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PHYSICS
Grade 7
Student Textbook
Author:
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Editors and Reviewers:
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Evaluators:
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Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Ministry of Education
Acknowledgements
The redesign, printing and distribution of this student textbook has been funded through
the General Education Quality Improvement Project (GEQIP), which aims to improve the
quality of education for Grades 1–12 students in government schools throughout Ethiopia.
The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia received funding for GEQIP through
credit/financing from the International Development Associations (IDA), the Fast Track
Initiative Catalytic Fund (FTI CF) and other development partners – Finland, Italian
Development Cooperation, the Netherlands and UK aid from the Department for
International Development (DFID).
The Ministry of Education wishes to thank the many individuals, groups and other bodies
involved – directly and indirectly – in publishing the textbook and accompanying teacher
guide.
Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders of the images and we apologise
in advance for any unintentional omission. We would be pleased to insert the appropriate
acknowledgement in any subsequent edition of this publication.
© Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Ministry of Education
First edition, 2003(E.C.)
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ISBN: 978‐99944‐2‐148‐0
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Neighbouring Rights Protection Proclamation, 10th year, No. 55, Addis Ababa, 19 July 2004.
Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to trace the copyright owners of material used in this
document. We apologise in advance for any unintentional omissions. We would be pleased
to insert the appropriate acknowledgement in any future edition.
Table of Content
Page
UNIT 1: PHYSICS AND MEASUREMENT
1.1 Definition of Physics ..................................................... 3

1.2 Standardization and Measurement .............................. 8
1.3 Measuring Length, Mass and Time ........................... 13
Summary ....................................................................... 21
Review Questions and Problems ............................... 22
UNIT 2: MOTION
2.1 Definition of Motion ..................................................... 25

2.2 Motion Along a Straight Line ..................................... 28
2.3 Qualitative Exploration of Constant Velocity and
Accelerated Motion .................................................... 37
Summary ............................................................................ 45
Review Questions and Problems .................................... 46
UNIT 3: FORCE AND NEWTON’S LAWS OF MOTION
3.1 Force ........................................................................... 49

3.2 Newton's laws of motion ............................................ 54
3.3 Frictional Force ............................................................ 64
Summary ............................................................................ 72
Review Questions and Problems ................................... 73
UNI 4. WORK, ENERGY AND POWER
4.1 Work ............................................................................. 76

4.2 Energy .......................................................................... 79
4.3 Transformation and conservation of energy ........... 83
4.4 Power ........................................................................... 88
Summary ............................................................................ 90
Review Questions and Problems .................................... 91
UNIT 5. SIMPLE MACHINES
5.1 Definition of machines ............................................... 93

5.2 Mechanical Advantage, Velocity Ratio and
Efficiency of Machines ............................................... 97
5.3 Types of Simple Machines ....................................... 102
Summary .......................................................................... 112

Review Questions and Problems .................................. 113
UNIT 6.TEMPERATURE AND HEAT
6.1 Definition of Temperature ....................................... 115

6.2 Measuring temperature ............................................ 117
6.3 Temperature Scales .................................................. 119
6.4 Conversion of Temperature Scales ........................ 122
6.5 Sources of Heat ......................................................... 124
6.6 Effects of Heating ..................................................... 126
Summary .......................................................................... 132

UNIT 7. SOUND
7.1 Definition of Sound ................................................... 136
7.2 Production and Transmission of Sound ................ 137
7.3 Speed of Sound in Different Media ......................... 141
7.4 Reflection of Sound (Echo) ...................................... 143
7.5 Application of Echo Sounding ................................. 145
Summary .......................................................................... 147

UNIT 8. ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM
PART-1 MAGNETISM
8.1 Magnets ..................................................................... 150
8.2 Mapping Magnetic Lines of Force ........................... 158
8.3 Uses of Magnets ....................................................... 160
PART-2 ELECTRICITY
8.4 Electrostatics ............................................................ 161
8.5 Methods of Charging a Body ................................... 164
8.6 Law of Electrostatics ................................................ 166
8.7 Electric Current and Potential Difference ............. 172
8.8 Electric Circuit ........................................................... 175
Summary .......................................................................... 179
Preface
This textbook is written for students studying physics in grade 7.Due
attention is given to your level. It will guide you through the basic
concepts and skills with readings activities, questions and
illustrations to support the textbook. Each unit begins with the unit
outcomes and followed by an introduction (overview).
The outcomes of the lesson are listed at the beginning. Basic

definitions of the topic which represents the minimum learning
competencies (MLCs) are in a blue background box. This is to help
you in identifying the MLCs sentences easily. All “activities” are in a
box and consecutively numbered. You will find photographs or
pictures which illustrate the topic you are studying.
Each section has set of questions (Check points) linked to the MLCs.
A number of challenging questions are inserted in the textbook. At
the end of each unit there is a summary of what you have read. And
also there are a unit review questions and problems to enable you to
test your knowledge and understanding of the unit’s content. Each
unit is set out in the same way with unit title and number at the top
of the page. The title is written on each page as a header.
This textbook is just one resource which you will use to learn/ study
introductory physics. You will find further information to support
this textbook with your teacher, on the plasma programs, in other
reference books and documents and with people in your communities.
UNIT PHYSICS AND
1 MEASUREMENT
Unit outcomes: After completing this unit you should be able to:
 appreciate the interrelatedness of all things.
 search for patterns or relationships in experimental data.
 use a wide range of possibilities for developing knowledge of the
major concepts with in physics.
A B
0 1 2 3 4 5
a) What is the distance between A and B?
A
cm
b) What is the length of block A (LA = ?)
B
cm
c) What is the length of block B (LB = ?)
A B
d) What is the length of blocks A and B (LA +LB) = ?
1
Grade 7 Physics 1 Physics and Measurement
Introduction
In the lower grades you learnt about science in general. For example,
environmental science and integrated science. In this and next grades you will
learn about physics, chemistry and biology separately. In this unit you will learn
what physics is and about measurement.
Activity 1.1
Discuss the following questions in a group.

i. What is science? What does science deal with?
ii. What are the major branches of science?
In a simple term, science is the study of the world

around us. It deals with the knowledge of the world
Science is a around us. The major classifications of science are
systematized
knowledge given in chart 1.
arising from • What are the two categories of science?
observation,
• Name the three branches of natural sciences?
study and
experimentation.
Chart 1. Classification of science


 Science


 Natural Science Social Science

Physics Chemistry Biology
2
1.1 Definition of Physics

a) Meaning of physics
Physics is defined in different ways. The following is one definition of
physics. Physics is a way of observation of the world around us. Through
observation we understand our world and how objects in the world behave
(laws of nature). Physics is simply the science of observation and
measurement.
Activity 1.2
i. From the explanations given above, describe in your own words what physics is.
ii. What do we call the person who studies physics?
The word 'Physics' has its origin in the Greek word meaning ‘nature'.
Hence, physics is the branch of natural science. It is the study of the

nature of matter, energy and their interactions. A person who studies
physics is called physicist.
Isaac Newton (1643- Michael Faraday James Prescott Joule Marie Curie
1727) discovered the (1791-1867), discovered (1818-1889) , studied the (1867-1934), won the Nobel
laws of motion and the generation of electr- nature of heat and Prize for the discovery of the
law of gravity. icity from magnetism. He discovered the elements polonium and
built the 1st dynamo. relationship between radium.
mechanical energy and
heat energy
Fig1.1 Some known physicists and their works
In order to understand, the definition of physics well, you need to have clear idea
of 'matter' and 'energy'. Discuss with your friends and parents on the questions
below and write a short note on:
Challenging Questions
i. What is matter? iii. What is energy?
ii. Some properties of matter. Iv. Explain how matter and energy are interrelated.
3
Activity 1.3
Mention at least five areas of study or topics

i. related to physics
ii. not related to physics
b) Purposes of studying physics

Physics is studied as a separate subject in grades 7 and 8 and also in
secondary schools.
Activity 1.4
Discuss in a group with your friends why you study physics. Report your
answers to the whole class.
The following are some specific purposes of studying physics

• Physics helps you to understand the working principles of many of your
daily utensils and tools.
• Physics helps you discover some of the unknown parts of nature and
makes you familiar with the modern world.
• Physics helps you to understand some of the natural phenomena in other
subjects like: biology, chemistry, geology, astronomy, etc.
• Physics enables you to understand why it is difficult to walk on a smooth
plane, why the electric fan moves, how the cars, airplanes, space-rockets,
refrigerators, alarm-clocks, radios, televisions, etc work.
Generally studying physics helps you to:

• understand concepts, relationships, principles and laws of
nature.
• do activities (experiments), to formulate and to check theories.
• describe some applications of physics on your daily life.
• solve practical problems (real life problems).
• understand the cause and effect of natural phenomenon.
4
c) Areas of study where physics does not address

There are areas or activities which does not require direct knowledge of
physics. For example, history, civics and ethical education, politics, religion,
etc. are not directly related to physics.
d) The main goal of the study of physics

The main goal of learning physics is to gain a better understanding of the
world around you and the things in it. By understanding the world around you
and the things in it, you discover facts. These facts form scientific concepts,
theories, laws, principles and relationships. For example all objects fall
towards the earth. This is a scientific fact. Corresponding to this there is a
scientific law known as law of gravity; which is derived from that fact.
Similarly when light falls on the surface of a mirror, it is reflected. Hence,
from this fact, the law of reflection of light is derived.
Activity 1.5
Form a group with your friends and list down some examples of ‘scientific
facts’ and related ‘scientific law’.
Scientific facts Scientific laws/ principles
e.g. All objects fall towards the earth Law of gravity
e) Relationship of physics to other sciences and disciplines

There is no clear boarder line between the different branches of natural
sciences. Knowledge of physics overlaps with the knowledge of chemistry,
biology, astronomy, etc. For example, chemistry and physics knowledge are
studied as a subject called physical science/physical chemistry. The
following are some areas of studies where physics is combined with other
science disciplines.
• Biophysics: combination of biology and physics.
• Astrophysics: combination of astronomy and physics.
• Geophysics: combination of geology and physics.
5
f) Branches of Physics
Physics is divided into different branches. Some of the branches of physics
are given in Table 1.1
Table 1.1 Branches of physics
Branches Purpose
Mechanics Deals with motion of a physical body.
Sound Studies production, transmission and other properties of
sound.
Optics Studies production, transmission and other properties of light.
Electricity and Deals with charged bodies at rest and in motion and
Magnetism relationship between electrical and magnetic properties of
bodies.
Heat Deals with temperature, heat transfer and exchange in
molecular level.
Nuclear physics Deals with interaction in the atomic nuclear
Astrophysics Deals with celestial bodies like planets, stars, galaxies, etc.
Activity 1.6
Write five practical examples from your everyday life where the branches of
physics are observed.
g) Relationship of physics to engineering and technology

Activity 1.7
i. What is the relation between physics and technology?
ii. What are the differences and similarities between technology and
engineering?
iii. Which comes first, physics or technology?
You have already seen what physics is. Now, you will see what a technology is.
Technology is the use of scientific knowledge to help human beings work easier
and live better and enjoy their environment more. Things such as automobiles,
TV sets, radio, airplane and home tools (appliances) are the products of
technology. A person who studies technology is called a technologist.
6
Technologists apply physics and mathematical knowledge and skills to produce a
very useful tool.
What are the products shown in Fig 1.2?
a) b) c) d)
Fig1.2 Products of Technology
Engineers are technologists who design, construct and assemble products.

What are the criteria for a good technological product?
Products of engineers can be judged on six criteria. These are:

1. Is the product functioning as it should?
2. Is the product durable?
3. Is the product cost effective? Cheap?
4. How does the product affect the individual?
5. How does the product affect the society it works in?
6. How does the Product affect the environment?
Check point 1.1

1. Explain what physics is.
2. List five branches of physics.
3. What is the purpose of learning physics?
4. Describe the relation ship of physics to:
a. Biology
b. Chemistry
c. Astronomy
5. List some other disciplines related to physics.
6. What is the relationship of physics and technology?
7. What are the criteria for judging of good products in engineering?
7
1.2 Standardization and Measurement

Activity 1.8
a.
i. Measure the length and width of this textbook.

ii. Calculate the area of this textbook using the above measured values.
iii. Measure the height of your friend, and let your friend measure your height
also.
iv. What instrument did you use?
v. How did you write the measures of the textbook and your friend’s height?
Measurement
While you are doing Activity 1.8, you may come across units and numbers.
These numbers by themselves means nothing. But when they are attached to
some units of measurement like centimeter and meter they give you full
information about your textbook and your friend’s height.
i.e. - The length of this textbook is 24 centimeter.
- Its width is 17 centimeter.
- The height of your friend is 1 meter and 45 centimeters.
Whenever you measure something, you
simply compare two bodies. One of them
Measurement consists of
the comparison of an
being a ‘standard’, and the other one
unknown quantity with a being the body to be measured.
known, fixed unit quantity.
It consists of two parts: Measurement is one of the activities
i. the unit. performed in physics. Physicists get
ii. the number indicating
how many units there
quantitative information about objects
are in the quantity through measurement.
being measured.
Standardization
Activity 1.9
i. What traditional measuring units do you know that are used to

describe length, time and mass?
ii. Are they reliable (dependable)?
8
In ancient times, people in Ethiopia used to measure physical quantities such as
time, mass, length, etc using traditional units. They say 'Nigat' or ' Mishet' as the
sun rises or sets respectively. They say ' Ekule- ken' as the sun comes over head
in the sky to measure time.
Lengths at olden days were measured in 'cubits', 'spans', 'foot' and, 'stride'.
a) Span b) Cubit
Fig 1.3 Traditional length measuring units
We still find these traditional units of length and time in our country. But they
are not reliable. They do not give exact information.
Activity 1.10 Group work
a.
i. Select friends who are shorter and taller than you.

ii. Compare their cubits and spans. Are they the same?
iii. What can you conclude? Are the traditional measuring units of length
reliable?
The development of science and technology

Standard units are came up with the development of standard
conventional units and reliable units of measurement. Scientists
which are used to all over the world met together and agreed to
measure physical
have a standard unit that can be used through
quantities scientifically.
out the world. These standard units are
known as System of International Units. In
short, it is written as the SI units.
9
Physical quantities
You measured, the length, width and height of your textbook. These quantities
are called physical quantities. Time and mass are also examples of phyical
quanties.
Quantities that can be measured directly or indirectly are known as physical

quantities.
Physical quantities are The measured values of physical quantities are

numbers with units written in terms of a number and unit. Physical
which are used to quantities and units can also be written using
describe physical symbols.
phenomena. Where “” is length
Note  = 24 cm, w = 17 cm “w” is width
'' and 'w' are symbols of length. The numbers 24 and 17 are numerical values
'cm' is the symbol of the unit of length called centimeter.
In activity 1.8, you measured directly the length and width of this textbook. But
you calculated the area of it. What is the difference between the two ways of
measuring things? The area of the book is calculated by combining two lengths,
but not measured directly.
From this practical activity, you can see that some quantities are directly
measured, while others are calculated by combining two or more measurable
quantities. Hence,
Physical quantities are classified into two:

1. Fundamental physical quantities
2. Derived physical quantities.
Fundamental physical quantities: are those quantities which can be measured

directly. They are not defined in terms of other physical quantities. Length, mass
and time are examples of fundamental physical quantities. Fundamental physical
quantities are also called basic physical quantities. The units used to measure the
fundamental quantities are called basic units. You see seven basic units in Table
1.2. Can you name them?
10
Beside length, mass and time there are other four basic physical quantities in
science. These are temperature, electric current, amount of substances and
luminous intensity.
Table 1.2 The seven fundamental physical quantities
Basic quantities Basic units
Name symbol Name Symbol
Length  Meter m
Time t Second s
Mass m kilogram kg
Temperature T Kelvin K
Current I Ampere A
Amount of substance M Mole Mol
Luminous Intensity - Candela Cd
1. What fundamental quantities are combined to give area, volume, density, speed?
2. Explain how the basic units are combined to give the derived units of force, velocity,
pressure and work.
Derived physical quantities: are quantities that can be measured indirectly.

They are calculated by combining two or more fundamental quantities. Area and
volume are examples of derived physical quantities. The derived quantities use
derived units.
Table 1.3 Some derived physical quantities.
Name Symbol Unit Symbol
Area A square meter m2
Volume V cubic meter m3
Density ρ kilogram kg/m3
cubic meter
Acceleration a meter m/s2
second 2
Force F kilogram-meter kg.m/s2 = Newton(N)
second 2
Pressure P Kg.m/s.s kg.m/s2 = Newton = N/m2
square meter m 2 square meter
11
Scalar and vector quantities

Some physical quantities are described completely by a number and a unit. A number
with a unit is called a magnitude. However, other quantities have a direction attached to
the magnitude. They can not be described by a number and unit only. Thus, physical
quantities are grouped into two:
i. Scalar quantity
ii. Vector quantity
A scalar quantity is a physical quantity which has only a magnitude.

No direction.
Time, mass, volume, density, temperature and energy are examples of a scalar quantity.
A vector quantity is a physical quantity which has both magnitude and

direction.
Displacement, velocity and force are some examples of a vector quantity.
Check point 1.2

1. What is measurement?
2. What are physical quantities?
3. Describe the difference between fundamental and derived physical
quantities.
4. List seven fundamental physical quantities with their SI units.
5. List some derived physical quantities.
6. How can you distinguish between scalar and vector quantities? List
examples of scalar and vector quantities in the given two columns
Scalar Quantities Vector Quantities

• _________________ • _____________
• _________________ • _____________
• _________________ • _____________
12
1.3 Measuring Length, Mass and Time

1.3.1 Measuring Length

Activity 1.11
b.
• What is the height and width of the blackboard?

• How far is your school from your home?
• What is the inside height and width of your classroom?
When you tell the distance between your school and your home, or the height and width
of your classroom, you measure length.
Length is one of the fundamental (basic) physical quantities that describes

the distance between two points.
The symbol for length is "". Sometimes, we can also use other symbols such as ‘b’,’h’
and ’s’.
When we measure length of an object, we are comparing it with a standard length that
scientists have agreed to. The SI unit of length is METER (m). There are also other non-
SI units of length. These are centimeter (cm), millimeter (mm) and kilometer (km).
a) Ruler b) Tape Measure c) Carpenter Rule d) Vernier Caliper

Fig 1.4 Length measuring instruments
. Activity 1.12
a.
Form a group with your classmates and do the following activities.

