Space, Time and Motion: notes and practice questions
Mechanics from one-dimensional kinematics to special relativity. A.1 to A.3 are the SL spine: the equations of motion, projectiles, Newton's laws, contact and field forces, momentum and impulse, circular motion, work, energy, power and efficiency. HL adds A.4, rotational dynamics as a mirror of linear dynamics with torque, moment of inertia and angular momentum, and A.5, Galilean and special relativity with Lorentz transformations, time dilation, length contraction and space-time diagrams. The hard parts at SL are resolving projectile motion into components and remembering that circular motion needs a force, not just a speed. At HL the hard part is A.5, where the physics is unfamiliar and the space-time diagram questions need geometric reasoning that nothing else in the course rehearses. It is examined through free-body diagrams, graph work (area and gradient), multi-step energy chains, and at HL a space-time diagram question that recurs.
Subtopics
- Practice questionsKinematics
This topic describes motion quantitatively and qualitatively using position, velocity, and acceleration. Velocity is the rate of change of position, and acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.
- Practice questionsForces and Momentum
This topic covers forces, momentum, and circular motion, including Newton's laws and energy considerations in interactions. Newton's three laws describe forces as interactions between bodies.
- Practice questionsWork Energy and Power
This topic covers the principles of work, energy, and power, including their conservation and transfer within systems. Work done by a constant force: .
- Practice questionsRigid Body MechanicsHL only
This topic extends linear motion concepts to rotational motion, focusing on torques, angular kinematics, and angular momentum for rigid bodies. Torque causes angular acceleration , related by Newton's second law for rotation .
- Practice questionsGalilean and Special RelativityHL only
This topic covers how observers in different inertial reference frames describe events in terms of space and time, contrasting Galilean and special relativity. Galilean relativity states Newton's laws are the same in all inertial frames, with and .
