when hitting the ball.
 Momentum
• Momentum depends on 2 features of an object: ______________ and ____________ and
therefore can be defined as ‘mass in motion’
o Since all objects have mass, all moving objects have momentum
• ___________________ is directly proportional to an object’s mass and velocity
o The greater the mass of a moving object, the greater its momentum
o The greater the velocity of a moving object, the greater its momentum
• In order to calculate the momentum an object has the following formula is used:

• Momentum is also a vector quantity so magnitude and direction must be included in final
answers.

Ex) What is the momentum of a 5.0 kg cat moving at 13 m/s [S].

Law of Conservation of Momentum

• States that the _____________________ of a system before a collision is ___________
to the momentum of a system ____________ the collision.
• Applies when objects _____________ with one another.
• A system includes ________ objects involved in the collision
o Their ____________ momentum before is equal to their total momentum after.
 Reaction Time and Braking Distance
• In order to remain safe while driving, a person must be able to stop a car quickly if
needed.
• The distance it takes a car to stop depends on two things:
1.
2.

Reaction Time
• When a ______________ sees a reason to stop, whether it be _________________ or
not, a series of things happen before you actual come to a stop
o As the driver, you need to make the ____________________ about whether you
will stop or not
o Next, you need to ____________ your foot from the gas pedal to the __________
o Finally, you need to _____________ down fully on the brake
• The time it takes you to do this, is known as your ______________________________
• Your reaction time can be affected by:

Braking Distance
• After the driver presses down on the _________________, they will not come to a
complete stand-still – the car will still travel some ____________________
• The distance the vehicle travels will depend on the ______________________ between
the ground and the tires
o If the ground is _______ or ________, the amount of friction ________________,
and distance will therefore __________________
 • ___________________________________ is also affected with how ____________ the
driver is driving (the velocity of the car)
• It can be calculated with the following formula:

Ex) What distance does it take a car, travelling 25 m/s to stop if the frictional constant between
the ground and the tires is 0.05?