• Measure the length of different bodies using half meter ruler (50cm) and,
write the length of the bodies using symbols.
• Estimate the
a) Width of the blackboard
b) Thickness of your physics textbook
c) Width of the door of your classroom without using instrument.
• Now, measure the above quantities using length measuring instrument and
compare with the estimated values.
13
Table 1.4 Relationship between meter and other non- SI units

1 meter (m) 1000 millimeters (mm)
1 meter (m) 100 centimeters (cm)
1000 meters (m) 1 kilometer (km)
1 meter (m) 0. 001kilometers (km)
1 millimeter (mm) 0. 001 m
1 centimeter (cm) 0.01 m
1 kilometer (km) 1000 m
Example 1.1
The distance between two electric poles measures 100 meters. What is this
distance in: a. centimeter b. kilometer
N.B Use Table 1.4
Given Solution
 = 100 m (distance) a) Since 1 m = 100 cm
Then 100 m = ?
100cm× 100m
⇒ '' in cm =
1m
 = 10,000 cm
b) 1 m = 0. 001 km
100 m =?
100m × 0.001km
∴'' in km =
1m
 = 0. 1km
Write down the suitable unit of length you need to use to measure:
i. The distance between your school and your home.
ii. The thickness of your physics book.
iii. Your height.
14
1.3.2 Measuring Mass
So far you learnt how to measure length. Length is fundamental physical quantity in
physics. The other important physical quantity you need to study is mass.
Mass is a fundamental physical quantity. It is defined as the amount of

matter contained in a body.
There are two ways of measuring the mass of a body.

i. Traditional way:-
In traditional way things can be compared to each other to guess the approximate value
of the mass of the bodies.
Note: A traditional instrument does not tell us the exact value of the mass of a body.
ii. Scientific way
In scientific way a mass is measured using an instrument called a beam balance. A
beam balance consists of uniform beam having two pans suspended from each of its
ends. Fig 1.5 show different mass measuring instruments. Tell where these instruments
are used in our daily life.
Beam
Weight Pan
a) Locally made beam balance b) Beam balance c) Triple beam balance
Fig 1.5 Mass measuring Instruments
Activity 1.13
a.
• Have you ever tried to measure the mass of a body using a beam
balance?
• Visit a shop in your living area. Write down the procedures the
shopkeeper uses to measure the mass of a body using a beam-balance.
Report your observations to your class.
15
The body to be measured is placed in one of the pans and a known Standard mass is
placed in the other pan until a horizontal balance is obtained. At this moment the
unknown masses of the body equals the standard masses.
The SI unit of mass is the kilogram (kg). Other non- SI units can also be used to
measure masses. Some examples are given in Table 1.5.
Table 1.5 Relationship between units of mass
1000 kilogram 1 ton
100 kilogram 1 quintal
1 kilogram 1000 grams
1 gram 0.001 kg
1 milligram 0.001 gram
Activity 1.14
i. Estimate without instruments the masses of the following bodies.

a. Grade 7 Physics text book b. One stick of chalk c. One duster
ii. Now measure the masses of the above estimated bodies using a beam
balance.
iii. Compare the estimated and measured values and calculate the differences.
Give reasons for the differences.
Example 1.2
1. In one of the pans of a beam balance the masses 1kg, 500g, 30g, 0.6g are placed
to measure the mass of unknown body. What should be the mass of the body on
the other side of a pan if they are in balance?
Given Required
m = 1kg, 500 g, 30 g, 0.6 g total mass = ?
Solution
m = the sum of the given masses
= 1kg + 500g + 30g + 0.6g (change 1kg into g)
= 1000g + 500g + 30g + 0.6g
= 1530.6g or
= 1.53 kg
16
2. Abel and Zehara want to sit at the two ends of a SEE-SAW having equal distances
from the pivot as shown in Fig.1.6. Zehara is 37 kg, and Abel is 29 kg. What
additional mass (m x ) should Abel carry in order to balance the SEE-SAW.
Fig 1.6 See-Saw
Given Required Solution
m A = 29 kg mx = ? mA + mX = mZ
m Z = 37 kg 29kg + m X = 37kg
m X = 37kg − 29kg
= 8 kg
Check point 1.3

1. What is a length? Name the measuring device of a length.
2. State the SI unit of length and some common non-SI units. Explain
their relationship.
3. What is a mass? Name some measuring devices of a mass.
4. State the SI unit of mass and other commonly used non- SI units
of mass. Explain their relationship.
5. What is time? Mention the measuring devices of time.
6. Write the relationship between SI unit of time and other commonly
used non-SI units of time.
17
1.3.3 Measuring Time
What is time? The sun rises in the east in the morning and sets in the west in the
evening. How long does the sun take to rise and set? People use the sunrise and sunset
as a time measuring device. It is called sundial.
Time is a fundamental physical quantity. It describes the duration

between the beginning and end of an event.
The SI unit of time is second (s). The symbol for time is 't'.
Activity 1.15
Discuss: how the sun rise and sun set is used to measure the time of a day.
Draw a diagram of sundial at different times of the day.
a) Watch b) Stopwatch c) Digital watch
Fig 1.7 Time measuring devices
A clock and watch are the modern instruments used to measure time. Can you explain
how the time measuring instruments indicated in Fig 1.7 are read?
To measure very small or large intervals of time, there are other non- SI units of time.
These are minute (min), hour (hr), day, etc.
Activity 1.16
a.
i. Measure the beat of your heart using a wrist watch (digital watch). Express it
using symbols of quantity of time and unit of time.
ii. Tell your friends and teacher how you did your activity.
18
Relationships between SI units and non- SI units of time:
Activity 1.17
i. Have you ever noticed the relationships between hour, minute and second?
What are the relationships?
ii. Take a day (24 hrs) and list down activities you do through out the day.
Time Activity
Morning 12:00
1:00
2:00
etc.
Are you using your time wisely? Compare your time with your friends time.
Who are not using the day wisely? Discuss with your friends.
Some wrist watches have an hour hand, a minute hand and a second hand. Can you
define hour, minute and second using a wristwatch from your experiences?
• As the second hand completes one cycle, the minute hand moves one unit.(1
minute)
• As the minute hand completes one cycle the hour hand moves one unit (one
hour).
• As the hour hand completes one cycle, we say 12 hours.
Table 1.6 Relationship between units of time

1 hour 60 minutes
1 minute 60 seconds
1 day 24 hours
1 week 7 days
1 month 30 days
1 year 365 or 366 days
Example 1.3
1. Express the following times in minutes:
a) 3 hours
b) 3/4 hours
c) 1.25 hours.
19
Solution
a) 1 hr = 60min
3hr × 60 min
3hr = ? ⇒t=
1hr
= 180 min
b) 1hr = 60 min
3 3 hr × 60min
hr = ? ∴ t = 4
4 1hr
= 45 min
c) 1hr = 60min
1.25hr × 60 min
1.25 hr = ? t=
1hr
= 75 min
Write down what unit of time, you need to use for measuring
a. The beat of your heart.
b. The duration of one period of your class.
c. The time you take to travel from home to school.
1. How many hours, minutes and seconds are there in one day?
2. Mention some traditional ways of measuring time.
3. How many days are there in a year?
4. How old are you? Write your age in
a. years b. months
5. Express the following times in seconds:-
a. 75 minutes b. 2 hours c. 0.6 minutes
20
Summary
In this unit you learnt that:

 physics is a branch of natural science.
 physics deals with the laws of nature. Physicist is a person who
studies physics.
 physics is applied to every development of science and
technology.
 Mechanics, Sound, Optics, Electricity and Magnetism, Heat,
Nuclear physics, and Astrophysics are different branches of
physics.
 measurement is the comparison of an unknown quantity with a
known one (standard unit).
 measurement of an object consists of two parts:
i. Unit of measurement,
ii. The numerical values of the measured object.
 standard units are conventional units which are used to measure
physical quantities scientifically.
 traditional units are not reliable and not exact.
 physical quantities are quantities that can be measured directly or
indirectly. They are expressed in terms of:
i. numerical values ii. unit iii. symbol
 scalar quantities have magnitude only. Direction is not associated
with them.
 vector quantities have both magnitude and direction.
 length, time, mass, temperature, current, amount of substance and
luminous intensity are fundamental quantities in science. The rest
are derived physical quantities expressed by combining two or
more of these fundamental quantities.
1. The SI unit of length is meter (m).
2. The SI unit of time is second (s).
3. The SI unit of mass is kilogram (kg).
21
Review Questions and Problems
I. Write true if the statement is correct and false if the statement is wrong.
1. One meter is 100 kilometer.
2. There are seven fundamental quantities in physics.
3. The device used to measure a mass of a body is kilogram.
4. If kilogram is added to kilogram then we have a derived unit.
5. m/s is a derived unit.
II. Multiple choice

1. Which one of the following is not a vector quantity?
a) Displacement c) Force
b) Density d) Velocity
2. Which one of the following is not a fundamental physical quantity?
a) Time c) Force
b) Mass d) Length
3. Which one of the following is a derived SI unit?
a) Newton c) Kelvin
b) Kilogram d) Second
4. 2 hr + 20 min + 60 sec are equal to ______ minutes.
a) 120min c) 150 min
b) 141min d) 161 min
5. Which one of the following quantities is measured by a balance?
a) Length c) Mass
b) Volume d) Density
III. Short answer questions

1. Why do you think that measuring length, mass and time, using
traditional methods are not reliable?
2. How many centimeters are there in 9.3 m?
3. Define the following terms.
a) Physics e) Vector
b) Standard units f) Length
c) Measurement g) Time
d) Fundamental physical quantity. h) Mass
22
4. A large bottle contains a number of medicinal tablets each having a
mass of 250 mg. The mass of all the tablets is 0.5 kg. Calculate the
number of tablets in the bottle.
Challenging questions
1. Meter, kilogram and second are the SI units of length, mass and
time respectively. They are internationally agreed standard units.
Write a descriptive note about the history, methods of
determination and definition of meter, kilogram and second.
2. The following four SI units were named after famous scientists;
Watt, Joule, Pascal and Kelvin. Find out:
i. the area of physics to which each of these scientists made a
significant contribution.
ii. the physical quantity measured using each of the four units.
23
UNIT PHYSICS AND
1 MEASUREMENT
 search for patterns or relationships in experimental data.
 use a wide range of possibilities for developing knowledge of the
major concepts with in physics.
A B
0 1 2 3 4 5
a) What is the distance between A and B?
A
cm
b) What is the length of block A (LA = ?)
B
cm
c) What is the length of block B (LB = ?)
A B
d) What is the length of blocks A and B (LA +LB) = ?
1
Introduction
In the lower grades you learnt about science in general. For example,
environmental science and integrated science. In this and next grades you will
learn about physics, chemistry and biology separately. In this unit you will learn
what physics is and about measurement.
Activity 1.1

i. What is science? What does science deal with?
ii. What are the major branches of science?
In a simple term, science is the study of the world

around us. It deals with the knowledge of the world
Science is a around us. The major classifications of science are
systematized
knowledge given in chart 1.
arising from • What are the two categories of science?
observation,
• Name the three branches of natural sciences?
study and
experimentation.
Chart 1. Classification of science


 Science


 Natural Science Social Science

Physics Chemistry Biology
2
1.1 Definition of Physics

a) Meaning of physics
Physics is defined in different ways. The following is one definition of
physics. Physics is a way of observation of the world around us. Through
observation we understand our world and how objects in the world behave
(laws of nature). Physics is simply the science of observation and
measurement.
Activity 1.2
i. From the explanations given above, describe in your own words what physics is.
ii. What do we call the person who studies physics?
The word 'Physics' has its origin in the Greek word meaning ‘nature'.
Hence, physics is the branch of natural science. It is the study of the

nature of matter, energy and their interactions. A person who studies
physics is called physicist.
Isaac Newton (1643- Michael Faraday James Prescott Joule Marie Curie
1727) discovered the (1791-1867), discovered (1818-1889) , studied the (1867-1934), won the Nobel
laws of motion and the generation of electr- nature of heat and Prize for the discovery of the
law of gravity. icity from magnetism. He discovered the elements polonium and
built the 1st dynamo. relationship between radium.
mechanical energy and
heat energy
Fig1.1 Some known physicists and their works
In order to understand, the definition of physics well, you need to have clear idea
of 'matter' and 'energy'. Discuss with your friends and parents on the questions
below and write a short note on:
i. What is matter? iii. What is energy?
ii. Some properties of matter. Iv. Explain how matter and energy are interrelated.
3
Activity 1.3
Mention at least five areas of study or topics

i. related to physics
ii. not related to physics
b) Purposes of studying physics

Physics is studied as a separate subject in grades 7 and 8 and also in
secondary schools.
Activity 1.4
Discuss in a group with your friends why you study physics. Report your
answers to the whole class.
The following are some specific purposes of studying physics

• Physics helps you to understand the working principles of many of your
daily utensils and tools.
• Physics helps you discover some of the unknown parts of nature and
makes you familiar with the modern world.
• Physics helps you to understand some of the natural phenomena in other
subjects like: biology, chemistry, geology, astronomy, etc.
• Physics enables you to understand why it is difficult to walk on a smooth
plane, why the electric fan moves, how the cars, airplanes, space-rockets,
refrigerators, alarm-clocks, radios, televisions, etc work.
Generally studying physics helps you to:

• understand concepts, relationships, principles and laws of
nature.
• do activities (experiments), to formulate and to check theories.
• describe some applications of physics on your daily life.
• solve practical problems (real life problems).
• understand the cause and effect of natural phenomenon.
4
c) Areas of study where physics does not address

There are areas or activities which does not require direct knowledge of
physics. For example, history, civics and ethical education, politics, religion,
etc. are not directly related to physics.
d) The main goal of the study of physics

The main goal of learning physics is to gain a better understanding of the
world around you and the things in it. By understanding the world around you
and the things in it, you discover facts. These facts form scientific concepts,
theories, laws, principles and relationships. For example all objects fall
towards the earth. This is a scientific fact. Corresponding to this there is a
scientific law known as law of gravity; which is derived from that fact.
Similarly when light falls on the surface of a mirror, it is reflected. Hence,
from this fact, the law of reflection of light is derived.
Activity 1.5
Form a group with your friends and list down some examples of ‘scientific
facts’ and related ‘scientific law’.
Scientific facts Scientific laws/ principles
e.g. All objects fall towards the earth Law of gravity
e) Relationship of physics to other sciences and disciplines

There is no clear boarder line between the different branches of natural
sciences. Knowledge of physics overlaps with the knowledge of chemistry,
biology, astronomy, etc. For example, chemistry and physics knowledge are
studied as a subject called physical science/physical chemistry. The
following are some areas of studies where physics is combined with other
science disciplines.
• Biophysics: combination of biology and physics.
• Astrophysics: combination of astronomy and physics.
• Geophysics: combination of geology and physics.
5
f) Branches of Physics
Physics is divided into different branches. Some of the branches of physics
are given in Table 1.1
Table 1.1 Branches of physics
Branches Purpose
Mechanics Deals with motion of a physical body.
Sound Studies production, transmission and other properties of
sound.
Optics Studies production, transmission and other properties of light.
Electricity and Deals with charged bodies at rest and in motion and
Magnetism relationship between electrical and magnetic properties of
bodies.
Heat Deals with temperature, heat transfer and exchange in
molecular level.
Nuclear physics Deals with interaction in the atomic nuclear
Astrophysics Deals with celestial bodies like planets, stars, galaxies, etc.
Activity 1.6
Write five practical examples from your everyday life where the branches of
physics are observed.
g) Relationship of physics to engineering and technology

Activity 1.7
i. What is the relation between physics and technology?
ii. What are the differences and similarities between technology and
engineering?
iii. Which comes first, physics or technology?
You have already seen what physics is. Now, you will see what a technology is.
Technology is the use of scientific knowledge to help human beings work easier
and live better and enjoy their environment more. Things such as automobiles,
TV sets, radio, airplane and home tools (appliances) are the products of
technology. A person who studies technology is called a technologist.
6
Technologists apply physics and mathematical knowledge and skills to produce a
very useful tool.
What are the products shown in Fig 1.2?
a) b) c) d)
Fig1.2 Products of Technology
Engineers are technologists who design, construct and assemble products.

What are the criteria for a good technological product?
Products of engineers can be judged on six criteria. These are:

1. Is the product functioning as it should?
2. Is the product durable?
3. Is the product cost effective? Cheap?
4. How does the product affect the individual?
5. How does the product affect the society it works in?
6. How does the Product affect the environment?
Check point 1.1

1. Explain what physics is.
2. List five branches of physics.
3. What is the purpose of learning physics?
4. Describe the relation ship of physics to:
a. Biology
b. Chemistry
c. Astronomy
5. List some other disciplines related to physics.
6. What is the relationship of physics and technology?
7. What are the criteria for judging of good products in engineering?
7
1.2 Standardization and Measurement

Activity 1.8
a.
i. Measure the length and width of this textbook.

ii. Calculate the area of this textbook using the above measured values.
iii. Measure the height of your friend, and let your friend measure your height
also.
iv. What instrument did you use?
v. How did you write the measures of the textbook and your friend’s height?
Measurement
While you are doing Activity 1.8, you may come across units and numbers.
These numbers by themselves means nothing. But when they are attached to
some units of measurement like centimeter and meter they give you full
information about your textbook and your friend’s height.
i.e. - The length of this textbook is 24 centimeter.
- Its width is 17 centimeter.
- The height of your friend is 1 meter and 45 centimeters.
Whenever you measure something, you
simply compare two bodies. One of them
Measurement consists of
the comparison of an
being a ‘standard’, and the other one
unknown quantity with a being the body to be measured.
known, fixed unit quantity.
It consists of two parts: Measurement is one of the activities
i. the unit. performed in physics. Physicists get
ii. the number indicating
how many units there
quantitative information about objects
are in the quantity through measurement.
being measured.
Standardization
Activity 1.9
i. What traditional measuring units do you know that are used to

describe length, time and mass?
ii. Are they reliable (dependable)?
8
In ancient times, people in Ethiopia used to measure physical quantities such as
time, mass, length, etc using traditional units. They say 'Nigat' or ' Mishet' as the
sun rises or sets respectively. They say ' Ekule- ken' as the sun comes over head
in the sky to measure time.
Lengths at olden days were measured in 'cubits', 'spans', 'foot' and, 'stride'.
a) Span b) Cubit
Fig 1.3 Traditional length measuring units
We still find these traditional units of length and time in our country. But they
are not reliable. They do not give exact information.
a.
i. Select friends who are shorter and taller than you.

ii. Compare their cubits and spans. Are they the same?
iii. What can you conclude? Are the traditional measuring units of length
reliable?
The development of science and technology

Standard units are came up with the development of standard
conventional units and reliable units of measurement. Scientists
which are used to all over the world met together and agreed to
measure physical
have a standard unit that can be used through
quantities scientifically.
out the world. These standard units are
known as System of International Units. In
short, it is written as the SI units.
9
Physical quantities
You measured, the length, width and height of your textbook. These quantities
are called physical quantities. Time and mass are also examples of phyical
quanties.
Quantities that can be measured directly or indirectly are known as physical

quantities.
Physical quantities are The measured values of physical quantities are

numbers with units written in terms of a number and unit. Physical
which are used to quantities and units can also be written using
describe physical symbols.
phenomena. Where “” is length
Note  = 24 cm, w = 17 cm “w” is width
'' and 'w' are symbols of length. The numbers 24 and 17 are numerical values
'cm' is the symbol of the unit of length called centimeter.
In activity 1.8, you measured directly the length and width of this textbook. But
you calculated the area of it. What is the difference between the two ways of
measuring things? The area of the book is calculated by combining two lengths,
but not measured directly.
From this practical activity, you can see that some quantities are directly
measured, while others are calculated by combining two or more measurable
quantities. Hence,
Physical quantities are classified into two:

1. Fundamental physical quantities
2. Derived physical quantities.
Fundamental physical quantities: are those quantities which can be measured

directly. They are not defined in terms of other physical quantities. Length, mass
and time are examples of fundamental physical quantities. Fundamental physical
quantities are also called basic physical quantities. The units used to measure the
fundamental quantities are called basic units. You see seven basic units in Table
1.2. Can you name them?
10
Beside length, mass and time there are other four basic physical quantities in
science. These are temperature, electric current, amount of substances and
luminous intensity.
Table 1.2 The seven fundamental physical quantities
Basic quantities Basic units
Name symbol Name Symbol
Length  Meter m
Time t Second s
Mass m kilogram kg
Temperature T Kelvin K
Current I Ampere A
Amount of substance M Mole Mol
Luminous Intensity - Candela Cd
1. What fundamental quantities are combined to give area, volume, density, speed?
2. Explain how the basic units are combined to give the derived units of force, velocity,
pressure and work.
Derived physical quantities: are quantities that can be measured indirectly.

They are calculated by combining two or more fundamental quantities. Area and
volume are examples of derived physical quantities. The derived quantities use
derived units.
Table 1.3 Some derived physical quantities.
Name Symbol Unit Symbol
Area A square meter m2
Volume V cubic meter m3
Density ρ kilogram kg/m3
cubic meter
Acceleration a meter m/s2
second 2
Force F kilogram-meter kg.m/s2 = Newton(N)
second 2
Pressure P Kg.m/s.s kg.m/s2 = Newton = N/m2
square meter m 2 square meter
11
Scalar and vector quantities

Some physical quantities are described completely by a number and a unit. A number
with a unit is called a magnitude. However, other quantities have a direction attached to
the magnitude. They can not be described by a number and unit only. Thus, physical
quantities are grouped into two:
i. Scalar quantity
ii. Vector quantity
A scalar quantity is a physical quantity which has only a magnitude.

No direction.
Time, mass, volume, density, temperature and energy are examples of a scalar quantity.
A vector quantity is a physical quantity which has both magnitude and

direction.
Displacement, velocity and force are some examples of a vector quantity.
Check point 1.2

1. What is measurement?
2. What are physical quantities?
3. Describe the difference between fundamental and derived physical
quantities.
4. List seven fundamental physical quantities with their SI units.
5. List some derived physical quantities.
6. How can you distinguish between scalar and vector quantities? List
examples of scalar and vector quantities in the given two columns
Scalar Quantities Vector Quantities

• _________________ • _____________
• _________________ • _____________
• _________________ • _____________
12
1.3 Measuring Length, Mass and Time

1.3.1 Measuring Length

Activity 1.11
b.
• What is the height and width of the blackboard?

• How far is your school from your home?
• What is the inside height and width of your classroom?
When you tell the distance between your school and your home, or the height and width
of your classroom, you measure length.
Length is one of the fundamental (basic) physical quantities that describes

the distance between two points.
The symbol for length is "". Sometimes, we can also use other symbols such as ‘b’,’h’
and ’s’.
When we measure length of an object, we are comparing it with a standard length that
scientists have agreed to. The SI unit of length is METER (m). There are also other non-
SI units of length. These are centimeter (cm), millimeter (mm) and kilometer (km).
a) Ruler b) Tape Measure c) Carpenter Rule d) Vernier Caliper

Fig 1.4 Length measuring instruments
. Activity 1.12
a.
Form a group with your classmates and do the following activities.

