T4.2.2 Force in mechanical systems Quiz: KS3 Design & Technology, Unit 4

The 20 questions

1. What is a force?

   • A push or a pull that can change the shape or motion of an object
   • A type of energy that is stored in an object when it is held above the ground
   • A measure of how long an object takes to travel a certain distance
   • A measure of the amount of matter that is contained within a given object

2. What is the unit used to measure force?

   • The joule, symbol J, which is used to measure the energy transferred by a force
   • The metre per second, symbol m/s, which is used to measure speed of travel
   • The kilogram, symbol kg, which is used to measure the mass of an object
   • The newton, symbol N

3. What is the moment of a force about a pivot?

   • The force divided by the mass of the object on which the force is acting
   • The force multiplied by the perpendicular distance from the pivot to the line of action of the force
   • The energy stored by the object when the force is applied for a fixed period
   • The distance travelled by the object divided by the time taken to travel it over the whole measured path

4. In a lever system, what is mechanical advantage?

   • The load distance added to the effort distance for each turn of the lever
   • The number of times the lever can be pushed before the load starts to move
   • The effort force divided by the load force needed to move the object
   • The load force divided by the effort force

5. Where is the fulcrum in a second class lever such as a wheelbarrow?

   • At the centre of the load, with the effort applied at both ends of the lever
   • In the middle, with the load at one end and the effort applied at the other end
   • At one end, with the load in the middle and the effort applied at the far end
   • At one end, with the effort in the middle and the load applied at the far end

6. A scissor cutting action uses which class of lever?

   • Second class, because the load is between the fulcrum and the effort
   • Fourth class, because the load and effort act on the same side of the fulcrum
   • First class, because the fulcrum is between the effort and the load
   • Third class, because the effort is between the fulcrum and the load

7. A tweezers action is an example of which class of lever?

   • Second class, because the load is placed between the fulcrum and the effort
   • Third class, because the effort is applied between the fulcrum and the load
   • First class, because the fulcrum is placed between the effort and the load
   • Zero class, because the tweezers do not turn about any fixed pivot at all

8. A lever is 2 m long. An effort of 10 N is applied 2 m from the pivot and balances a load 0.5 m from the pivot. What is the load?

   • 5 N
   • 40 N
   • 20 N
   • 10 N

9. What is friction?

   • A force that acts only on liquids, causing them to form a smooth curved surface
   • A force that pushes two surfaces apart so that they lose contact with each other
   • A force that opposes the motion of one surface sliding over another surface in contact with it
   • A force that pulls an object towards the centre of the Earth due to its mass

10. What is tension in a rope?

    • The pushing force that squeezes the rope along its length when it is put under load
    • The twisting force that turns the rope about its long axis as it is pulled
    • The sliding force that moves one strand of the rope over another strand inside it
    • The pulling force transmitted along the rope when it is pulled taut by a load

11. What happens to the weight of a 5 kg object on Earth, using a gravitational field strength of 10 N/kg?

    • It is 500 N
    • It is 50 N
    • It is 5 N
    • It is 0.5 N

12. What is pressure?

    • The mass of an object divided by the volume that the object occupies
    • The area of a surface divided by the force acting on it in newtons
    • The distance moved by a surface each second as the force acts upon it
    • The force acting per unit area of a surface

13. A force of 60 N acts on an area of 2 m squared. What is the pressure?

    • 62 Pa
    • 0.03 Pa
    • 30 Pa
    • 120 Pa

14. Why do designers add a rubber pad to the bottom of a chair leg?

    • To increase the pressure on the floor so that the chair cannot tip over
    • To increase friction and stop the chair from sliding across a smooth floor
    • To reduce the weight of the chair so that it can be moved more easily
    • To change the chair's mass so that it stays in the same place on the floor

15. A box rests on a table. Its weight pulls down with 20 N and the table pushes up with 20 N. What is true about these forces?

    • The forces are balanced, so the box will sink into the table until the forces are zero
    • The forces are unbalanced, so the box accelerates downwards through the table
    • The forces are balanced, so the box does not accelerate up or down
    • The forces are unbalanced, so the box accelerates upwards away from the table

16. What is the principle of moments for an object that is balanced about a pivot?

    • The total force acting on the object always adds up to exactly zero newtons
    • The total clockwise moment equals the total anticlockwise moment about the pivot
    • The total mass on one side of the pivot always equals the total mass on the other side
    • The total distance moved by each force equals the total time taken by all the forces

17. Which is the correct unit for pressure?

    • The pascal, symbol Pa, which is one newton per square metre
    • The newton metre, symbol Nm, which is used to measure the energy transferred by a force
    • The metre per second squared, symbol m/s2, which is used to measure acceleration
    • The kilogram per cubic metre, symbol kg/m3, which is used to measure density

18. A student pushes a box across a floor at constant speed. How does the friction force compare with the push?

    • It is greater than the push, so the box slows down quickly to a stop
    • It is smaller than the push, so the box speeds up gradually across the floor
    • It is equal in size to the push, because the forces are balanced
    • It is zero, because the box is moving at a steady speed on the floor

19. A 4 kg object sits where the gravitational field strength is 10 N/kg. What is its weight?

    • 40 N
    • 400 N
    • 4.4 N
    • 0.4 N

20. A design needs a mechanical part to resist a large twisting force. Which term describes this force?

    • Density, the mass of a material for each unit of its volume
    • Tension, the pulling force that stretches a material along its length
    • Torque, the turning effect of a force about an axis
    • Compression, the pushing force that squashes a material together

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