Chapter 5: The Turning Effects of Forces

Alignment with Student Book: pages 48–54

Chapter overview

This chapter approaches the topic of moments. This topic will have been covered briefly at KS3 but
goes into more detail here. Students will be expected to know about the turning effect of a force.
The chapter builds on the calculating moments equation and looks at the principle of moments and
its application. The chapter also looks at the centre of gravity and its importance in relation to
calculating the moment of a beam.

There are a large number of calculations related to this topic and students can struggle on the more
advanced calculations based on forces on a beam. Time spent going through a large number of
questions and worked examples will be of great benefit.

Students will be expected to be able to rearrange the principle of moments calculations to find a
missing quantity. Formula triangles are used here to assist those who may find this more
challenging.

What to expect

1.30P know and use the relationship between the moment of a force and its perpendicular distance
from the pivot: moment = force × perpendicular distance from the pivot

1.31P know that the weight of a body acts through its centre of gravity

1.32P use the principle of moments for a simple system of parallel forces acting in one plane

1.33P understand how the upward forces on a light beam, supported at its ends, vary with the
position of a heavy object placed on the beam

The basics of moments will have been covered in KS3 but it is possible that students may not have
encountered or had exposure to the moments equation. When applying the principle of moments in
calculations, students can find identifying what is rotating clockwise and anticlockwise difficult to
spot. Plenty of worked examples and practice questions are essential before moving onto questions
based on beams.

Students tend to grasp the centre of gravity easily but will sometimes forget to include this idea in
moments calculations when they are not pivoted on the centre of gravity.

Teaching notes

Start activities

Levers demonstration: Show students an example of levers in action on the board. Ask students why
they are used and how they work. This can lead to defining key terminology, such as pivot, lever,
turning effect, moment.

© Pearson Education Ltd 2018. Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. This material is not copyright free.
Door demonstration: See Figure 5.2 on page 49. Ask students who they think is the strongest in the
class or they can volunteer. Ask the student to come and stand on one side of the door. Ask the
student to place their hands side by side right by the hinge. (Safety: ensure student is aware of the
hinge and keeps fingers away.) Ask a student who thinks they are very weak to come and stand on
the opposite side of the door and place two fingers at the opposite end of the door from the hinge.
Tell both students to push the door on the word go. This works well if the door is see-through.
Students will be able to see that the student with two fingers is applying far less effort than the
student at the hinge. This is a great starter to get students thinking about perpendicular distance
from the pivot.

Balancing point: There are a wide variety of balancing toys on the market that can be used as the
starter. There are also some homemade alternatives, including a 30 cm rule balanced on a finger at
15 cm; two forks stuck into either side of a cork, balanced using a toothpick on the side of a glass; a
regular shaped piece of card. Have all the examples scattered around the room. Ask students to try
and unbalance them. What do they notice? How do they rebalance? Why do they think they
rebalance? If the basics of moments have been covered, discussion can centre around the centre of
gravity providing the restoring moment when tilted.

Balancing beams: 50 cm strips of thin wood, pivot point and coin style masses are required. Score
5 cm lines across the length of the wood (beam). Ask students to find as many possible ways of
balancing the beams using different mass combinations and positions. Students can tabulate results,
noting down position from the pivot and the number of masses at that position. On discussion,
students should see that the sum on each side should be equal for the beam to be balanced. This can
be extended out to a more in-depth practical if desired.

Note challenge: Show students a monetary note. Tell students they can win the note if they are able
to pick it up off the floor but they must follow the rules of the challenge. Students have to stand with
their legs against the wall and bend from the waist to pick up the note. Students will think this is an
easy task. However, if they keep their legs straight and against the wall, as they bend their centre of
gravity will fall outside the base of their feet even if they widen their base by spreading their feet
further apart. This is because the centre of gravity falls outside the length of their feet. The centre of
gravity acts as a toppling moment and will cause the student to move forwards.

Main activities

Finding the centre of mass of an irregular shape practical: This is a quick practical that can give
students a chance to find the centre of gravity of irregular shaped objects. Students should cut an
irregular shape from a piece of card. They should choose three separate points around the edge of
the card and punch holes. Students should then suspend the shape from one point and allow it to
settle. Using a plumb line, students can then draw in the line the plumb line creates on the card. This
is then repeated using the other two hanging points. Where the lines intersect is the centre of
gravity. Students can check how accurate they have been by trying to balance the shape on their
finger about this point.

© Pearson Education Ltd 2018. Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. This material is not copyright free.
Differentiation

Students can design a practical to find the centre of gravity of an irregular shaped piece of card.
Students should include a method, safety section and how they will find the centre of gravity.

Homework

The calculations on page 54 or the worksheet would be ideal for homework.

Possible misunderstandings

Students find identifying the clockwise and anticlockwise moment a challenge. Use a free moving
object that is pivoted at one end. Show the student what will happen if the force is not balanced,
indicating the direction of the rotation. It sometimes helps students to use their finger on diagrams
to follow the direction of the force around so they can visualise what the rotation may look like if the
forces are not balanced or present.

It is also worthwhile to ask students to draw diagrams of the questions being posed so they can
visualise the situation being presented as they sometimes struggle to do this if no diagram is
provided.

Practicals

Finding the centre of mass of an irregular shape practical: clamp stand, plumb line, card, scissors,
pencil, clamp, string.

© Pearson Education Ltd 2018. Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. This material is not copyright free.