• Measure the length of different bodies using half meter ruler (50cm) and,
write the length of the bodies using symbols.
• Estimate the
a) Width of the blackboard
b) Thickness of your physics textbook
c) Width of the door of your classroom without using instrument.
• Now, measure the above quantities using length measuring instrument and
compare with the estimated values.
13
Table 1.4 Relationship between meter and other non- SI units

1 meter (m) 1000 millimeters (mm)
1 meter (m) 100 centimeters (cm)
1000 meters (m) 1 kilometer (km)
1 meter (m) 0. 001kilometers (km)
1 millimeter (mm) 0. 001 m
1 centimeter (cm) 0.01 m
1 kilometer (km) 1000 m
Example 1.1
The distance between two electric poles measures 100 meters. What is this
distance in: a. centimeter b. kilometer
N.B Use Table 1.4
Given Solution
 = 100 m (distance) a) Since 1 m = 100 cm
Then 100 m = ?
100cm× 100m
⇒ '' in cm =
1m
 = 10,000 cm
b) 1 m = 0. 001 km
100 m =?
100m × 0.001km
∴'' in km =
1m
 = 0. 1km
Write down the suitable unit of length you need to use to measure:
i. The distance between your school and your home.
ii. The thickness of your physics book.
iii. Your height.
14
1.3.2 Measuring Mass
So far you learnt how to measure length. Length is fundamental physical quantity in
physics. The other important physical quantity you need to study is mass.
Mass is a fundamental physical quantity. It is defined as the amount of

matter contained in a body.
There are two ways of measuring the mass of a body.

i. Traditional way:-
In traditional way things can be compared to each other to guess the approximate value
of the mass of the bodies.
Note: A traditional instrument does not tell us the exact value of the mass of a body.
ii. Scientific way
In scientific way a mass is measured using an instrument called a beam balance. A
beam balance consists of uniform beam having two pans suspended from each of its
ends. Fig 1.5 show different mass measuring instruments. Tell where these instruments
are used in our daily life.
Beam
Weight Pan
a) Locally made beam balance b) Beam balance c) Triple beam balance
Fig 1.5 Mass measuring Instruments
Activity 1.13
a.
• Have you ever tried to measure the mass of a body using a beam
balance?
• Visit a shop in your living area. Write down the procedures the
shopkeeper uses to measure the mass of a body using a beam-balance.
Report your observations to your class.
15
The body to be measured is placed in one of the pans and a known Standard mass is
placed in the other pan until a horizontal balance is obtained. At this moment the
unknown masses of the body equals the standard masses.
The SI unit of mass is the kilogram (kg). Other non- SI units can also be used to
measure masses. Some examples are given in Table 1.5.
Table 1.5 Relationship between units of mass
1000 kilogram 1 ton
100 kilogram 1 quintal
1 kilogram 1000 grams
1 gram 0.001 kg
1 milligram 0.001 gram
Activity 1.14
i. Estimate without instruments the masses of the following bodies.

a. Grade 7 Physics text book b. One stick of chalk c. One duster
ii. Now measure the masses of the above estimated bodies using a beam
balance.
iii. Compare the estimated and measured values and calculate the differences.
Give reasons for the differences.
Example 1.2
1. In one of the pans of a beam balance the masses 1kg, 500g, 30g, 0.6g are placed
to measure the mass of unknown body. What should be the mass of the body on
the other side of a pan if they are in balance?
Given Required
m = 1kg, 500 g, 30 g, 0.6 g total mass = ?
Solution
m = the sum of the given masses
= 1kg + 500g + 30g + 0.6g (change 1kg into g)
= 1000g + 500g + 30g + 0.6g
= 1530.6g or
= 1.53 kg
16
2. Abel and Zehara want to sit at the two ends of a SEE-SAW having equal distances
from the pivot as shown in Fig.1.6. Zehara is 37 kg, and Abel is 29 kg. What
additional mass (m x ) should Abel carry in order to balance the SEE-SAW.
Fig 1.6 See-Saw
m A = 29 kg mx = ? mA + mX = mZ
m Z = 37 kg 29kg + m X = 37kg
m X = 37kg − 29kg
= 8 kg
Check point 1.3

1. What is a length? Name the measuring device of a length.
2. State the SI unit of length and some common non-SI units. Explain
their relationship.
3. What is a mass? Name some measuring devices of a mass.
4. State the SI unit of mass and other commonly used non- SI units
of mass. Explain their relationship.
5. What is time? Mention the measuring devices of time.
6. Write the relationship between SI unit of time and other commonly
used non-SI units of time.
17
1.3.3 Measuring Time
What is time? The sun rises in the east in the morning and sets in the west in the
evening. How long does the sun take to rise and set? People use the sunrise and sunset
as a time measuring device. It is called sundial.
Time is a fundamental physical quantity. It describes the duration

between the beginning and end of an event.
The SI unit of time is second (s). The symbol for time is 't'.
Activity 1.15
Discuss: how the sun rise and sun set is used to measure the time of a day.
Draw a diagram of sundial at different times of the day.
a) Watch b) Stopwatch c) Digital watch
Fig 1.7 Time measuring devices
A clock and watch are the modern instruments used to measure time. Can you explain
how the time measuring instruments indicated in Fig 1.7 are read?
To measure very small or large intervals of time, there are other non- SI units of time.
These are minute (min), hour (hr), day, etc.
Activity 1.16
a.
i. Measure the beat of your heart using a wrist watch (digital watch). Express it
using symbols of quantity of time and unit of time.
ii. Tell your friends and teacher how you did your activity.
18
Relationships between SI units and non- SI units of time:
Activity 1.17
i. Have you ever noticed the relationships between hour, minute and second?
What are the relationships?
ii. Take a day (24 hrs) and list down activities you do through out the day.
Time Activity
Morning 12:00
1:00
2:00
etc.
Are you using your time wisely? Compare your time with your friends time.
Who are not using the day wisely? Discuss with your friends.
Some wrist watches have an hour hand, a minute hand and a second hand. Can you
define hour, minute and second using a wristwatch from your experiences?
• As the second hand completes one cycle, the minute hand moves one unit.(1
minute)
• As the minute hand completes one cycle the hour hand moves one unit (one
hour).
• As the hour hand completes one cycle, we say 12 hours.
Table 1.6 Relationship between units of time

1 hour 60 minutes
1 minute 60 seconds
1 day 24 hours
1 week 7 days
1 month 30 days
1 year 365 or 366 days
Example 1.3
1. Express the following times in minutes:
a) 3 hours
b) 3/4 hours
c) 1.25 hours.
19
Solution
a) 1 hr = 60min
3hr × 60 min
3hr = ? ⇒t=
1hr
= 180 min
b) 1hr = 60 min
3 3 hr × 60min
hr = ? ∴ t = 4
4 1hr
= 45 min
c) 1hr = 60min
1.25hr × 60 min
1.25 hr = ? t=
1hr
= 75 min
Write down what unit of time, you need to use for measuring
a. The beat of your heart.
b. The duration of one period of your class.
c. The time you take to travel from home to school.
1. How many hours, minutes and seconds are there in one day?
2. Mention some traditional ways of measuring time.
3. How many days are there in a year?
4. How old are you? Write your age in
a. years b. months
5. Express the following times in seconds:-
a. 75 minutes b. 2 hours c. 0.6 minutes
20
Summary

 physics is a branch of natural science.
 physics deals with the laws of nature. Physicist is a person who
studies physics.
 physics is applied to every development of science and
technology.
 Mechanics, Sound, Optics, Electricity and Magnetism, Heat,
Nuclear physics, and Astrophysics are different branches of
physics.
 measurement is the comparison of an unknown quantity with a
known one (standard unit).
 measurement of an object consists of two parts:
i. Unit of measurement,
ii. The numerical values of the measured object.
 standard units are conventional units which are used to measure
physical quantities scientifically.
 traditional units are not reliable and not exact.
 physical quantities are quantities that can be measured directly or
indirectly. They are expressed in terms of:
i. numerical values ii. unit iii. symbol
 scalar quantities have magnitude only. Direction is not associated
with them.
 vector quantities have both magnitude and direction.
 length, time, mass, temperature, current, amount of substance and
luminous intensity are fundamental quantities in science. The rest
are derived physical quantities expressed by combining two or
more of these fundamental quantities.
1. The SI unit of length is meter (m).
2. The SI unit of time is second (s).
3. The SI unit of mass is kilogram (kg).
21
1. One meter is 100 kilometer.
2. There are seven fundamental quantities in physics.
3. The device used to measure a mass of a body is kilogram.
4. If kilogram is added to kilogram then we have a derived unit.
5. m/s is a derived unit.
II. Multiple choice

1. Which one of the following is not a vector quantity?
a) Displacement c) Force
b) Density d) Velocity
2. Which one of the following is not a fundamental physical quantity?
a) Time c) Force
b) Mass d) Length
3. Which one of the following is a derived SI unit?
a) Newton c) Kelvin
b) Kilogram d) Second
4. 2 hr + 20 min + 60 sec are equal to ______ minutes.
a) 120min c) 150 min
b) 141min d) 161 min
5. Which one of the following quantities is measured by a balance?
a) Length c) Mass
b) Volume d) Density
III. Short answer questions

1. Why do you think that measuring length, mass and time, using
traditional methods are not reliable?
2. How many centimeters are there in 9.3 m?
3. Define the following terms.
a) Physics e) Vector
b) Standard units f) Length
c) Measurement g) Time
d) Fundamental physical quantity. h) Mass
22
4. A large bottle contains a number of medicinal tablets each having a
mass of 250 mg. The mass of all the tablets is 0.5 kg. Calculate the
number of tablets in the bottle.
1. Meter, kilogram and second are the SI units of length, mass and
time respectively. They are internationally agreed standard units.
Write a descriptive note about the history, methods of
determination and definition of meter, kilogram and second.
2. The following four SI units were named after famous scientists;
Watt, Joule, Pascal and Kelvin. Find out:
i. the area of physics to which each of these scientists made a
significant contribution.
ii. the physical quantity measured using each of the four units.
23
UNIT FORCE AND NEWTON'S
3 LAWS OF MOTION
 develop a qualitative understanding of Newton’s laws of motion
and force in static situations.
 develop introductory skill of manipulating numerical problems
related to Newton’s law of motion and force.
 use a wide range of possibilities for developing knowledge of
the major concepts with in physics.
Introduction
In unit two of this book you learned important concepts that describe motion.
The concepts such as speed, velocity and acceleration are used for describing
various types of motion around you.
Activity 3.1
Discuss with your friends or parents.
• The concepts: speed, velocity and acceleration.
• The difference between uniform and accelerated motions.
• Do you think that force and motion have a relation? Explain.
48
Grade 7 Physics 3 Force and Newton’s Law of Motion
The motion of bodies (relative to a chosen reference system) is either uniform or
accelerated or slowed down, or change in directions. In the last three cases, the
velocities of moving bodies are changing. That is, acceleration is produced.
Clearly it is very important to be able to study acceleration. However, to
understand acceleration in its full sense you must know how it emerges or is
produced.
3.1. Force
Activity 3.2
Discuss the followings with your friends.
i. What is a force?
ii. Mention some examples of forces from your daily activities.
iii. explain the following phrases
- Social force,
- Political force,
iv. Explain the following actions.
- A push you exert on a wall,
- A pull exerted to drag a box on a table.
v. Do you think that forces in iii) and iv) are the same? Explain
The term force is used in different situations in the English language. Force is a
technical term in physics. The term force in physics is different from the term
force in political and social.
Force is a very important physical quantity. It is used to describe interactions

between two bodies in nature. For example, when you kick a ball, tear a piece of
paper, hold your exercise book and walk on the floor you apply forces. Hence, in
physics the term 'force' is used to describe a 'push' or a 'pull' exerted on a body.
A force is a push or a pull exerted on a body by another body.
49
Types of forces
Activity 3.3
i. Throw a ball vertically upward and observe its motion. What will happen
to the ball? Will it continue to move upward forever? Why?
ii. Take a magnet and pieces of iron fillings. Move the magnet over the iron
filings without a physical contact between the magnet and the iron
fillings. Describe your observation for your teacher.
iii. Move your desk from its current position. Can you do it without a
physical contact? Why?
iv. Explain the types of forces that exist in the above 3 activities.
You know that a force is a push or a pull. But do all bodies push or pull other
bodies by making a physical contact only? From your Activity 3.3, you might
have noticed that bodies could be in contact to each other or they could be
without contact or at a distance from each other. Therefore, forces are classified
into two broad categories known as: (i) Contact forces and (ii) Non-contact
forces
i. Contact forces are forces exerted when two objects are in touch or contact.
For example;
- A force exerted by a stretched or compressed spring.
- An upward force exerted by a table on a box resting on it.
a) Pushing a table b) Stretching a spring c) A box resting on a floor

Fig.3.1. Examples of contact forces
ii. Non-contact forces are forces exerted without body contact. They are forces
acting at a distance. Gravitational force, magnetic force and electrical forces
are examples of non – contact forces.
50
A falling ball Attraction or repulsion of two magnets Electrostatic forces
Fig. 3.2 Different types of non contact forces
1. Discuss examples of contact forces in Fig 3.1
2. Discuss the differences between gravitational force, magnetic force and electric
forces. (Fig 3.2)
Effects of a force
When a force is exerted on a body, the body may change its shape or size.
Activity 3.4
Observe the activities shown in Fig 3.3

a. Explain the effects of forces in each activity.
b. Can you summarize the effects of force?
b) When the engine applies a force the

car moves.
a) When the person kicks the ball the ball
moves in the direction of the force
c) When a spring is stretched the size

and the shape change. d) When a ball roles over the table and
falls off the table forces are exerted.
Fig.3.3 Different effects of forces
51
It is not simple to describe a force as you can
The change in shape describe some material objects such as a chalk,
or size of a body is
known as pen, orange etc. You can only say what a force
deformation. There can do. For example when a body at rest is
are two types of
deformation; acted upon by a force it will begin to move. If a
I. Permanent
body is already moving a force may change its
II. Temporary.
velocity. That is, a force produces motion or
changes motion of a body.
Force produces an acceleration of a body.
A force has the following main effects, when it is exerted on an object:

i. It changes the shape and size of the objects.
ii. It changes the magnitude or direction of motion of the objects. i.e.
when a force is exerted on a body:
a. a stationary body starts to move
b. a moving body increases its speed,
c. a moving body decreases its speed and gradually stops moving
d. a moving body changes it direction.
Measuring a Force
Activity 3.5
Do the following tasks with your friends.
i. Describe methods of measuring a force.
ii. What is the instrument used to measure a force?
iii. Mention the SI unit of force.
A force is measured using an instrument called a spring balance (Fig 3.4 a). As
you can observe from Fig 3.4 there is a stretch (increase in length) of the spring
when it is pulled. We can use this increase in length of a spring to measure the
magnitude of the force stretching the spring.
52
W=0 1
2
F1
W1
W2
a) b)
Fig 3.4 Spring balance
Each time an extra weight is added you find that there is the same extension
because each object is identical.
They are attracted to the earth with the same force, so what we have found is that
equal force produced equal extensions of the spring. Newton meter is the
scientific instrument used to measure a force. The SI unit of force is newton
symbolized by N. The unit newton is named, after the great scientist Sir Isaac
Newton.
Fig 3.5 (a) illustrate the structure of a Newton meter. It is made up of a spring
attached to a hook and a scale leveled in newton.
Fig 3.5 (b) measures the weight of stone in gram. When the spring balance is
held by the hand it shows a certain weight for the piece of stone. Here the weight
is 500 grams. To know the weight of the stone in newton you have to multiply
by 10 m/s2.
Describing a Force: A force is a vector quantity. (A vector quantity is a

quantity which has both magnitude and direction.) To fully describe the force
acting upon an object, you must describe both its magnitude and direction. For
example, “10 N of force” is not a complete description of the force acting on an
object. ‘10 N downwards’ is a complete description of the force acting upon an
object.
53
Support Spring
balance
held by
hand
Pointer 500 g
Scale (Newton)
Spring
Stone weighs
500 g
Hook
b) Spring balance
a) Newton meter
Fig 3.5 Force measuring instruments
Check points 3.1

1. What is a force in physics?
2. Name two types of force and give example for each type.
3. Describe some effects of a force.
4. Write the unit of force both in word and symbol.
5. Read the weight of a body from the spring balance.
3.2. Newton's Laws of Motion

In unit two of this book you learned about the motion of bodies in a straight line.
In the first section of this unit, you learned the major effects of a force.
Combining these two backgrounds, it is now necessary to study the relationship
between force and motion.
Galileo Galilee (1564-1642 AD) and Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727 AD) tried to
explain the causes of motion of bodies in a certain direction or why bodies stop
their motion. These ideas were put together by Sir Isaac Newton in the form of
laws of motion called Newton's laws of motion.
Newton's First Law of Motion

Activity 3.6
Discuss the following questions with your friends.
i. Place any object (text book, or pen, or eraser) on a floor.
ii. What happens to the state of motion of the object, when you don't
exert a force on it?
iii. Exert a force (push or pull) on the objects. What happens to their
states of motion?
54
Based on the discussion of activity 3.6 you can generalize that unless you or
someone else exerts a force on the object, an object at rest will remain at rest.
But when a force is applied it starts to move.
Similarly, a body moving with a constant velocity along a straight line will not
increase or decrease its speed unless an external force is applied on it. These
conditions led Newton to state the important law called Newton’s first law of
motion.
Newton’s first law of motion states that: "an object continues in its state of
rest or of uniform motion in a straight line unless it is forced to change
that state by the application of an external force."
This means, in the absence of an external force, a body at rest will remain at rest
and a body in motion will continue its motion in a straight line with uniform
velocity. This law is also called the Law of Inertia.
This law points out that force is something that changes the state of a body. In
other words we can say that if the state of a body changes, a force is acting on it.
A force may be defined as a push or a pull which produces or tends to produce
motion, stop or tend to stop motion.
Activity 3-7
i. Discuss with your friends and report to your teacher. ( Fig 3.6)
a. pull both cans with the same force. Which can is easy to move? Why?
b. If both cans are moving towards you, which is easier to stop its
motion?
c. What do you call the property
of a body to resist change in
its motion?
ii. What is the use of seatbelt/safety belt
in a car? Ask a driver or a traffic
a) Empty can b) Can full of Sand
police and discuss your findings with
Fig 3.6 Bodies having different masses
your group members.
iii. When you are standing in a moving bus, you fall or tend to fall forward when it
suddenly stops. How can you explain this effect? What are the forces acting on
you?
iv. Explain the term 'inertia' using practical examples.
55
From your Activity 3.7 you noticed that an object at rest would insist to be at
rest. A moving object would like to continue its uniform motion in a straight
line. This is the property of all objects and it is known as inertia.
Inertia is the property of a body to retain its state of rest or state of uniform
motion in a straight line in the absence of an external force.
Activity 3.8
i. Place your pen on the surface of a floor. Push the pen and observe its
motion. Similarly apply the same amount of force on a table; standing on a
floor. What effects do you notice in both activities?
ii. Is the speed of the table the same as that of the pen?
iii. Do you think that for the same applied force the change in velocity is the
same? Explain your answer.
From the above two activities you noticed that mass and inertia are the same. To
move a large mass, a large force is required for motion to begin; and if the mass
is small, a small force is required. We use the term mass instead of inertia in this
book.
Generally large masses have greater inertia and smaller masses have
less inertia.
Activity 3-9
Do the following activity to understand the effects of inertia. (Fig 3.7)
i. Pile of four or five smooth wooden
blocks on the top of a table.
ii. Give a sharp kick with a hammer on
the bottom block.
iii. What did you observe?
iv. Why do the blocks of wood drop
vertically down when the bottom block
is kicked with the hammer? Fig.3. 7 A pile of wooden blocks
56
When the bottom block is given a sharp kick it causes out of the stack while the
top three blocks drop vertically down as shown in Fig. 3.7. Do the rest in the
same manner as the first. You will observe that when the kicked block moves
away the remaining will be dropped vertically down.
Activity 3.10
i. Apply a force to move a heavy box placed on a smooth floor, it will resist
to stay at rest or don't move. This means you didn't bring a change in
motion even though you applied a force.
ii. Why do you think the body does not move when you apply a force?
The above activities show that mass and inertia are the same. To move a large
mass, a large force is required, and to move a small mass, a small force is
required. In this book we use the term mass instead of inertia.
Newton's second law of motion

