Why can a tall object easily fall over while a low, wide object remains stable? The answer is closely related to where its Centre of Gravity is located. This point helps us understand how objects balance, rotate, tip, and respond to gravitational forces. The Centre of Gravity is the point where the entire weight of…
Some machines can do the same amount of work as others, but they do not necessarily do it in the same amount of time. A powerful engine, for example, can transfer energy much faster than a weaker engine. This difference in the rate of doing work is described by Power in Physics. Power measures how…
When two objects collide, their motion can change dramatically in a fraction of a second. A moving ball may bounce backward, two vehicles may move together after impact, or tiny particles may scatter in different directions. These events are all examples of collisions, but they do not all behave in the same way. The key…
Newton’s law of gravitation: F = Gm₁m₂/r² explained. Gravitational constant G, inverse-square law, orbital mechanics and worked examples.
When you push a heavy box across the floor, lift a bag from the ground, or pull an object with a rope, you are applying a force. But in physics, simply applying force does not always mean that work has been done. For work to occur, a force must cause an object to move, with…
When a car turns around a corner, you may feel yourself pushed toward the outside of the turn. When a stone is tied to a string and swung in a circle, the string pulls the stone toward the center. These two experiences often create confusion: centripetal vs centrifugal force — which one is actually real?…
What happens to the energy of a roller coaster as it climbs a hill and then races downward? It does not simply disappear. Instead, energy shifts between different forms, especially kinetic energy and potential energy. This everyday example provides a simple way to understand mechanical energy. Mechanical energy is the energy an object has because…
What happens when an object falls through the air? At first, it may speed up rapidly, but after some time, its acceleration can decrease until it moves at a constant speed. This change in motion is explained by two important physics concepts: free fall and terminal velocity. Free fall describes motion under the influence of…
How momentum is conserved in collisions — the key difference between elastic and inelastic impacts, the impulse-momentum theorem, and worked examples.
Why doesn’t a book simply fall through a table when gravity pulls it downward? The answer is the normal force. This contact force acts between surfaces and can support an object against gravity or other forces. The normal force is a contact force that acts perpendicular, or normal, to the surface touching an object. In…
