- Comfort rearranging simple algebraic equations
- Basic graph reading and arithmetic with positive and negative values
Technology Physics: Mechanics Foundations
Learn with diagrams, code, systems and practical examples.
Science · High School & College
Physics: Mechanics Foundations
Build intuition for motion, forces, energy, momentum, and the mathematical models behind mechanics.
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Knowledge check
Test what you can apply
Five course-specific questions covering the most important ideas in Physics: Mechanics Foundations. Commit to an answer before reading the explanation.
Score0 / 50 answered
01
A hockey puck glides across nearly frictionless ice at constant speed in a straight line. Which statement best describes the puck while it keeps moving?
Constant velocity means zero acceleration, so Newton’s first and second laws allow the net force to be approximately zero. Motion itself does not require a continuing forward net force; a net force is required to change velocity.
Review this topic →02
A 12 kg sled is pulled horizontally with 50 N while friction pushes backward with 14 N. What is the sled’s acceleration?
First find the net force: 50 N − 14 N = 36 N forward. Then use a = Fnet/m = 36/12 = 3 m/s². Using the applied force alone would ignore friction, and treating 36 N as an acceleration would mix units.
Review this topic →03
A book is resting on a horizontal table. Which free-body diagram description is correct for the book?
The Earth pulls the book downward through gravity and the table pushes it upward with a normal force. Those forces balance, producing zero net force. Zero acceleration means balanced net force, not absence of forces.
Review this topic →04
A skater pushes backward on a wall and moves away from it. Which pair is a Newton’s third-law interaction pair?
Third-law pairs are forces from the same interaction acting on two different objects: the skater exerts a force on the wall, and the wall exerts an equal-magnitude opposite-direction force on the skater. Forces on the same object are not a third-law pair.
Review this topic →05
You are asked whether the tension in an elevator cable is greater than, equal to, or less than the elevator’s weight while the elevator accelerates upward. What is the best first reasoning step?
Start by defining the system and identifying its external interactions: cable tension upward and weight downward. Then use the upward acceleration to infer a positive upward net force, which means tension must exceed weight. Jumping to a formula before modeling the forces can hide the sign and direction reasoning.
Review this topic →Complete
Review any missed answers, then continue while the concepts are fresh enough to connect.