Newton's first law describes the qualitative property of a force. It describes how
force changes the state of rest or uniform motion of a mass of body. In other
words, it states that every change in the magnitude or direction of a body's
velocity is caused by applying an external force.
In Newton's second law you will learn how to measure the magnitude of a force
required to bring a given body to rest or set in motion.
Activity 3-11
• Consider two boxes 'A' and 'B' as in Fig 3.8. Let the mass of 'A’ is 20 kg
and that of 'B’ is 40 kg. Both are at rest.
• Suppose you push separately the two boxes with the same force of 10 N.
which box change its motion easily? Explain it.
F=10 N
F=10 N A B
Fig.3.8 Different masses acted by the same force
Activity 3.11 helps you to know that, when the same force is applied on two
bodies of different masses, the smaller mass accelerates more than the larger
mass.
57
Mathematically you can state as follows. Acceleration is inversely proportional
to the mass of a body for a given applied force. i.e. a α where 'm' is the mass
of the body and 'a' is the acceleration. α is proportionality symbol.
Activity 3-12
a.
i. Consider two bodies of equal masses and different forces are applied to
make them move. (Fig 3.9)
• Which one of the masses do you think will accelerate more?
• What do you conclude about force and acceleration?
100 N A 20 N B
Fig. 3.9 Equal masses acted by different forces
Activity 3.12 helps you to observe that as the force increases the acceleration
increases for a given constant mass.
Acceleration is directly proportional to the force applied. i.e. a α F. This means

that the greater force you apply to an object the greater the acceleration is.
Combining Activities 3.11 and 3.12 together we get the following important law
known as Newton’s second law of motion.
Newton’s second law of motion states that: "the acceleration of a body is

directly proportional to the force ‘(F)’ acting on the body and inversely
proportional to the mass ‘(m)’of the body.”
Mathematically expressed as:
Acceleration (a) =
Force = mass × acceleration

F = ma
The SI unit of force is newton, represented by 'N'. 1 N = 1 kg m/s2
1 newton is the force needed to give an acceleration of 1m/s2 to a mass of 1kg.
58
This law is valid for objects ranging from the size of atoms to size beyond the
distances of galaxies and everything in between. This is why Newton's second
law of motion is called the ‘universal’ law. It describes the way objects in the
universe move.
Activity 3-13
a.
i. Can you mention any other physics laws you know that applies
universally?
ii. Discuss them with your friends.
Example 3.1
1. How large a force is required to set a 10 kg toy car in motion with an
acceleration of 2 m/s2.
Given Required
m = 10 kg F=?
a= 2m/s2
Solution
According to Newton's 2nd law of motion
F = ma
= 10 kg × 2m/s2
= 20 kg m/s2
= 20 N
2. A force of 30 N is applied on a box of unknown mass to set it with an acceleration

of 5m/s2. What is the mass of the box?
Given Required
F= 30N m=?
a = 5m/s2
Solution
From F = ma, we get
m= = = 6 kg
∴ m = 6 kg
• Verify that N/ (m/s ) = kg
2
59
3. A girl pulls a box on a horizontal floor by applying a horizontal force of 100N. The
mass of the box is 20 kg. What is the acceleration of the box?

F = 100 N a=? from F = ma, we have:
m = 20 kg a= = 5 N/kg
• Can you verify that N/kg = m/s ?
2
∴ a = 5m/s2
4) How much external force is required to accelerate a 1500 kg car at the rate of 6m/s2?
m = 1500kg F=? F = ma
a = 6 m/s 2
= 1500 kg × 6 m/s2
F = 9000 N
Activity 3.14
a.
i. What is mass?
ii. What is weight?
iii. Explain the difference between mass and weight.
Mass and weight

You learnt in unit one that the mass of a body depend
on the quantity of matter it contains and being
Fig. 3.10. A man measuring
his weight on a balance. measured using a beam balance everywhere.
Mass is the amount of matter in a substance. The mass of a body

characterizes its inertia and it is a scalar quantity which is measured in
kilogram (kg). Thus the mass of a given body is the same everywhere.
Whereas weight is the pulling force of the earth towards its center and it is
a vector quantity.
If you throw a stone vertically upward, it will fall back to the earth. The same
thing will happen every time you throw an object in any direction. The pulling of
objects by the earth towards its center is called the force of gravity.
60
The pull of gravity acting on a body towards the centre of the earth is
called the weight of a body. Thus the weight of a body is a force.
What is the Difference between Mass and Weight?

Fig. 3.11 a and b shows two types of scales commonly used in the science
classroom. These are spring scale and a beam balance scale.
a) Spring scale b) Beam balance scale

Fig 3.11 Two types of scales for measuring mass
For example on earth the spring scale reads 100g with a mass attached to the
hook (Fig 3.11 (a)). When a beam balance scales is used, you balance the scale
on the right by a 100 g mass of substance.
If we were to take both scales to the moon, what would the spring scale read?
How much mass would be needed to balance the 100g mass on the balance
beam? Can you explain your answer?
In science or physics you need to recognize between 'weight' and ‘mass’. They
are two different physical quantities in physics.
Activity 3.15
b.
i. Have you noticed that people are using the terms ‘mass’ and
weight interchangeably? Comment on it.
ii. What is the reading you get from a balance when you stand on
it? Is it your weight or your mass?
61
According to Newton's second law, force equals to the product of mass and
acceleration, that is F= ma. Similarly the force of gravity of the earth equal to the
product of mass and acceleration due to gravity 'g', thus;
Weight (W) = mass (m) × gravitational acceleration (g) ⇒ W = mg

Where 'm' stands for mass and 'g' is acceleration due to gravity.
Example: 3.2
1. The mass of one quintal of 'teff' is 100 kg. What is its weight? Take g = 10m/s2.

m= 100 kg W=? From W = mg, we have
2
g = 10 m/s = 100 kg m/s2
= 1000 N
2. How much does a 100 kg body weight on the surface of the moon whose
acceleration due to gravity is equal to 1.63 m/s2?

m = 100 kg W=? Using the definition of weight, we get,
g = 1.63m/s2 W = mg
= 100 kg × 1.63 m/s2
= 163 N
Newton's Third Law (Law of Action and Reaction)

Activity 3.16
a) Kick a ball with your bare foot, what do you feel?
b) Hold your physics book by placing it on your palm. Do you feel that a
force is exerted by the book on your palm? What about the reverse? Is
there a force exerted by the palm on the book?
c) Push the wall of your classroom; do you feel that the wall is pushing
against you?
d) Place a box on a table and let it stay at rest. What are the forces acting
between the box and the table?
62
Fwp
Fpw
a) A book resting b) A rocket moving c) A girl pushing a d) Two persons

on a palm upward box on a floor pushing each other
Fig. 3.12 Action and Reaction forces
From Activity 3.16 you noticed that, it is not possible to exert a force on a body
without the body exerting a force in the opposite direction. These forces are
called the action and reaction forces.
Newton's third law states that "To every action there is always an equal and
opposite reaction”. That is, whenever one body exerts a certain force on a
second body, the second body also exerts an equal and opposite force on
the first. This law is also called the law of Action and Reaction.
Action and reaction forces always act on two different bodies and always exist in
pairs. In Fig 3.12 the force exerted by the palm on the book is F wp . It is applied
to the book and is directed upwards. In return the weight will act on the palm
with the force F pw. This force is applied to the palm and is directed down ward.
In this and in all other action and reaction cases it can be summarized
mathematically as: is the action force and
FA = - FR where
The negative (-) sign indicates the reaction force is opposite in direction to the
action force.
1. When you push a wall with your hand you exert a force on the wall. Explain the forces
between the wall and your hand
2. What are the forces exerted by the bodies indicated in Fig 3.12 (a, b, c and d)?
3. Indicate the action and reaction forces in the following actions.
a) A student carrying his school bag.
b) A horse pulling a cart.
c) A bullet shot from a gun.
63
Check point 3.2

1. Define the term inertia.
2. What is the relationship between mass and inertia?
3. State a) Newton's first law of motion.
b) Newton's second law of motion.
c) Newton's third law of motion.
4. What are the relationships between force, mass and acceleration?
5. What is the difference between mass and weight?
3.3. Frictional Force

In the previous sections you learnt about a force. You apply a force when you kick a ball
and when you hold your physics book. A force is applied when a body accelerates.
Activity 3.17 Discuss with your friends on the following questions.

i. Have you ever walked on a muddy road or on a smooth polished floor?
ii. Is it more difficult to walk on these surfaces than on a rough road (surface)?
Why?
iii. What makes easier to walk on a rough road?
iv. What type of force is a friction force?
The two surfaces used in Activity 3.17 will slip you away since there is no
sufficient friction force to prevent you from slipping. The force of friction is
important for walking.
Pushing force
on the bicycle
Friction force
Friction
force
a) Motion of a bicycle on a b) A walking person
straight road
Fig 3.13 Fiction force on a bicycle and walking man
When an object moves over the surface of another object, it experiences a

resistance or opposing force against the relative motion of the objects.
This opposition or resistance to the motion of objects is called friction.
64
Friction force is the force that opposes the relative motion of two bodies in
contact. If we try to push a block of wood across a table, there are two opposing
forces that act on the block of wood. The force related to the push, and a force
that is related to the friction. These two forces act in the opposite direction.
As frictional forces are decreased (for example, by placing oil on the table) the
object moves further and further before stopping. This demonstrates Galileo's
law of inertia which states: “an object in a state of motion possesses an inertia
that causes it to remain in that state of motion unless an external force acts on it”.
Friction force always arises when one body tries to slide on another. The
frictional force depends on;
i) The roughness of the surfaces in contact.
ii) The normal force (the force perpendicular to the surface). The normal
force is the same as the weight of a body when it lies along a horizontal
plane.
Normal
Force
Pulling
Friction
force Pulling
force •
Friction Force
Force
Weight of block
a) Rough surface
b) Normal force = weight of a block
Fig 3.14 Factors affecting frictional force
Activity 3.18
Prepare two boxes which have different masses. Try to push each
box separately across a rough floor. Which one is difficult to push?
From activity 3-18 you learnt that heavier (bigger) objects are more difficult to
move on a rough surface. i.e. because as the weight increases, the friction force
also increases. That is because there is an increase in the force that presses the
two sliding surfaces together. This force is the normal force reacting the floor on
the block.
65
. Activity 3.19
What causes friction?
Types of frictional force
There are two types of friction;

i. Static friction ii. Kinetic friction.
Fk
Block at Moving
rest block
a) Static friction b) Kinetic friction

Fig 3.15 Types of friction
Activity 3.20
i. Try to pull a heavy box across a floor; explain the force you needed, to start the
motion and the force required during the motion to continue it moving.
a) First pull it slowly and notice the force just needed to start it moving.
(Fig 3.15 a)
b) Then continue to pull it. (Fig 3.15 b)
ii. Which one has greater value? Starting force or force that keeps it moving?
From the Activity 3.20 you notice that the force required in setting the box into
motion is larger than the force required to continue the motion of the box.
The friction force that opposes motion just before the box starts its motion is
called the static friction. The force that is being constantly over come during the
motion of the box is called the kinetic friction. Activity 3.20 shows that static
friction is greater than kinetic friction.
Static frictional force is the maximum frictional force which enables to

start the relative motion of two objects.
Kinetic frictional force is the force which arises when one body slides or
moves over the other. The term “kinetic” means ‘moving’.
Once the object begins to move, the force required is not so great. This
shows that kinetic friction on a body is smaller than the static friction.
66
N If F s = static friction and

At rest
Moving
F k = kinetic friction
Pulling
force F Static friction is greater than kinetic
friction, F s > F k
Fs Fk
W W
Fig 3.16 Relationship between Fs and Fk
Factors affecting frictional force between two contacting

surfaces
Activity 3-21
i. Try to slide your physics text on your mathematic textbook.
ii. Observe what force you apply to start the motion of the physics book.
iii. Next try to slide the physics textbook on your table. What do you notice?
iv. Are the forces you require to push the physics textbooks in the two situations
the same?
a. What is a normal force?
b. How is friction affected by a normal force?
The two major factors that affect friction are;

1. The nature of contacting surfaces.
2. The normal force between the surfaces.
A normal force is a force that presses two surfaces together. It is
perpendicular to the pressed surfaces. For a flat surface the normal
force is equal to the weight of the sliding body.
How does a normal force affect the force of static or kinetic friction?
From the Activity 3.18 you have observed that both static friction and kinetic
friction increases as the weight of the sliding body increases. Further the static
frictional force, is greater than the kinetic frictional force. Therefore, frictional
force is proportional to the normal force. Mathematically;
F s ~ N and F k ~ N
Or F s = μ s N and F k = μ k N
67
Where, μ s is coefficient of static N
friction and k is coefficient of
kinetic friction. µ is a Greek
letter read as miu. 20kg Pulling force
Fs
The values are
positive and less than one.
Since F s > F k then μ s > μ k . W = mg
Fig 3.17 The normal force N is equal to mg
Example 3.3
The coefficient of static friction between a block of wood and the floor is
0.2. The mass of the block is 20 kg. What is the static friction between the
block and the level floor? (Take g = 9.8 m/s2)

μ s = 0.2 Fs = ? F = μs N
m = 20 kg N = w = mg
N = 20 kg × 9.8 N/kg = 196 N
F s = 0.2 × 196 N
F s = 39.20 N
2. The force of static friction between a body of mass 50 kg and a horizontal
floor is measured to be 103N. What is the coefficient of static friction
between the body and the table?
F s = 103 N since N = mg
m= 50 kg = 50kg × 9.8 N/kg
= 490 N
μ s = Fs/N
Thus μ s = 103N/ 490 N
μ s = 0.21
Note: Coefficient of friction /µ s / is unit less.
68
Effects of Friction
There are some common effects of friction. Friction-
• Increases the work necessary to operate a machinery; i.e it causes
wastage of energy.
• Causes wearing out of a surface
• Generates heat, etc.
• Causes walking possible on roads
Are these effects of friction useful or harmful? Which ones are harmful and
which ones are not?
Activity 3.22
i. Discuss some useful effects of friction from your daily experience (e.g. How
fire is generated using friction).
ii. Mention also some harmful effects of friction.
Advantages of friction
Your discussion in Activity 3. 22 might have helped you to understand that there
are some uses of friction. Among these uses or advantages of friction, the
followings can be mentioned as examples.
i. Walking: The friction between your foot (shoes) and the ground enables
you to walk. Where friction is very low like slippery mud surface, you will
find it difficult to walk on it.
ii. Tires: The friction between the car tires and the road allows a car to move
or to stop.
iii. Brakes: When the brakes of a car is applied, the brake shoes are pushed
apart. This brings the brake lining and the drum into contact and the
friction between them stops the car.
Disadvantage of Friction
Activity 3.23
Discuss with your friends or parents. Describing the disadvantages of
friction. Example the making of fire in factories, vehicles, forests, etc.
69
If you rub the palms of your hands together, they will become warm. This is
because of friction. The same thing applies to all machines which have moving
parts.
Heat is developed in the moving parts when the machine works. This is because
some of the energy supplied to drive the machine is changed into heat. This is a
wastage of energy. It is not used for the desired purpose. Some parts of machines
also wear out because of friction.
Challenging Question
Give some other advantages and disadvantage of friction.
Reducing Friction
In order to increase the efficiency of machines and reduce the wearing out of
machine parts, friction has to be reduced.
Some of the most commonly used methods of reducing friction are the
following.
A. Removing of roughness of the surfaces Smooth surfaces have less friction than
rough surfaces.
B. Lubricating; If you introduce liquid film such as oil between the surfaces,
friction will be reduced. The oil fills the valleys and separates the surfaces so that
the hills and valleys do not hold each other.
C. Rolling bodies: The most effective and commonly used method of reducing
friction is to use rolling bodies instead of sliding bodies. That is wheels, roller
bearings and the ball bearings are used to reduce friction. Fig 3.18 illustrates the
difference between sliding and rolling bodies.
a) A sliding body b) A rolling body

Fig 3.18 Rolling reduces friction
I think in this unit you have acquired the knowledge of force and you have also
got some answers for your doubts which you always ask yourself why I fell
70
when something hits me. Why I tend to be pushed forward when the bus
suddenly stops, etc.
You might have asked yourself why do I fell when I step on a banana scrap. This
is because of friction. As friction is necessary for motion it is also harmful for
machines. You have a responsibility as a citizen to keep machines not to wear
out due to friction, and do the necessary things to reduce friction.
Since this topic is very important and more applicable in all aspects of life you
have to have an active participation in the class and outside in the community to
give awareness how to reduce friction in machines.
Check point 3.3

1. What is a frictional force?
2. Name examples where frictional force plays an important role in our daily life.
3. State the factors on which a frictional force depend on.
4. What is the difference between static friction and kinetic friction?
5. Describe two methods of reducing friction.
71
Summary

 force is a push or a pull that produces motion, stops or tends to stop
motion.
 the relationship between a force and the motion produced is described
by Newton's three laws of motion.
The Newton's laws of motion are:

1st law: A body at rest remains at rest, and a body in motion
continue to move with a uniform speed in a straight
line unless it is acted upon by an external force.
2nd law: The acceleration is directly proportional to the
applied force and inversely proportional to the mass
of the body, (F=ma).
3rd law: For every action there is an equal and opposite
reaction.
 the unit of force is Newton, 1N is defined as a force that acts on a mass
of 1 kg and produces an acceleration of 1 m/s2.
 weight of a body is the gravitational force acting on the body. The
weight of an object of mass 'm' is W= mg.
 frictional force is directly proportional to the normal force and is
directed parallel to the surfaces of the moving bodies.
Ff = μ FN
 the coefficient of friction 'μ' is defined as the ratio of the frictional force
to the normal force.
μ=
72
I. Fill in the blank spaces with the appropriate word(s).

1. The cause for the change in the state of rest or motion of an
object is_______________.
2. According to Newton's 2nd law of motion, force is the product
of ________and __________.
3. Action and reaction forces are always _______ in magnitude
and ________in direction.
4. The pull of gravity on a 1 kg body on the surface of the earth
is _________Newton.
5. The gravitational force with which the earth attracts a body
is called __________.
II. Short answer questions

1. Define a force.
2. Explain how the weight of a body changes as the body is taken
farther away from the surface of the earth.
3. What are the units of g, F N and μ?
4. Explain why the friction between two pieces of wood is reduced
when they are smooth and polished.
III. Solve the following problems.

1. How much force is needed to accelerate a toy car of mass 8 kg at
2m/s2?
2. A trolley of mass 20 kg was originally at rest on a smooth horizontal
surface. By how much will it accelerate if a pulling force of 22 N is
applied on it horizontally?
3. What is the weight of a 60 kg boy on the surface of the Earth? Take
g = 10 m/s2.
4. A 90 kg body is taken to a planet where the acceleration due to
gravity is 2.5 times that of the earth. What is the weight of this body
on the surface of this planet? Take g = 10 m/s2.
73
5. A car of mass 1500 kg starting from rest can reach a speed of 20
m/s within 10 seconds. Calculate the accelerating force of the car
engine.
6. If the force acting on a body of mass 40 kg is doubled. By how
much will the acceleration change? N
7. A block of mass 5 kg is being
pulled along a board horizontally
with a constant velocity; the 5kg F
coefficient of friction between the k F
two surfaces is 0.25.
a) What is the normal reaction W = mg
force between the board and Fig 3.19

the block?
b) What is the frictional force that opposes the motion?
8. A 75 N horizontal force is sufficient to move a 150 N box on a level

road at a uniform speed. What is the coefficient of friction between
the box and the road? N
F = 75N
Fk
mg = 150N
Fig 3.20
9. A space woman has a mass of 65kg on the earth surface. What is her
weight on:
a) the earth, where g = 10 m/s2?
b) the moon, where g = 1.6 m/s2?
74
UNIT WORK, ENERGY AND
4 POWER
 understand concepts related to work, energy and power.
 develop skill of manipulating numerical problems related to
work, energy and power.
Introduction
In the last three units you learned some properties of physical quantities,
measurements of physical quantities, their SI units, motion of bodies, force, and
relationship between force and motion. In this unit you will learn the concepts of
work, energy, power and the relationship among them. What is work? How do
you define energy? People commonly think of work as being associated with
doing something. But now, you will go through the scientific meanings of work,
energy, power and their relationships. The term energy has a much wide scope
than it will be implied in this unit. Energy in this unit is limited to mechanical
energy that is kinetic energy and potential energy.
75
Grade 7 Physics 4 Work - energy and power
4.1 Work
Activity 4.1
Discuss the following questions with your friends.
i. What is work in a day to day life and in physics?
ii. When do we say work is done?
iii. Explain the term 'work' especially from the point of view of
science/physics.
From the discussion in Activity 4.1 you might have come across different
meanings of work.
The usual meaning of work is quite different from the scientific meaning of
work. In every day activity, the term work is used equally for mental work and
for physical work involving muscular force.
Identify the following activities as: work is done and work is not done.
• You may read a book,
• Engage yourself mentally in thinking about a simple or difficult problem;
• You might be holding a weight with out moving, or carrying a load and
moving with uniform horizontal velocity.
In all these activities, according to the scientific definition, you are not doing any
work at all.
According to physics, work is said to be done when energy is transformed from

one form to others. Work is done, when a force F is applied to a body and the
body moves through a distance s on the direction of the force.
m F m F
P s Q
Fig. 4.1 A force F does a work
In Fig 4.1 A force (F) moves a block of mass (m) from point ‘P’ to ‘Q’ through a
displacement ( s ). Hence,
76
work done = applied force × displacement
W = F× s
Where W is work done, F is the applied force and s is the displacement.
Work is equal to the product of the force and the distance through which
it produces. Although both force and displacement are vector quantities,
but work is a scalar quantity, having only magnitude.
Lifting a load from the ground and putting it on a shelf is a good example
of work. The force is equal to the weight of the load, and the distance is
equal to the height of the shelf.
If the force acts in a direction other than that of the motion of the body, then only
that component of the force in the direction of the motion produces work. If a
force acts on a body constrained to remain stationary, no work is done by the
force. Even if the body is in motion, the force must have a component in the
direction of motion. The person walking a distance carrying a block of mass is
not doing work in carrying the mass (Fig 4.2)
s
Fig 4.2. A man walking a distance 's', carrying a block of mass "m"
Activity 4.2
Discuss with your friends. The work done by a man carrying a load and
walking a distances.
77
The SI unit of work is newton meter (Nm) which is called Joule (J). One Joule
(J) of work is done when a force of one newton (N) moves an object through a
displacement of one meter (m).
1Joule (J) = 1 newton (N) × 1 meter (m).
The unit of work, 'Joule' is named in honor of the famous English physist James
Prescott Joule (1818-1889), who had contributed a lot on heat energy.
When large or small quantities of work are measured we can use prefixes
attached to Joule such as kilojoule (kJ), Megajoule (MJ), millijoule (mJ) and so
on. For example 1 kiloJoule (kJ)= 1000 J
1 MegaJoule (MJ)= 1,000,000 J
1 MilliJoule (mJ)= 0.001 J
Worked Examples 4.1

1. A box is pushed by a force of 180N without acceleration 5m along a
horizontal floor. How much work is done?

F = 180N W=? W= F × s
s = 5m W = 180N × 5m
= 900N.m
= 900 J
2. A mass is displaced from its original position through a distance of 20 m by a
force of 100 N.
a. How much work is done?
b. What would be the work done, if the force is doubled, having the same
displacement.
c. What would be the work done, if the distance is halved, while the force
remains constant?
78
F = 100 N W=? a) W= F × s = 100 N×20 m
s = 20 m = 2000 Nm
= 2000 J = 2 KJ
b) when F = 200 N
W = F × s = 200N ×20 m
= 4000 Nm = 4000 J = 4 kJ
∴ When the force is doubled, the amount of work done is also doubled.
c) Half of 20 m = 10 m, s = 10 m
W = F × s = 100 N × 10 m = 1000Nm
= 1000J = 1kJ
3. How much force is required to lift a load of 50 kg vertically to a height of 2m,
if the work done is 1000 J.
W = 1000 J F=? W = F.S
w 1000 J
s = h = 2m F= = = 500 N
s 2m
Check Points 4.1

1. What are the conditions for doing work?
2. Write the equation used for calculating work in symbols.
3. Calculate the work done by Girma, when he lifts a 20 N load to a
height of 1.5m.
4. What happens to the work done when a force is doubled and the
distance moved remain the same?
4.2. Energy
Activity 4.3
Discuss with your friends the following points;
i. Lift a heavy stone up in air. Does it have energy?
ii. Now, drop the stone and break another small stone or wood.
iii. What is energy?
iv. Explain the relationship between work and energy.
v. What does a body that has energy do? How do you measure the energy of a
body?
79
In the previous section you learnt that work is something that is done on objects.
In this section you will learn that energy is something that objects possess. A
body is said to possess energy when it is capable of doing work. Thus, the energy
of a body is measured by the quantity of work that the body does.
Energy is the capacity to do work. Energy is also a scalar quantity as work.

The SI unit of energy is the same as the unit of work, Joule (J).
Activity 4.4
i. Explain the different forms of energy.
ii. Which forms of energy do you think is mostly used in our country?
iii. Discuss the transformation of energy from one form to another.
The world we live in provides us with different forms of energy. Electrical

energy, Chemical energy, nuclear energy, solar energy, sound energy, heat
energy, mechanical energy, and energies from wind and water are some of the
forms of energy.
In this section we focus on mechanical energy. Mechanical energy is the energy
possessed by an object due to its motion and position related to the earth's
surface.
There are two types of mechanical energy: These are:-
i. Kinetic energy (K.E) and
ii. Potential energy (P.E)
Kinetic Energy (K.E): kinetic energy is the energy of a body due to its
motion. For example: running cars, thrown stones, rotating wheels or
thrown spears, etc. have kinetic energy due to their motion. The kinetic
energy of a body of mass m traveling at speed v is mathematically
expressed as:
i.e. K.E.= ½ (mass) × (speed)2
K.E = ½ mv2
Kinetic energy is a scalar quantity, it has only magnitude
80
Worked Example 4.2

A bullet of mass 20g is fired at a speed of 250 m/s. What is its kinetic
energy?
m = 20g K.E = ? K.E = ½ mv2
= 0.02kg = ½ × 0.02 kg. (250 m/s)2
v = 250m/s = ½ × 0.02 × 62500 (kg. m2/s2)
= 625 J
Discuss with your friend about the kinetic energy of the bullet in the above example; when
a) The velocity is constant, but the mass is doubled,
b) The mass is constant, but the velocity is doubled.
Potential Energy (P.E) is the energy associated with the position of a

body relative to the earth's surface. For example, lifted masses above the
earth's surface possess potential energy. The term "potential" means
“stored”.
The potential energy of a body of mass (m) lifted to a height of 'h' above
the ground is mathematically expressed as:
P.E = weight × height (where w = mg)
⇒ P.E = mgh
This is an expression for potential energy of a body due to its position. You will
learn in higher grades other types of potential energy.
Worked Example 4.3

An 80 kg stone is lifted to the top of a building 30m. How much does the
potential energy of the stone increased? (take g = 10 m/s2)

m = 80kg P.E=? P.E = mgh
h = 30m = 80kg × 10m/s2 × 30m
g = (10 m/s2) = 24000J
= 24 KJ
81
Worked Examples 4.4
1. How fast must a car of mass 800 kg move in order to have a kinetic
energy of 640 kJ?
If the mass is reduced to 400 kg; for the same kinetic energy, what would
be its speed?
m = 800 kg v=? K.E. = mv2

K.E = 640,000J ⇒640,000J= ( × 800 kg) v2
640,000J
= 640 kJ ⇒ v2 =
400 kg
v2 = 1600 m2/s2
v = 1600 = 40m/s
1
• If the mass is halved i.e. m =400 kg, then, K.E = mv 2
2
1
640,000J = × 400 kg × v 2
2
640,000J
v2 = = 3,200 m2/s2
200kg
v= 3,200 ≈ 56.57m/s
2. A crane is used to lift a concrete in sites

where high buildings are being built.
How much is the energy expended to lift
a concrete of mass 320 kg to the top of a
building 40 m high? (Crane is a device
used to lift weights.)
Given Required
m = 320 kg P.E = ? Fig 4.3 A crane
h = 40 m
g = 10m/s2
Solution
When a body of mass 'm' is lifted up it possesses a potential energy. Thus,
P.E = mgh
= (320 kg) (10m/s2) (40 m)
= 128,000 J
82
3. How high should a body of mass 100 kg be lifted in order to have an energy
of 1MJ?
m = 100 kg h=? From the relation PE = mgh, we get
g = 10m/s2 PE 1,000,000J
h= =
P.E = 1 MJ = 1,000,000 J mg (100kg) (10m/s 2 )
Thus, h = 1000 m
Check points 4.2

i. What is the relationship between work done and energy?
ii. Name the two types of mechanical energy.
iii. On what quantities does the kinetic energy of a body depends on? Express it in
equation (use symbols).
iv. On what quantities does the potential energy of a body depend on? Express it in
equation (using symbols).
v. A ball of mass 0.25kg is kicked with a speed of 80m/s. What is its kinetic energy?
vi. a. Write a brief description on the difference between KE and PE.
b. Mention some practical examples for each types of energy.
c. Is there any transformation from KE to PE or vice versa? Explain your answer
and give practical examples.
4.3. Transformation and Conservation of Energy

Activity 4.6
Discuss with your friends:
Consider the following different cases:
a. Hydroelectric power stations (Koka Dam, Gilgel Gibe dam etc) supply
electric energy to our cities.
b. Using fuel energy in our home to cook some thing.
c. Using dry cells (chemical energy) for lighting a torch, and listening to a
radio, etc.
What happens to these different forms of energy? Is energy creatd or
destroyed in each case? Explain it.
83
P.E = mgh, KE = 0
h K.E + P.E
K.E = 1 mv 2 ; PE = 0
Ground 2
Fig 4.4. Transformation of mechanical energy in falling object
In our daily life, we use different forms of energy. Energy change

(transformation) is needed to enable people, machine, computers and other
devices to do work. For example, it is our daily experience to see chemical
energy of coal, petroleum or gas being changed into heat and light energies in
our stoves. But in this topic you shall see only the transformation of potential
energy to kinetic energy and viseversa.
For example, consider a ball of mass (m) falls down from the top of a building of
height (h) (sec Fig 4.4 ). When it is at the top of the building it has only potential
energy. That is, P.E. = mgh.
As it starts to fall down, it possesses both potential energy and kinetic energy.
The potential energy that it had at the top of the building has now partly changed
into kinetic energy. That is, P.E + K.E= mgh +1/2 mv2.
Finally as the ball strike the ground it possesses only kinetic energy. This means
the potential energy of the ball at the top of the building is totally changed into
kinetic energy. That is K.E = ½ mv2.
In this process, the potential energy at the top equals the kinetic energy at the
ground level. mgh = ½ mv2
84
Hook
String
A C
Bob m P.E
P.E = mgh
D B
h E
1
K.E = mv2
a) A pendulum at rest 2
b) A pendulum in motion
Fig 4.5. Transformation of mechanical energy in a simple pendulum
Activity 4.7
Do the following activities in a group.

Use the following materials: a bob (small mass), a string and a suspended hook
from a tall table.
i. Tie the bob to one end of the string and mount it to the hook as shown in
the (Fig 4.5a )
ii. Displace the bob of the pendulum to position 'A' as shown in Fig 4.5 (b)
and release it.
iii. Explain the law of transformation and conservation of energy
From Activity 4.7 you notice that in a pendulum K.E. and P.E are interchanged
continuously. The energy of the bob is all P.E. at position A of the swing and all
K.E. as it passes through its equilibrium position (point B)
At other positions such as points D and E it has both P.E and K.E (see fig 4.5 b).
Eventually the pendulum stops. At this moment all the energy is changed into
heat as a result of overcoming air resistance (air friction).
The law of conservation of Energy is one of the universal laws of nature and it
is stated as follows.
“Energy is neither created nor destroyed". It only transforms from one form to
other forms.
85
Energy of falling water

The mechanical energy that a body possesses exists as potential energy or kinetic
energy or both. Let us consider the transformation and conservation of
mechanical energy of falling water.
Falling water is the main source of hydro-electrical energy in our country, yet we
have not used it exhaustively.
Fig 4.6 A water falling from a tower has potential energy and kinetic energy at the turbine
The diagram in Fig 4.6 shows that the water at the intake tower have only a
potential energy due to its position (M.E= P.E). But after it has started to fall
through the pipe it acquires a kinetic energy due to its motion. This kinetic
energy is used to turn the turbine blades and make the generator to rotate. Finally
when the water reaches the turbine blades it has only kinetic energy (M.E= K.E).
When the water passes through the pipe its energy is the sum of both kinetic
energy and potential energy.
i.e. M.E= P.E. +K.E
Note that the mechanical energy of the water at the dam tower is only potential
energy and at the bottom is only kinetic energy. Energy of falling water shows
that the total M.E of the system remains constant.
86
Wind energy
Activity 4.8
Group discussion
i. What is a wind?
ii. What form of energy does it have?
iii. Mention some practical examples where wind is used to do useful work.
A giant wind mill called wind turbine with two or more blades mounted on a tall
tower can drive an electrical generator attached to it. This is done when the wind
with a kinetic energy rotates the blades. Hence the rotated wind mill causes the
generator to rotate and produce electric current. The electric energy produced by
a wind mill can be used to lift water from a deep well and to light homes.
Generator
Turbine
Stand
Fig 4.7 Wind mill changes kinetic energy into electrical energy
Check points 4.3

1. What do you understand by the terms:
a) transformation b) conservation?
2. State the laws of conservation of energy.
3. Explain the different forms of energy possessed by falling water from a high
dam to the ground.
4. What form of energy does a wind have? Give examples where wind energy is
used by human being.
5. Consider a falling object or an oscillating pendulum. Describe the energy
changes in each case.
87
4.4 Power
Activity 4.9
1. Discuss with your friends and family members what is meant by the term "power"
in daily life.
2. Give some examples for:
- Physical power
- Political power
- Personal power
- Power of persuasion
3. What is the difference between power in daily life and power in scientific usage?
4. Lemlem displaces a block to a 10 m distance in 2 minutes. Tigabu displaces the
same block to the same distance in 5 minutes. Who has more power? Lemlem or
Tigabu? Explain it.
In most cases we say the same amount of work is done in raising a given weight
through a given height, but we never ask in how many seconds or hours the work
is done. However, it is necessary to consider the time taken to do the work.
Power is a physical quantity that explains the time rate of doing work.
Power is the rate of doing work or rate of energy expenditure

Work done Energy transfered
power = =
time taken time taken
p = w/t
(where P = power, w= work, and t = time taken)
Like work and energy, power is also a scalar quantity.
The SI unit of power is Joule/second, which is called Watt. A power of 1W is
developed when there is a transfer of 1J of energy in one second.
1W = 1J/s
When larger quantities of power are involved we can use kilowatt (kW) and
Megawatt (MW).
Where 1 kW= 1000 W
1 MW= 1,000,000 W
88
Worked Examples 4.5

1. A machine lifts a 50 kg mass to a height of 60 m in 4s. Calculate the power
developed by the machine (take g= 10 m/s2)
m= 50 kg P=? power = Energy transferred
h= 60 m Time taken
t= 4s but Energy transferred = PE= mgh
g= 10 m/s2 Thus power, P= mgh/t
P = (50 kg) (60 m) (10 m/sec2)
4s
Therefore P= 7500 W= 7.5 KW
2. Calculate the power of a pump that can lift 300 liters of water through a
vertical height of 12 m in 8 sec
(Note that 1 liter of water= 1 kg of water)
Given Required
h= 12m P=?
t= 8 sec
m= 300 kg
g= 10 m/s2
Solution
power, P = mgh/t
(300 kg) (10 m/s2) (12m) = 4500W= 4.5 Kw
8s
Check point 4.4

i. What is the power of an electric “mitad” which transfers 2 kJ of
electric energy in one second?
ii. A bucket full of water weighs 3 kg and a water well is 10 m deep.
A girl draws water from the well. It takes the girl 2 minutes to draw
a bucket full of water from the well.
What is the power of the girl? (take g= 10 m/s2)
89
Summary

 work is said to be done when energy is transformed. Work
is done when a force is applied over a distance in the same
direction as the force:- W = F. s
 the SI unit of work and energy is Joule (J).
 Work, Energy and Power are scalar quantities.
 Mechanical Energy is the sum of kinetic energy and
potential energy of a body.
 kinetic energy of a body is the energy due to motion and it
is expressed as: KE= ½ mv2.
 potential energy of a body is the energy due to its position
and is expressed as PE= mgh.
 power is defined as the rate of doing work or the rate of
w
transfer of energy and it is expressed as P =
t
 the SI unit of power is Watt (W) which is Joule per second
(J/s).
90
I. Fill in the blank with the appropriate word or phrase.
1. Work is defined as the product of _________and________.

2. The SI unit of work is ____________.
3. ____________ is the capacity of doing work.
4. The units of Work, Energy and power are________ units.
5. The direction of applied force has to be _______ to the distance in
order to say work is done.
6. ____________ tells us that energy is neither created nor destroyed
but changes from one form to another.
7. ___________ is the time rate of doing work.
8. The SI unit of power is____________.
9. Mechanical energy is the sum total of_______ and ________.
II. Solve the following problems.

1. A force of 200 N is exerted horizontally on a box of mass 18 kg to
displace it through a distance of 6 m. How much work is done?
2. An object of mass 20 kg is lifted to a 25 m building. How much
potential energy is stored on the mass? (Take g= 10 m/s2)
3. A crane lifts a 450 kg concrete to the top of a 50 m building in 5 s.
Assuming g= 10 m/s2, calculate;
a) The potential energy of the concrete.
b) The power developed by the crane
4. An artificial satellite of mass 900 kg is launched at a speed of
11,000m/s from its launching station. How much is the kinetic energy
imparted to it?
5. How high should a 2 kg mass be lifted from the ground if it is thrown
upward at speed of 15 m/s? (Assume g = 10 m/s2)
6. An electric motor pumps 200 liter of water to a reservoir of height 6m
in 2 s. Take g = 10 m/s2. Calculate the power developed by the motor.
Take 1 liter of water = 1kg of water.
7. An electric iron is labeled 1000W. How many Joule of energy is
consumed if it is used for one hour?
91
UNIT SIMPLE MACHINES
5
 understand concepts related to simple machines.
simple machines.
Introduction
Do you recall the different types of simple machines from your science courses?
Activity 5.1
Group the following devices as machines or not machine: knife,

scissors, screw, computer, bottle opener, axel, typewriter, electric
motor, lever, pulley and wedge.
In science there is no difference between machines and tools or devices. They

mean the same thing. In this unit you will learn about some machines which help
you make your work easier and be done conveniently. You will also learn about
the purposes of some simple machines interms of their velocity ratio, mechanical
advantage and efficiency.
92
Grade 7 Physics 5 Simple Machine
To understand the purposes of machines, you need to revise the concepts of
force, work, weight, ratio and percentage, because you often use them in this
chapter.
5.1 Definition of Machines

Activity 5.2
a.
i. As a student you use daily a sharpener, or a cutter or a blade to

sharpen a pencil. Describe what advantage you get by using these
devices.
ii. From your daily experience mention some devices or tools which help
people make their life easier. Discuss with your friends how they
make their work easier.
iii. What are machines? Can we call the above tools as machines? Why?
iii. Write the names of tools that you think are not machines.
Had there been no blade, cutter or sharpener, what would you use to sharpen
your pencil? You might use your teeth or knife to sharpen your pencils. This
idea is inconvenient for work. We use different tools in our daily activities to
make our work easier.
Knife, scissors, screw, bottle opener, axel, lever, pulley and wedge, etc. are
some machines or tools which make our work easier.
A machine is any device which helps us to do work easier.
Machines are energy transforming devices. Actually machines do not create

energy or change one form of energy into another. They simply transfer
mechanical energy involving a small force into mechanical energy involving a
large force.
Machines act as force or speed multipliers. They are used to make

work easier.
93
Why do we use machines?

Activity 5.3
Discuss the following questions with your friends or parents.
i. Why do people use inclined plane to raise different objects on a truck? (Hint
is it to decrease the required force or to increase the speed?)
ii. Why do people use a bicycle instead of walking or running on feet? (Hint is it to
save energy? or to decrease the required force? or, to be faster?)
iii. Why do we use a fixed single pulley to take water from a deep well?
While you discuss the questions in Activity 5.3.,

Effort is the force you exert you need to use the terms effort and load,
on the machine.
Effort (E) is the force exerted on a machine by
Load is the force exerted by
the machine. an external body like a human being.
Load (L) is the force exerted by a machine on an object to be lifted or moved. It

is the force with which the machine does work against resisting force like a
weight and a friction force.
Having this in mind, think why people use a bicycle, an inclined plane and fixed
single pulley. People use machines at least for one of the following purposes.
These are:
1. to multiply force.
2. to multiply speed (distance)
3. to change the direction of force.
Effort distance
Load distance
Fig 5.1 Inclined plane
Let us take an inclined plane shown in Fig 5.1. The force exerted by an external
body to pull or push a block along the inclined plane is an effort. The distance
moved by the effort is effort distance.
94
The block is lifted to certain height using the inclined plane.
The weight of the block is the load; while the distance raised is called the load
distance.
In an inclined plane a small effort is used to lift the heavy load. Hence the
inclined plane is used to multiply a force. It is a force multiplier machine.
Machines are said to be force multipliers when they enable us to lift big
load by applying small effort. Load is greater than effort.
For example, if you raise a load of 400N by an effort of 40N using a machine,
you are able to exert 10 times the original effort. In such cases the machine is a
force multiplying tool.
Let us take another type of machine called a bicycle. People prefer to ride a
bicycle rather than to walk on their feet. (Fig 5.2)
In a bicycle, the small distance moved by a

person on a pedal is multiplied by the wheels of
the bicycle and a long distance is covered
during the same time. Hence a bicycle is called
a speed multiplier or a distance multiplier.
Machines are said to be distance multipliers when

they enable people to lift a load through a large
distance by moving the effort through a small
distance Fig 5.2 Bicycle
Thus the distance moved by the effort is less than the distance moved by the
load.
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Example
Pulley
Suppose in a machine an effort moves 1m
in one second to lift a load, and the load
moves 5m at the same time. The speed
with which the effort moves would be Rope
1m/s and that of the load is 5m/s. Here the
speed of the effort is multiplied by five. In
Effort Load
such cases the machine is used as a speed
multiplier or a distance multiplier.
Fig 5.3 Single fixed pulley
Activity 5.4
Does a machine multiply a force and distance at the same time? Discuss
your reason with friends.
A pulley is another example of a machine. A single fixed pulley is shown in

Fig 5.3. It is used to raise a load like a pail of water from a deep well or turned
over car from a ditch.
To raise a load upward a downward effort is applied. The effort applied is of
the same magnitude as the load, but opposite in its direction. Thus, a fixed
single pulley is a direction changing machine.
Check point 5.1

1. What is a machine?
2. Describe three purposes of using simple machines.
3. Can a machine be a force and distance multiplier at the same time?
4. Define the terms
a) effort
b) load
96
5.2. Mechanical Advantage, Velocity Ratio and Efficiency

of Machines
a) Mechanical Advantage (MA)
Activity 5.5
i. Can you measure the advantage of a given machine? How?

ii. Consider a load of 120N is moved by applying an effort of 30N to the
machine. What is the advantage that you obtain by using the machine?
iii. What is the term used to describe the advantage of a machine?
From activity 5-5(ii) you observed that to move a load of 120N the applied
effort is only 30N. Here you can say that the machine multiplied the applied
effort. Hence the advantage you obtain by using the machine is, four times the
original force. The advantage you get from a machine is called mechanical
advantage (MA).
The Physical quantity which is used in describing the advantage of a

machine is known as Mechanical Advantage MA. It tells us the number of
times a machine multiplies the effort.
For any machine the mechanical advantage is the ratio of load to effort.
Load (L) L
i.e. MA = = MA =
Effort (E) E
What can you say about the unit of MA from the above expression?
Worked Example 5.1
A load of 360N is moved by applying an effort of 60N to a machine, What is

the mechanical advantage of the machine?

L = 360N MA = ? MA = L/E = 360N/60N = 6
E = 60 N
97
This means the machine is used to multiply the applied force by 6. From the
above example it is clear that MA is a dimensionless physical quantity. i.e. it has
no unit.
There are two kinds of Mechanical Advantage

a. Actual Mechanical Advantage - the mechanical advantage that the machine
provides in a real situation (with friction).
b. Ideal Mechanical Advantage is the mechanical advantage that the machine
provides without friction.
Note: The MA of a machine depends on the friction between the load and the
machine.
b) Velocity Ratio
Activity 5.6
Discuss with your friends.
i. What will happen to the MA if the machine is totally frictionless?
ii. Does the machine require more effort or less?
From your discussion in activity 5.6, it is understood that the effort required
will be less as the machine is frictionless. i.e. There is no resistant force
required to be overcome.
The velocity ratio (VR) characterizes the frictionless mechanical

advantage of a machine. Velocity ratio is also called ideal mechanical
advantage (IMA).
Velocity ratio of any machine is defined as the ratio of the distance moved by the
effort to the distance moved by the load. i.e.
Distance moved by the effort (S E )

VR =
Distance moved by the load (S L )
VR = S E /S L
Velocity ratio of a machine has no unit.
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Velocity ratio of a particular machine is constant. When you reduce friction, the
actual mechanical advantage is closer to the ideal mechanical advantage. If
frictional force is zero then VR = MA.
Worked Example 5.2
A machine raises a load to 2m, when the effort is moved by 8m. What is the
velocity ratio of the machine?
Given Required
S E = 8m VR = ?
S L = 2m
Solution
This means that the effort moves four times faster than the load or the effort
distance is four times that of the load distance.
c) Efficiency (η)
Activity 5.7
i. How could you describe the terms 'input work’ and ‘output work’?
ii. What is wastage energy?
iii. Explain both 'efficiency' and 'wastage energy’ for a machine. How
are they related?
Efficiency has many meanings in everyday life. In science it has a specific

meaning related to output and input work.
i. Input work (W i ) is the work done on the machine by the effort. It is equal
to the product of the effort (E) and distance moved by the effort (S E ).
Wi = E × SE
ii. Output work (W o ): is the work done by the machine on the load (object).
It is equal to the product of the load (L) and distance move by load (S L ).
W o = L×S L
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When you apply a force on a machine, you do work on it (input work). At the
same time the machine also does work on the load (output work). In actual case
the output work is less than the input work. Can you give reason why it should
be less?
Worked Example 5.3

Suppose, a force of 80N is
applied through a distance of
5m in pulling 300N box up an 80N
5m
inclined plane whose upper 1m
end is 1m above ground level.
mg = 300N
The input work is 80N×5m = 400J.
The output work is effectively
the raising of the 300N box a Fig 5.4 The efficiency of an inclined plane
distance of 1m or 300N×1m= 300J. The 300J is sometimes called useful

work.
The difference between the input work and the output work (useful output
work) 100 J is the work done against friction. It is called wastage energy.
The phrase “efficiency of a machine” refers to the performance of a machine. It
denotes how much energy the machine transfer or change to the output work.
Efficiency of a machine is defined as the ratio of the output work to the

input work. Multiplying the ratio by 100 means that the efficiency is written
as a percentage
Efficiency = Output work × 100%
Input work
⇒ η= Wo × 100%
Wi
Where η is efficiency, Wo is output work, and Wi is input work.
The Greek letter η is read as eta.
Note: If there is no friction, the efficiency of a machine is 100% i.e, η=1 and MA
= VR. A machine with efficiency of 100% is called an ideal machine.
100
Challenging question
Can a machine with efficiency of 100% or more be produced in this world? Explain
your answer.
Worked Examples 5.4
1. What is the efficiency of a machine that has an input work of 4200J and
produces an output work of 3200J?

work out put
Work in put = 4200J η=? η= × 100%
work in put
3200J
Work out put= 3200J η= × 100%
4200J
η = 76.2%
2. A certain machine is used to lift a load of 250N. When an effort of 50N is
applied to the machine, the load is raised by 1m and the effort is move by 6m.
Calculate
a) work done on the load c) the efficiency of the machine.
b) work done on the machine d) wastage energy.
L = 250N a. W o =? a. Wo=L × S L = 250N x 1m = 250J
E = 50N b. W i = ? b. W i = E × S E = 50N × 6m=300J
S L = 1m c. η=? c.
S E = 6m d. wasted energy = ? d. W.E= W i -W o =300J-250J=50J
Check point 5.2

1. Define a) Mechanical Advantage (MA)
b) Velocity Ratio (VR)
c) Efficiency
2. What is a) work output?
b) Work input?
3. What is the effect of friction on the efficiency of a machine?
101
5.3. Types of Simple Machines

Types of simple machines Practical Examples
1. The lever
2. The pulley Pulley
Rope
Load
Effort
3. The inclined plane
s
4. Wheel and axle
5. The screw
6. The wedge
Fig 5.5 Six types of machines

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Explain what the practical examples in Fig 5.5 illustrate and where they are used.
Give other examples from your locality for each type of simple machines.
Activity 5.8
i. Observe Fig 5.5 and state the six types of simple machines.
ii. List at least two additional examples for each type of simple machine used
in your locality.
There are two groups of machines in general:

i. Simple machine is a device that changes the direction or magnitude of a
force. A simple machine uses single applied force (effort) to do work
against single load force. Ignoring friction, the work done on the load is
equal to the work done by the applied force.
Simple machines do not contain a source of energy, so they cannot do more work
than they receive from the input force. When friction is ignored, the work output
(that is done on the load) is equal to the work input (from the applied force).
Simple machines are of six types. They are;

1. The lever 4. Wheel and axle,
2. The pulley system 5. The wedge,
3. Inclined plane 6. Screw and gears
ii. Compound machines are machines made by combining two or more simple
machines together. For example lawn mowers, typewriters and automobiles
are compound machines.
Lever
Fig 5.6 Compound machines

103
At this level you will focus only on common simple machines like lever, pulley
and inclined plane.
1. The lever
Activity 5.9
Observe Fig 5.7 and Fig 5.8 answer the following questions
i. What is lever? Name the different parts of a lever.
ii. Give some examples of lever, which are used in your daily activities.
iii. Are levers force multipliers or speed multipliers?
Effort
Load
Fulcrum
Fig 5.7The three important parts of a lever
Fig 5.8 Examples of a lever
When we use a spoon to put sugar into a glass of tea, the spoon is used as a lever.
Similarly, when we also use a crowbar to lift a heavy load we use it as a lever.
Have you seen people rowing a boat in a lake? The bar of wood that they use for
rowing is used as lever.
The scissors, the forearm and the spade are some additional examples of levers.
Generally there are different levers which we use in our daily life.
Lever is a rigid bar of wood or metal that is free to turn about the
supporting point which is called fulcrum (F). Lever also consists of effort
point (E) and load point (L) in addition to the fulcrum (F).
104
Fig 5.7 shows the three important points on a lever. They are effort, load and
fulcrum. The distance between load and fulcrum is called load-arm and the
distance between effort and fulcrum is called effort- arm.
‘’Give me a place to stand, and I shall move
the earth with a lever"
Fig 5.9 Archimedes
There are three orders (classes) of levers. They are classified into three
depending on the position of the fulcrum in relation to the load and the effort.
(see Fig 5.10)
i. First order: The fulcrum is located between the effort and the load. For
example, a crowbar and a pair of scissors.
ii. Second order: The load is situated between the fulcrum and the effort, For
example, a wheelbarrow and a nutcracker.
iii. Third order: The effort is applied between the fulcrum and the load, For
example, a nail clipper and tongs.
L L
L
E F F
F E
E
First order lever Second order lever Third order lever

a) b) c)
Fig 5.10 Three types of a lever
105
Mechanical advantage of a lever

The MA of a lever is the ratio of the load to the effort.
A lever is a force multiplying machine if the fulcrum is near to the load. It is a speed
multiplying machine, if the fulcrum is near to the effort.
Worked Example 5.5
1. Refer to the lever in the fig 5.10 (a). A load of 400N is lifted by applying a
force of 160N on the lever. If the load is 20cm from the fulcrum and the effort
is 80cm from the fulcrum, calculate:
a) The VR of the machine
b) The MA of the machine

S E 80cm
L = 400N a. VR = ? a. VR = = =4
S L 20cm
L 400N
E = 160N b. MA = ? b. MA = = = 2.5
E 160 N
S E = 80cm
S L = 20cm
Worked Example 5.6

2. A simple lever starts in a horizontal position and moves to the position shown
in Fig 5.11.
Calculate:
Effort 40 N
a. The work input
b. The work output 3 cm
c. The efficiency
2 cm
Fig 5.11 Simple lever L = 60 N
106
L= 60N a. work in put a. Work in put = E × S E
S L = 2 cm = .02m b. work out put = 40N × 0.03m = 1.20J
E = 40N c. η = ? b. Work out put = L × S L
S E = 3cm = (0.03m) = 60 N×0.02m = 1.20J
c.η= Work out put 1.20J
× 100% = × 100%
Work in put 1.20J
= 100%
2. The Pulleys
A Pulley is a circular body (wheel) with groove surface and is free to

rotate about its center. The effort is applied to a rope which passes over
the pulleys groove.
A pulley:
• changes direction of force.
• multiplies the effort.
Basically there are two types of pulley systems.

a) Single Fixed pulley: is a pulley that does not move together with the load.
That is the axle is ‘’fixed’’ or “anchored” in places.
b) Single Movable pulley: is a pulley that moves together with the load. It has
a free axle.
a. The single fixed pulley
The force on the rope is called a tension. From,
Newton’s third law, the load is the same as the 10 N 10 N
weight (action and reaction forces). The force
on the rope turns around the wheel with the
same magnitude but opposite in direction. This 10 N 10 N
means the load and the effort are equal in
magnitude but opposite in direction. Fig 5.12 Single fixed pulley
- It is used to change the direction of the effort.
- The tension is the same throughout the rope, Neglecting the weight of
the rope, wheel and any friction in the pulley bearing, we have
Load (L) = Effort (E)
∴ MA= L = 1 and VR= SE
=1
E SL
i.e, A single fixed pulley has a mechanical advantage of 1. This means that there
is no multiplication of effort.
107
b. The single movable pulley
The tension on the rope is equal to the effort 50N 50N
applied. The total upward pull on the pulley is
equal to the load. This means that the effort is
half of the load or the load is twice the effort.
load L
∴ Mechanical advantage = = =2
Effort E
i.e. The single moveable pulley has a mechanical
advantage of 2. Fig 5.13 Single movable pulley
Project Work
Construct a single fixed and single movable pulley and determine their
purposes.
Apparatus:- Two piece of penstocks, (pulley from science kit ) two thin wire
(paper-clips), two 50cm strings, ruler, and stand.
Procedure:-
1. Insert the wires (paper-clips) in each penstock or pulley.
2. Suspend the paper –clip on the stand or on the table as shown in Fig 5.3
to make a fixed pulley.
3. Tie the load with string and pass it over the fixed pulley
4. Measure the height of the load and effort above some reference frame
(ground or table ).
5. Apply a force to lift the load.
6. Measure the new height after applying a force and compare distance
moved by load and effort.
7. Tie the other paper- clip with the stand or table and pass it over the
pulley as shown in Fig 5.13 to make it a movable pulley.
8. Suspend the load on the pulley as shown in fig 5.13.
9. Measure height of load an effort above some reference frame (ground or
table).
10. Apply a force to lift the load.
11. Measure the new height after applying a force and compare the distance
moved by load and the effort.
i. Which distance is grater for fixed pulley? Is it SE or SL.
ii. What is the purpose of single fixed pulley?
iii. Which distance is greater for simple movable pulley "Is it SL or SE.
iv. What is the purpose of single movable pulley?
108
3. The inclined plane
Fig 5.14 Inclined plane
When an object is heavy and difficult to lift on a car, people usually put a plank
(heavy wooden board) and incline it on the car and then pull or push the object
up along the plank easily.
An inclined plane is a sloping surface or ramp which allows a load to be raised
more gradually using a smaller effort than the load if it were lifted vertically
upwards.
Inclined plane is a plane whose angle to the horizontal plane is less than 900.
In Fig 5.14 an object of a certain weight is raised by pulling it along the inclined
surface. As the load is drawn up from A to B, the effort is applied over a
distances s while the load is raised vertically a height h. Thus:
i. Velocity Ratio = Distance moved by effort
Distance moved by load
length of inclined surface
VR =
height of inclined plane
⇒ VR = s
h
For a frictionless inclined plane, output work = input work,
load L
ii. Mechanical Advantage = =
effort E
The mechanical advantage of a frictionless inclined plane is the ratio of the
length of the sloped surface to the height it spans.
Activity 5.10
i. Which distance, S E or S L is greater in an inclined plane?

ii. What is the purpose of using inclined plane? Is it to multiply speed or force?
109
Worked Example 5.7
In Fig 5.14, the length of the plane is 4m and the height is 1m. What will be the
velocity ratio of the incline plane?

s 4m
s = 4m VR = ? VR = = =4
h 1m
h = 1m
It implies that if there is no friction this incline plane multiplies the effort by 4.
Torque
Activity 5.11
A father and a son are playing a see saw.

i. Do they balance each other?
ii. Who should sit nearer to the fulcrum to balance?
iii. What are the conditions for them to balance?
Torque is the action of a force to turn things around. Torque measures the
effectiveness of the force in turning an object about a given axis. Torque is the
product of force and a perpendicular distance as shown in Fig 5.15. It is a vector
quantity; it has both a magnitude and direction. Torque = force × perpendicular
distance from the axis.
The direction of a torque is either clockwise or anti-clockwise.
An object is said to be balanced when the clockwise torque is equal to the anti
clockwise torque. In such condition there is no motion (or no turning effect).
Anti clockwise torque = clockwise torque

F1 × r1 = F2 × r2
F1 F2
r1 r2
Fig 5.15 Torque
110
Worked Example 5.8

A 5m long lever is used to balance a load of 1200 N by a force of 80 N, when the
fulcrum is located at a distance of 2m from the load and 3m from the effort.
a) What is the clockwise torque?
b) What is the anticlockwise torque?
c) What is the MA of the lever?
d) What is the VR of the lever?
L E
sL sE
Fig 5.16 Computing a torque
Given Required
L = 120 N a) Clockwise torque = ?
E = 80 N b) Anti clockwise torque = ?
S L = 2m c) MA = ?
S E = 3m d) VR = ?
Solution
a) Clokwise torque = E × S E = 80N × 3m = 240 Nm
b) Anticlockwise torque = L × S L = 120N × 2m = 240 Nm
c) MA = = = 1.5
d) VR =
Check point 5.3

1. Mention and describe the types of simple machines.
2. What is the significance of simple machines in your daily life?
3. Explain how you can calculate MA, VR and η for
a) Lever b) Inclined plane c) Pulley
4. What is a torque?
111
Summary
In this unit you learned that:

 machines are devices which help us do our work easier. We
use machines to multiply distance (speed), multiply force or
to change direction of a force.
 effort is a force applied on a machine.
 load is a force exerted by the machine.
 a machine is said to be force multiplier if Load > Effort, speed
multiplier if SE < SL.
 M.A of a machine is defined as the ratio of load to effort.
 V.R of a machine is defined as the ratio of SE to SL.
 efficiency of a machine is defined as the ratio of output work
done to input work done.
 lever is a rigid bar that is free to turn about the supporting
point called the fulcrum.
 pulley is a wheel and it is free to rotate about an axis through
its center. The simplest form of a pulley is single fixed pulley
and single movable pulley.
 inclined plane is a slope or ramp which allows a load to be
raised more gradually by a small effort.
 Torque is the turning effect of a force.
112

I. Choose the best answer.
1. Which one of the following is not the purpose of machines?
a. Multiplying force c. Transfering energy
b. Multiplying speed d. Multiplying energy
2. Which of the following machines is not an example of a lever?
a. Wedge b. Spade c. Forearm d. Hammer
3. Velocity ratio of a single fixed pulley is always equal to
a. 2 b. 1 c. 3 d. 4
4. The Velocity ratio of a single movable pulley is always equal to
a. 2 b. 1 c. 3 d. 4
II. Fill in the blank with the appropriate word or phrase.

1. A device that changes only the direction of force is known as ________
2. ___________is a force applied on a machine.
3. The ratio of effort distance to load distance is called _______.
4. __________ is the ratio of load to effort.
5. The Output work divided by input work for a machine is called _______.
III. Short answer questions.
1. Is there any real machine where its efficiency is 100%? Why?
2. Can you explain the three main important reasons why we use
machines?
IV. Work out problem

1. Group the basic simple machines lever, pulley and inclined plane as
force multiplier, speed multiplier, and change direction of effort.
Force multiplier Speed multiplier Change direction of effort
2. If a load of 24N is moved by applying an effort of 6N to the machine,

what is the M.A of the machine?
3. A 500N car is pulled up to 20m plank to a flat from 5m above the ground
by an effort of 150N parallel to the plank. Calculate:
a. VR of the machine d. output work
b. MA of the machine e. efficiency
c. input work
113
UNIT TEMPERATURE AND HEAT
 understand concepts related to temperature and heat.
 develop skill of manipulating numerical problems
related to temperature.
 use a wide range of possibilities for developing
knowledge of the major concepts within physics.
Introduction
So far, you studied three basic physical quantities mass, length and time. In this
unit you will learn the fourth basic physical quantity called temperature.
This unit introduces the concept of temperature and discusses the differences
between temperature and heat. The unit also presents temperature measuring
instruments (scales), conversion of temperature scales, sources of heat and
effects of heating.
114
Grade 7 Physics 6 Temperature and Heat
6.1. Definition of Temperature

Activity 6.1: Questions for Discussion
i. What is a temperature?
ii. How do people express temperature in their daily life?
iii. Is there a difference between temperature and heat? Explain it.
People usually use the word hot, warm, cool and cold to express the temperature
of an object. Do you feel the differences between hot and warm, cold and cool?
These words are not very accurate to tell the temperature of an object. Most
people are confused and they use the words heat and temperature
interchangeably. But heat and temperature are two different physical quantities.
Activity 6.2: Discuss the following questions
iv. Consider you have three cups of tea filled with hot, lukewarm and
cold water.
Step i. immerse your left hand finger in hot water and the right hand
finger in cold water.
Step ii. Take out your hands from the hot and cold water.
Step iii. Quickly, put both your fingers in the lukewarm water.
What do you feel on your left and right fingers? Is there any
difference?
v. What is the difference between heat and temperature?
As you withdraw your finger from the hot water and put it in the lukewarm
water, you feel cold. When you withdraw your hand from the cold water and put
it into the lukewarm water, you feel warm. Can you tell which is hot and which
is cold?
From this activity you will learn that testing the hotness or coldness of a body by
feeling is not reliable, because the lukewarm water is cold for one finger and hot
for the other. So you can not conclude that the lukewarm water is hot or cold.
115
Temperature is a fundamental concept as the three fundamental quantities: mass,
length, and time.
Substances are made up of small particles called atoms and molecules. These
small particles are symbolized by small circles, like marbles, (Revise your
chemistry lessons). The particles in a solid are fixed in a position, but vibrate
back and forth about the fixed point. The particles in liquids and gases are
always in motion. These particles have energy due to their motion called kinetic
energy. (See Fig 6.1)
Fig 6.1 Three states of a substance
When a substance is made hotter, the speed of these particles increases, and gain
kinetic energy. In science, heat is a form of energy. Heat is the total kinetic
energy of all the particles in the substance. While 'temperature' is the measure of
the average kinetic energy of the particles in the substance.
Thus temperature can be defined as the hotness or coldness of a body or

as the average kinetic energy of the particles of a body.
Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic

A body having energy of the particles in a substance. It does not
particles with
small kinetic
depend on the size of the body. For example, the
energy has low temperature of a small cup of boiling water is the
temperature.
same as the temperature of a large pot of boiling
water. But these two bodies have different heat.
116
Temperature is an intensive property of a body. That means, it does not depend
on the system size, the amount or type of particles in the system. Temperature is
intensive as pressure and density. For example, the density of a substance
remains the same as the mass and the volume change. Density is an intensive
quantity. By contrast, mass and volume are extensive properties and depend on
the amount of material in the system. Similarly heat is an extensive quantity.
That is, it depends on the amount or size of the particles in the substance. For
example 100 liters of boiling water has different heat, but the same temperature
to 1 liter of boiling water. If they are poured on ice the 100 liter water will melt
more ice than the 1 liter of boiling water.
Check point 6.1

1. Explain the term ‘temperature’.
2. Describe the difference between temperature and heat.
3. How can we relate the temperature of a body with the kinetic energy of its
particle?
4. Temperature is an intensive property of a body, while heat is an extensive
quantity. Explain it.
6.2. Measuring Temperature
Activity 6.3
i. Explain the local methods of measuring (estimating) temperature in

every day life.
ii. What is the drawback of using our sense organs for knowing the
temperature of a body?
iii. Have you seen a clinical thermometer used by medical personnel?
What is there in the thermometer?
iv. How do we measure temperature?
117
In everyday life, people use their hands to check the temperature of another
body. For example, consider a soft drink which is taken out from a refrigerator.
By holding the surface of the bottle, you can say that "it is too cold" lukewarm or
"warm". Similarly for hot bodies, people use their hands. For example, mothers
use their hands to check whether the water is hot or lukewarm for their babies.
But it is impossible to measure the temperature of a body accurately by touching
or using our sense perceptions.
To measure the temperature of a body accurately we need a special

instrument called thermometer.
Thermometer is a device used to measure the temperature of a body. It
measures temperature in degrees (°).
The first thermometer was made in 1592, by the Italian scientist called
Galileo.
A thermometer consists of a tube of uniform thin bore with a small bulb at its
bottom. The tube is commonly filled with mercury or alcohol to a certain height.
It operates by contraction and expansion of the mercury or alcohol in the bulb.
There are different types of thermometers, having different ranges and different
substances in it. Some of them are:
Vacuum
Scale
Mercury
Bulb
b) Clinical thermometer
a) Mercury Thermometer
Fig 6.2 Different types of thermometers
118
i) Mercury Thermometer: It operates based on the expansion of mercury
with increase of temperature. Clinical thermometer and laboratory
thermometer are made of mercury. The clinical thermometer is used by
health officers in hospitals and in clinics. The laboratory thermometer is
used by scientist for research purposes.
ii) Alcohol thermometer: It is used to measure very low temperature. It
ranges from -80°C to 100°C
Check point 6.2

1. How can you measure accurately the temperature of a body?
2. Describe different types of thermometers.
3. Explain how a mercury thermometer functions. Draw a thermometer and
label it.
6.3. Temperature Scales

Activity 6.4
i. What temperature scales do you know? Describe them.

ii. In what tempreature scales, do medical personnels and meteorologist
read the temperature of bodies?
These days different temperature scales are in use. But at this level, you will only
study the three most common temperature scales; namely the
1. Centigrade (Celsius) scale
2. Fahrenheit, scale
3. Kelvin scale
In making a thermometer, two temperatures of a body are marked on it as fixed
points.
These are the lower fixed point (melting point of ice) and the upper fixed point
(boiling point of water) at sea level.
I. The Celsius scale
The Celsius scale or centigrade scale was devised by the Swedish astronomer,
Anders Celsius (1701-1744), He assigned the value to the ice point and 100 to
119
the boiling point. By dividing the space between the two fixed points into 100
equal parts (divisions) a Celsius scale is obtained. Each division or unit is called
Degree (°).
Temperature in Celsius scale is denoted as oC. It is read as degree Celsius. (Fig

6.3)
Challenge question
Do you know how much is the normal human body temperature in degree
Celsius?
II. The Fahrenheit scale

The Fahrenheit scale was devised by the German scientist Daniel Fahrenheit. He
assigned the value 32 to the ice point and 212 to the boiling point.
Since the difference between the ice point and boiling point is 180; one can
obtain the Fahrenheit scale by dividing the space between the two fixed points
into 180 equal parts. Temperature in Fahrenheit scale is denoted by 0F, read as
degree Fahrenheit (see Fig. 6.3.)
Fig. 6.3 Comparison of Celsius and Fahrenheit thermometers
120
This temperature scale is sometimes used in connection with reporting on the
weather but is not commonly used in everyday life in one country and for
scientific works in a laboratory.
III. The Kelvin Scale

A new type of temperature scale called Kelvin scale is devised by Lord Kelvin.
He assigned 273 to ice point and 373 to boiling point. By dividing the space
between the two fixed points into 100 equal parts Kelvin scale is obtained. This
scale is used commonly for scientific works.
Temperature exists much colder than the freezing point of ice, 0 °C on Celsius
scale. Experiments suggest that there is a limit to how cold things can get.
At a temperature of - 273°C or 0 K all the heat energy will be removed from a

substance and the particles in the substance stop to move. We call this lowest
possible temperature Absolute Zero.
The SI unit of temperature is Kelvin, symbolized by K. It does not have degree
symbol on it.
373 K
330 K
273 K
255 K
100 K
0K
Fig. 6.4 Thermometer reading from different scales

121
Reading a thermometer
When the temperature of the surrounding air rises, the volume of the mercury
will expand, causing the mercury inside the tube rise, so that one can read out of
the marked scale on the tube and know the temperature. Contrary to this, when
the temperature of the air falls, the mercury inside the tube will contract. This
will cause the level of the mercury inside the tube to drop. The temperature can
thus be read from the corresponding scale on the tube.
Activity 6.5: Measuring temperature of a bodies
Materials you need: water at different temperature, thermometer.

i. Try to measure the temperature of water in different containers and
your body temperature using a thermometer.
ii. Record the measured values in a table with proper units.
iii. Compare the temperatures of different bodies. Which are hotter,
hottest, coldest?
Check point 6.3

1. What are the different temperature scales? What are the fixed
points in each scale?
2. Explain what it means by lowest and upper fixed points.
3. What is the SI unit of temperature?
4. How many divisions are there between the lowest and upper fixed
points, in each scale?
6.4. Conversion of Temperature Scales

To change the reading of one temperature scale to another, we use, the following
relationships. Ratio of interval between boiling point and ice point= Ratio of
differences between the lower and unknown point.
i.e. intervals in Celsius T c −ice point in Celsius
=
interval in Fahrenheit T F −ice point in Fahrenheit
100 T C − 0
=
180 T F − 32
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a) To convert Celsius scale to Fahrenheit or vise-versal, we use the relationship:
9
TF = T + 32°
5 C
5
TC = (T F − 32)
9
b) To convert Celsius scale to Kelvin or vise-versal, we use the relationship:
Fig. 6.5 Reading a temperature on different thermometer scale
Worked examples
1. The temperature of a room is 20°C. What is the temperature of the room in:
a) Fahrenheit scale? b) Kelvin scale?
Given Required
T C = 20°C a) T F = ?
b) T k = ?
123
Solution
9 9
a) TC + 32° = × 20° + 32°
5 5
= 36° + 32°
= 68°F
b) T k = T c + 273°
20° + 273°
= 293k
2. What will be the temperature reading in Celsius scale when the reading in
Fahrenheit scale is zero?
5
TF = 0 TC = ? TC = (T F - 32°)
9
5
= (0 - 32°)
9
5 -160°
= (-32°) =
9 9
= -17.8°C
Check point 6.4

1. Write the mathematical relations between Celsius and Fahrenheit
scales.
2. Convert 56 °C to °F and K.
3. Convert 210 °F to °C and K.
6.5. Sources of Heat
Activity 6.6- Discuss
i. What is heat?
ii. Why do we need heat?
iii. Mention some soures of heat in your daily life.
iv. What is the difference between heat and temperature?
124
What is heat?
Heat was thought to be a substance called calorie. People thought that a hotter
body contained more "calorie" than a cold body. But, series of experiments have
showed that heat is not a substance. Heat is produced by energy changes. And
heat is a form of energy. Do you know how ancient people were producing heat
for cooking? Discuss with your friends and parents.
The sources of heat energy in our country are: fire wood, the sun, charcoal,
petroleum fuel, electric heater, etc. You can add to these some sources of heat
used in your locality.
a) The sun b) Electric stove c) Charcoal
Fig 6.6 some sources of heat
The most plentiful source of heat is the sun. The sun energy is important for life.
Plants, animals and human beings need the sun energy for living on the earth.
Fig.6.6 shows some sources of heat. For what purposes do people use heat?
Temperature is the measure of the hotness and coldness of an object where as
heat is a form of energy that can be transferred from a hotter body to a colder
body.
The SI unit of heat energy is Joule.

In our country, majority of the people use fire wood and kerosene as sources of
heat energy to cook their food and for other purposes.
Since both fire wood and kerosene are non renewable energy suppliers we must
use them wisely. Or we need to use renewable energy suppliers such as solar
energy, wind energy and water energy.
So as a citizen you are expected to use these energy sources wisely and you are
also responsible to tell this idea for your family or friends.
125
Check point 6.5

1. List some every days sources of heat.
2. Explain the direction of heat flow from one body to another.
6.6. Effects of Heating
Activity 6.7
Discuss with your friends

i) What happens to a body, when you heat it? Make a list of these effects.
ii) Classify these effects into three groups.
When we heat a body, different effects may happen. When you heat a body it
either burns, or melts, expands, rises in temperature, glows into red, or glass
breaks, etc. These effects of heating can be grouped into the following three
categories.
a) temperature rise,
b) expansion,
c) change of state.
a) Heating causes temperature rise
Activity 6.8 Heating body causes temperature rise
i. Materials required : a beaker, water, a source of heat, thermometer

and a stand
ii. Assemble the apparatuses as shown is Fig 6.7
iii. Take the temperature of the water before heating it
iv. Now start heating the water and measure its temperature after every
one minute.
v. Record the measured temperature with respect to time taken.
- interpret the recorded data
- What do you conclude?
126
Thermometer
Beaker
Water
Stand
Candle
Fig 6.7 Heating water
t Min 0 1 2 3 4
T (°c)
As heating increases, the kinetic energy of the particles increases. This causes an
increase in the temperature of the substance. Generally, as a body receives heat, its
temperature rises.
b) Heating causes expansion

Since heating increases the kinetic energy of molecules, the molecules move
faster and farther apart. This results in an overall increase in the size of the
substance. Expansion is an increase in size of the body.
Gases, liquids and solids generally expand when heated and shrink when cooled.
To observe the effect of heating on the size of solids you can do the following
activity.
b) ball heated c) both heated

a) both cold
Fig 6.8. Expansion of solids
127
Activity 6.9 (Ball and ring experiment)
Materials required: metal ball with handle or string, metal ring with
handle, source of heat.
Procedure:
1. At room temperature, the ball will just get through the ring. (see
Fig 6.8 (a)
2. Heat only the ball and try to pass it through the ring. (Fig 6.8 (b)
3. Heat both the ball and the ring simultaneously but separately and
then try to pass the ball through the heated ring as in Fig.6.8 (c).
i) What do you observe from this activity?
ii) Why didn’t the ball pass through the ring after being heated?
iii) Why did the heated ball pass through the heated ring?
Expansion of
Balloon
colored water in
flask Glass tube
Stopper
Flask with colored
cold water Stand
Flask of water
Beaker of hot Heat

water
Fig 6.9 Water in a tube expands by
heating Fig 6.10 Air expands
Fig 6.9 and Fig 6.10 illustrate the expansion of liquid water and air in a bottle
respectively.
c) Heating causes changes of state
Activity 6.10
i. What are the three states of matter?

ii. What are the three state of water called?
A substance exists in three states. They are solid, liquid and gaseous states. In
solids the particles are closer together in a fixed pattern where the separating
distance of adjacent particles is constant. The particles of liquids are not usually
128
as close together as in solid and are not held in any fixed pattern. In a gas or
vapor the average separation of the particle is comparatively large.
Water is the most commonly found liquid substance on earth. It can exist as
solid, liquid and gaseous states.
• Solid water (ice) exists below 0 oc.
• Liquid water (water) exists between 0 oc – 100 oc.
• Gaseous water (Vapor) exists from 100 oC and above.
The change of solid water (ice) to water and change of water to vapor are called
changes of state.
Melting: solid liquid
Boiling: liquid gas (vapor)
Challenge question
1. Have you noticed the cooling effect when your arm is cleaned by alcohol during
injection?
2. Do you know how your body removes unwanted heat?
Melting
When a solid is heated sufficiently it changes its state of solid to liquid. The
process of changing a solid to a liquid state is called melting.
A definite temperature at which the solid body starts to melt is called the melting
point of the solid. Different solid substances have different melting points. For
example, solid water (ice) melts into liquid water at 0 oC and solid iron melts
into liquid iron at 1536 oC.
Boiling
When water is heated, bubbles of water vapor are first formed at the bottom and
sides of the container. As the water is continuously heated, its temperature rises,
and its molecular bonds break and move farther apart. The process of changing a
liquid into gaseous state is called boiling.
The definite temperature at which liquid starts to boil is called the boiling point
of the liquid. For example, water boils at 100oc and mercury boils at 357oC.
129
Evaporation
Evaporation is the change of liquid to vapor at the surface of a body at any
temperature. During heating the molecules near the surface of the liquid escape
into the air; but not all molecules have enough energy to escape.
For example, water in a pond, lake or ocean, wet clothes, bottle covered with
sacks evaporates as it is heated by the sun. (Fig. 6.11).
Discuss what things fasten evaporation?
Evaporation is fastened by exposing a body to a) source of heat, b) wind and
c) when the body has wide surface area. For example, a pond of water evaporates
quicker in a sunny, windy day and when it has wide surface area. On the
opposite, evaporation is slower in rainy day, in still air, and when the surface
area is narrow.
When the liquid molecules evaporate, they cool the surface from which they
escape because they absorb heat. Thus, evaporation causes cooling of a body.
Table 6.2 Difference between boiling and evaporation
Boiling Evaporation
• Happens at boiling point. • Happens at any temperature
• Happens throughout the liquid • Happens on the surface of a body- solid or liquid
body.
• Has no cooling effect. • Has a cooling effect on a body.
• Does not depend on wind & • Is fastened in hot and windy day and where the
surface area. body surface is wide.
Fig 6.11 Evaporation in different bodies
130
Activity 6.11
To observe cooling effect of evaporation
i. Put your fingers into alcohol and immediately expose your fingers to
the air. What do you feel?
ii. Explain what happens to the alcohol and to your fingers.
Cooling effect of evaporation has some uses. For example refrigerators, freezers
and air conditioning system use cooling by evaporation on a large scale.
Evaporation is also important in water cycle for making rain on the earth’s
surface.
Activity 6.12
To measure melting point of ice and the boiling point of water.
Measure the temperature of solid ice, melt the ice and heat the
resulting water until it vaporizes and record the boiling point of the
water. What do you observe on the boiling point of water? Does it boil
at 100 0C in your area?
iv)
Check point 6.6

1. Describe the three major effects of heating.
2. Explain the differences between ‘evaporation’ and ‘boiling’.
3. What are the factors that affect the rate of evaporation?
131
Summary

 temperature is the measure of hotness or coldness of a body.
Or it is the measure of the average molecular kinetic energy of
a body. An instrument which is used to measure temperature of
a body is called thermometer.
 a given thermometer can read temperature of a body in one of
the following three scales. These are Celsius scale (oc),
Fahrenheit scale (oF), and Kelvin scale (K).
 the following formulae are useful in converting out temperature
scale in to another scale.
5
 TC = (TF − 32°)
9
9
TF = TC + 32°
5
TK = TC + 273°
 heat is a form of energy. We can get heat from the sun, the food
we eat, electric energy, kerosene and firewood.
 some of the effects of heating a body are expansion
temperature rise and change of states. Gases expand much
more than liquids and solids. Liquids expand more than solids.
 the change from solid to liquid is called melting. The change
from liquid to vapor is called boiling. The rate of evaporation
depends on) the heat supplied, surface area of the body (liquid)
and the wind around the surface.
132
1. When air is warmed, it expands.
2. Heat and temperature are the same.
3. Electrical energy can be used as the source of heat.
4. Friction produces heat energy.
5. Many substances expand when cooled.
6. Heating speeds up the movement of molecules.
II. Match the word or words in the column A with correct explanations
in column B
Column A Column B
1. Expansion a) the measure of hotness or coldness.
2. Temperature b) 100 divisions between freezing
3. Centigrade scale and boiling point of water
4. Contraction c) decrease in size
5. Thermometer d) increase in size
6. Fuels e) substance that can produce heat
7. Sun f) instrument for measuring
8. Boiling temperature
9. Evaporation g) the source of radiant energy
h) is a cooling process
i) takes place throughout the entire
liquid
III. Short answer questions.
1. What device do you use to measure temperature?
2. What are the boiling and melting point of water?
3. What happens to a body when it is heated?
4. Name the three different temperature scales.
5. What is the difference between boiling and melting?
6. What is meant by expansion effect of heating?
7. What is the difference between boiling and evaporation?
8. What are the three factors affecting the rate of evaporation?
133
IV. Fill in the blank spaces with appropriate word.

1. Almost all materials ____________when their temperature is raised and
shrink when their temperature is lowered (cold).
2. ________ is the measure of average kinetic energy of the particles of a
substance.
3. The SI unit of temperature is .
4. The SI unit of heat is .
5. The hotness or coldness of a body is measured by a quantity called
.
6. ________ is the change of liquid into vapor from the surfaces of a body.
V. Problem
1. What is the temperature reading in Kelvin scale if the reading in
Celsius scale is 50 °C.
2. The temperature of an object is 40 °C. What is this temperature in
Fahrenheit scale?
3. What will be the temperature reading in Fahrenheit scale when the
reading is 310 K?
134
UNIT SOUND
7
 understand concepts related to sound.
 develop skill of manipulating numerical problems
related to sound.
 use a wide range of possibilities for developing
knowledge of the major concepts with in physics.
Introduction
One of the most commonly observed phenomenon in nature is sound. You hear
different sounds throughout the day. The sound of cars, barking of dogs, friends
chatting, a teacher talking and music are some examples of sound. All the above
mentioned sounds stimulate your ears and make you recognize the sources of
sound and the messages sent through sound.
In this unit you will learn, what a sound is, production and transmission of
sound, speed of sound in different media, reflection of sound (echo) and some
applications of echo.
135
Grade 7 Physics 7 Sound
7.1. Definition of Sound

Activity 7.1
i. Give some sources of sound.

ii. What organ do you use to hear sound?
iii. Explain in your own words, what is meant by 'sound'.
iv. For what purposes do you use sound?
Have you ever tried to play a "guitar" or "kirar"? When you strike each string, it
starts to vibrate and as a result you hear musical sound.
When a tuning fork is struck against a hard object, the prongs vibrate (moves
backward and forwards). The vibrations travel away from the tuning fork as a
wave called sound wave. (Fig 7. 1)
Vibration of
a tuning fork
Fig. 7.1 Sound is heard by ears
Sound is a form of wave. If your ears are in the path of the sound wave, then you
will hear the sound.
Sound carries energy. It loses its energy as it travels. So, the further the sound
travels, the more energy it loses and the quieter the sound becomes. Our ears are
designed by nature to pick up sound transmitted through different materials.
Sound is a form of energy. It is generated by the series of vibrations of an

object. Every sources of sound are in a state of vibration.
136
There are other kinds of sounds that human ears cannot hear but other animals
can hear.
Check point 7.1

1. What is sound?
2. How does sound reach the ear?
7.2. Production and Transmission of Sound

i. Take different materials from your locality: whistle a ruler, a tuning fork, etc
and produce a sound using them.
ii. Explain how each material produces sound.
iii. How does the sound reach your ears? Explain it.
Let us see how a ruler produces sound. Take a

ruler and press one end of it firmly against a
table top such that the other end of the ruler
projects outwards from the edge of the table as
shown in Fig 7.2. Fig. 7.2 A Vibrating Ruler
When the ruler is struck sharply, the free end vibrates up and down. When this
free end of the ruler vibrates up and down, it produces sound. Thus sounds are
produced by vibrating objects.
Activity 7.3
i. Cut a long rubber band. Hold one end between your teeth and the other
end with one hand stretching the rubber band to some length.
ii. With your other hand pull the centre of the rubber band to one side and
quickly let it go. Repeat it for some times. Have you seen the band
vibrating? Does it make sound?
This activity leads you to construct different kinds of string musical

instruments, such as, “guitar,” “masinko,” and “kirar.” Which part of the
instruments mentioned above do you think vibrates to produce sound?
137
Activity 7.4 Individual work

Copy the following table on your note book and try to record the vibrating part
of different musical instruments given in the table below.
Sources of sound Vibrating part
1. Drum 1. ________
2. Guitar 2. ________
3. Kirrar 3._________
4. Masinko 4. ________
5. Flute 5. ________
Hammer
Pith ball
Tuning fork
Fig. 7.3.Vibration of a tuning fork
Activity 7.5
i. Tie a pith ball with a thread and suspend it from any height. Bring a
tuning fork and touch it as shown in Fig 7.3. What do you observe?
ii. Strike the tuning fork with a rubber hammer or on table edge and touch
the pith ball. What do you observe?
iii. What does this show?
When you touch the pith ball with a tuning fork, nothing happens to
the pith ball. Now strike the tuning fork by the hammer on the prong by holding
on its stem. Then touch the pith ball with the fork, you can see the pith ball will
fling away. This shows that the energy on the prong is transferred to the pith ball,
and the pith ball starts to vibrate.
138
All the sounds you hear are produced by a vibrating object. The air near the
vibrating object is set in motion in all direction. The produced sound travels in
every direction, in the form of energy and reaches your ear. The bell sound in
your school is heard any where around the bell in all directions. Sound travels in
all directions and around corners.
1. What are the three requirements of sound?
2. Write some sources of sound?
3. What does vibration mean?
Transmission of sound
Activity 7.6
To show the transmission of sound through solids.
Two students sitting at the two ends of a table will do this activity.
Step i. Let one student from one end scratch the table with his/her finger
nail slightly while you are sitting on another end of the table and
hearing. Have you heard the scratch or not?
Step ii. Now let the other student who was sitting place his/her ear against
the table while you are scratching. Ask the student who placed his/
he ear against the table , what he/she has heard. Can you tell the
difference between Step 1 and step 2? What do you conclude from
this activity?
(a) (b)
Fig 7.4 Sound travels through solids
139
Sound needs material medium for its transmission. Being in a classroom you
hear the school bell ringing, student shouting in a field, telephone call, or an
ambulance siren. How does the sound travel and reach your ear? The material
through which the sound traveled and reached your ear is called a medium.
(Media is the plural of medium). Fig 7.4 and Fig 7.5 show solid and liquid
bodies transmit sound through them.
Water
Alarm clock
Fig 7.5 Sound travels through water (Liquid)
To observe the travel of sound in a liquid, take an alarm clock and place it at the
bottom of a bowl of water. Press the alarm clock with your finger and listen to
the sound of clock from outside. Do you hear the sound of the clock?
All materials can transmit sound, but the degree of transmission is not the same
for all materials. Solids are better transmitters of sound than liquids and air
(gases). Do you know why?
Sound needs material medium for its transmission; it cannot travel through a
vacuum. This fact can be demonstrated using an electric bell jar by pumping the
air out by a vacuum pump while the bell is ringing as in Fig 7.6. As the air is
moved out the sound becomes fainter and fainter until it finally ceases to be
heard.
Fig 7.6. Sound cannot travel through a vacuum

140
This happens because there is no air to carry sound. If the air is now allowed to
enter the bell jar again, the sound of the ringing bell will be heard.
Check point 7.2

1. Describe how sound is produced.
2. Explain the importance of material medium for the propagation of sound.
7.3. Speed of Sound in Different Media

Speed of sound in air
During a thunderstorm you may see a distant lightning flash some seconds
before you hear the thunder. This suggests that the speed of sound in air is much
less than the speed of light.
When a train is about one kilometer away from you, you can often see the smoke
coming out from the nozzle before you hear the whistle. This again means that
sound cannot travel as fast as light in air.
Activity 7.7
i. When do we hear sound clearly? Is it during a night or a day?

ii. What will you do to the volume of the radio and TV set when you listen to
the news or music during a day and a night? Do you change the volume
according to the time or not?
The speed of sound in air is about 331 m/sec at 0°C. The speed of sound
increases by 0.6 m/sec for every degree Celsius increase in temperature.
The speed of sound in air at any temperature (vT) can be calculated as
where v0 is the speed of sound at and "T" is the
change in temperature. Speed of sound in liquids and solids is not
affected significantly by the change in temperature, but affected by their
body structure.
141
The difference in speeds of sound in different materials can be easily understood
from the structure of molecules of a substance. (From your chemistry course
revise what molecules are and their structure in different states of substances).
The transmission of sound in different substances depends on the structure of the
particles in the substances.
Since the particles in solids are close to each other they easily pass the sound to
the next particles by collision and the sound moves faster.
But in liquids and in gases, the particles are far apart and the collision between
the particles takes place rarely. They pass the sound slower than in solid.
Similarly the particles in gases pass the sound much slower than in liquid. Thus,
sound travels slower in liquid than in solid and sound travel slower in gases than
in liquids.
The speed of sound in water is greater than the speed of sound in air and its
speed in steel is greater than the speed in water. The speed of sound in different
material is given in Table 7.2
Table 7.1. Speed of sound in various substances at 0 oC

Substance Speed (m/s) 0 °C
Gases
Oxygen 316
Air 331
Liquids
Ethanol 1150
Mercury 1438
Water (distilled) 1410
Sea water 1450
Solids
Lead 1948
Copper 4998
Glass 5628
Steel 5948
142
Activity 7.8 Questions- use Table 7.1

i. In what material does sound travel fastest?
ii. In what material does sound travel slowest?
iii. Compare the speed of sound in liquid and in solids.
Example 7.1
1. A thunder was heard 4 s later after the lightning is seen. If the distance of the
lightning is 1396 m away from the observer, what is the speed of sound at
that temperature?
t = 4s v=? s = vt
s = 1396m
v
= 349 m/s
Check point 7.3

1. Describe how it is possible to determine the speed of sound in air?
2. What is the factor affecting the speed of sound in air?
7.4. Reflection of Sound (Echo)

Activity 7.9
Discuss with your friends on the following questions

i. What do you hear if you shout in a big empty hall standing on one
corner?
ii. What do you call this sound?
When you throw a ball towards the wall the ball bounces and returns to you. We
call this the reflection of the ball. The same is happening when you shout in an
empty hall. The sound will bounce back from the wall and comes towards you.
143
We call this the reflection of sound. The reflection of sound from hard surfaces is
called an “echo”.
Reflector
Whenever sound meets a boundary or an obstacle on its way, some of

the sound energy is absorbed and other is reflected. This reflection of
sound at a boundary is called an echo.
Hard substances such as walls, rocks, hills, metals, wood, buildings, etc. are
good reflectors of sound since they are polished and hard. But when sound
strikes soft surfaces such as wool, cloth, etc. most of the sound energy is
absorbed.
When you shout or whistle while you are at some distance away from a tall
building or a mountain, you may be able to hear the original sound and the
reflected sound as two separate sounds. This will be true if the echo/reflected
sound reaches you 0.1 sec later than the original sound. This means that your ear
is able to distinguish the two sounds as a separate ones only if they reach you at
least 0.1 second later.
144
Check point 7.4

1. What is echo? Explain how it occurs.
2. Give at least three examples for each of the following
a) Sound reflectors
b) Sound absorbers.
7.5. Application of Echo Sounding

Activity 7.10
Measuring the speed of sound using the echo method.

i. Go out into an open field in a group where you can find a big tree or a
mountain.
ii. Stand infront of the tree (mountain) and clap your hands or shout
loudly.
iii. Do you hear the echo of your clap. Move back and forth until you hear
the echo.
iv. Ask your friend to measure, the time taken for the clap sound to move
to the mountain /big tree/ and comes to you as an echo using a stop
watch .
v. At this point, measure the distance between the place where you stand
and the big tree or (bottom of the mountain).
vi. Apply the formula of speed. and calculate the speed of sound for
that day (temperature).
From the above activity, you can calculate the minimum distance of the
reflecting surface and speed of sound taking 0.1 second as the minimum time
required to have an echo reach you.
i.e. 2s = vt (since the distance traveled by the sound is the sum of the distance
from the source to the reflector and back from the reflector to the source)
⇒s=
Hence, the minimum distance for an echo to be produced is 17 m. No separate
echo can be heard for distances less than 17 m if the speed of sound at that
temperature is 340 m/sec.
145
When sound strikes a reflecting surface obliquely, nearly all the sound is
reflected. This fact has been applied in the doctors stethoscope for listening to
sounds of heart beat, or lung movement. These are some applications of an echo
in medical field.
Example 7.2
What is the speed of sound at a given temperature if an echo is heard
4 seconds later from a mountain which is 664 m away?
Given Required
s = 664 m v=?
t = 4s
Solution
Speed of sound = =
=
The above sample problem shows the importance of the echo method in finding
the speed of sound in air.
On the other hand, knowing the speed of sound in air at a certain temperature,
and recording the time interval between hearing the original sound and the echo
will enable us to calculate the distance of the reflecting surface. The echo method
is used to measure the depth of a sea or an ocean.
Check point 7.5

1. State some examples of applications of echo.
2. Explain how an echo from a cliff could be used to measure the speed
of sound in air.
146
Summary

 sound is a wave heard by the ears. Sound is produced by
vibrating objects and travels through solid, liquid and gas
media. Sound is a form of energy.
 the speed of sound in solid is greater than the speed of sound
in liquid, and the speed of sound in liquid is greater than the
speed of sound in gases.
 as the sound travel against different bodies, it either reflects
totally or partially reflected or partially absorbed. Sound
travels in all direction and around corners. The reflection of
sound from hard surfaces is called an echo. An echo is used
to measure the distance of cliffs, sea bed or big building from
a given sources of sound.
147
I. Write true if the statement is true and false if the statement is false
1. All sounds are produced by the vibration of bodies.
2. Sound travel through vacuum.
3. Sound is transmitted faster in air than in liquids.
4. As the temperature of air rises the speed of sound in air decreases.
5. The speed of sound in air is four times as its speed in steel.
6. The speed of sound in air is greater than the speed of sound in solids.
II. Fill in the Blank spaces with appropriate word or words.

1. The three prerequisites of having sound are________, __________,
________.
2. An echo is not produced unless the reflecting surface is at least
__________ meters from the source of sound.
3. The speed of sound in air at 0 oC is__________ m/s.
III. Short answer Questions

1. Explain how sound is produced.
2. What is sound?
3. Explain how an echo is formed.
4. Explain why the speed of sound in solid and liquid are greater than the
speed of sound in gases.
5. List two applications of an echo.
Iv. Match column A with column B

Column A Column B
1. Sound a) the speed of sound in glass at 0°c
2. Echo b) the speed of sound in air at 0°c
3. 4998 m/s c) the speed of sound in copper at 0°c
4. 5628 m/s d) the reflection of sound
5. Flute e) a series of disturbances in material to
6. 331 m/s which the human ear is sensitive
f) Air vibrating musical instrument.
148
v. Problems
1. How far away should a cliff be from a source of sound to give an echo
in 5.3 seconds? (Given speed of sound at 0 °C =331 m/s)
2. A ship’s sonar sends messages and receives the echoes from the
ocean bottom 0.6 seconds after the sound is sent down from the ship.
How deep is the water beneath the ship? (Given speed of sound in still
water = 1450 m/s)
3. How far away is a train if you see the steam from its nozzle 4.5 seconds
before you hear its sound? (Take speed of sound as 331 m/sec)
149
UNIT
ELECTRICITY AND
8 MAGNETISM
 understand concepts related to electricity and magnetism.
electricity and magnetism.
Introduction
This unit is made up of two main topics called electricity and magnetism. It
treats magnetism first and then electricity. Magnetism deals with the properties
of a magnet while electricity deals with the properties of electrons at rest and in
motion. The relationship between magnetism and electricity will be treated in
grade 8.
PART-1 MAGNETISM
8.1. Magnets
Activity 8.1
Do the following activity with your friends and answer the given questions
i. Visit a radio repair shop or shoes shops or a science kit in your school. Ask the
responsible person to show you magnets.
ii. What is a magnet?
iii. In what shapes do you find a magnet?
iv. What materials does it attract?
150
Grade 7 Physics 8 Electricity and Magnetism
A Magnet is a piece of iron that attracts substances like iron, steel, and
nickel at a distance.
The word "magnet" comes from the name "magnesia". Magnesia was an ancient
city in Middle East, where the first magnet was discovered. This magnet was in a
form of stone and it was called lode stone meaning leading stone. Lode stone is
a naturally found magnet.
Magnet can be natural or artificial. A lodestone is naturally occurring

magnet. Artificial magnets are magnets that are produced by people. They
are usually made of iron and alloys of iron such as steel. Artificial magnets
have different shapes such as bar, horse–shoe, U-shaped and cylindrical.
See Fig 8.1 to identify the shapes of magnets.
a. Rectangular bar magnet

b. Cylindrical magnet
c. Horse-shoe magnet
d. U-shaped magnet
Fig. 8.1 Different shapes of magnets
Magnetic and non-magnetic substances

From Activity 8.2, it is very simple to observe that all materials are not attracted
by magnets. Hence materials are classified into two: as magnetic and non-
magnetic materials (substances).
151
Activity 8.2 To identify whether a material is magnetic or non

magnetic
i. Collect some materials like iron nail, coins, pins, pen, wood stick, rubber,
etc.
ii. Bring a magnet near to these materials and try to attract them one by one.
iii. Fill the table shown bellow using  or symbols for the result of your
activity.  for not attracted and  for attracted .
Material Attracted Not attracted
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
Does the magnet attract all the materials?
 Substances that can be attracted by a magnet are called magnetic

substance. Iron, steel, nickel, and cobalt, are examples of magnetic
substances.
 Non-magnetic substances are substances which cannot be attracted
by magnets. Rubber, paper, wood, plastic, copper, Aluminum, gold,
and glass are examples of non-magnetic substance. All metals are not
attracted by a magnet.
Activity 8.3- Making a magnet

I. Materials required: a large nail (steel bar), small pins, and a bar magnet.
ii. Procedure-1. Move the end point of the nail around in a small pile of pins (number
of pins lying on one another).Dose the nail pick up any pin?
iii. Procedure-2. Using one end of a magnet, stroke the nail repeatedly in one
direction only. Lift away the magnet each time when you reach the end of the nail.
Return to the point of the nail where you started the stroking and stroke again. As
shown in Fig 8.2
 Now bring the stroked nail near to the pins again. What happens this time? Will
the pins be attracted or not? Repeat this process.
152
Path of the magnet
iron bar
Fig 8.2 magnetizing an iron bar by stroking
The process of making a magnet by stroking or other methods is called

magnetization.
From the process of magnetization in activity 8.3, the end of the nail or steel bar,
where the stroking ends will be magnetized opposite in polarity with the polarity
of the permanent magnet. i.e. if the stroking is with North pole of the permanent
magnet, the last end of the steel bar will be magnetized as a South pole and vice
versa.
This method has a disadvantage that the magnet produced by this process will
not have both the poles at the two exact ends. Then it will be better to use other
methods like a double stroking method or electricity to avoid this problem.
Properties of magnets
g You have learnt in unit 3 of this book, that magnets exert a force at a distance. It
attracts iron materials or repels other magnets at a distance. In this section you
will learn more properties of a magnet.
a) Magnetic poles
If a magnet is dipped into iron filings and then shaken lightly, the iron filings
stick to the ends of the magnet. From this activity we observe that the force of a
magnet is concentrated at the two ends. These ends of a magnet are called
magnetic poles.
N S
Fig 8.3 N and S poles of a magnet
Magnetic poles are the two ends of a magnet where the attractive forces are
strong.
153
If a magnet is suspended from a thin thread, it always points in the same
direction toward the geographic north - south direction.
The end of the magnet that points north is called the North Pole (in short N.
pole). The other end that points south is called the South Pole (in short S-pole).
The following are some basic properties of any magnet:

i. A magnet attracts pieces of iron and steel.
ii. If a magnet is suspended freely, it always comes to rest with its ends
pointing in a north-south direction.
iii. A magnet has two poles.
iv. No matter what its shape or its size may be the two poles always
exist in pairs.
b) The laws of magnetism

Activity 8.4 Observing the laws of magnetism
Materials required: Two bar magnets and a thread
i. Suspend one magnet with a thread and hold the other magnet with your
hand.
ii. Bring close the north pole of one magnet to the south pole of another
magnet. What do you observe? Record your observation.
iii. Bring close to each other the north poles or the south poles of two
magnets. What do you observe? Record your observation.
iv. What do you conclude from these observations?
S N
N S Force
Repulsive
Attractive Force S
N N
S
N
b) Like poles (N-N)
N S
a) Unlike poles (N-S)
Fig 8.4 Forces between poles of magnets
154
Activity 8.4 leads you to the following conclusion. Magnetic poles exert forces
on other magnetic poles.
The law of magnetism states that: unlike poles attract each other
and like poles repel each other.
If you break a bar-magnet into two pieces, then, the north and south poles will
not be separated. But, each piece will become a full magnet having both North
and South poles. Thus, an isolated magnetic pole does not exist.
Fig 8.5 Breaking a magnet
Suppose a certain magnet is broken into two parts, what will happen to the two
magnetic poles (N and S)?
A compass
What is a compass?
A compass is a small suspended magnet used to show the geographic northern

direction.
a) Pocket Compass b) Compass Needle

Fig 8.6 Different shapes of a compass
155
A compass consists of a bar magnet that is mounted on a sharp point so that it
can turn freely in the horizontal plane see fig 8.6 and 8.7. When the mounted
magnet comes to rest, its North Pole points towards the geographic north. A
compass helps people in traveling on sea, land and air; because it always points
in the northern direction.
Navigators and pilots make use of a compass to find their directions in
their journey.
Activity 8.5 How to make a compass

Tie a string around a cylindrical magnet. Suspend the magnet away from other
magnets and magnetic materials. When the magnet comes to rest, notice in which
direction it is pointing. Does the magnet line up in a north-south direction?
N S
Fig 8.7 Freely suspended magnet points N-S direction
From Activity 8.5 you learn that magnets that are free to moe can be used as a
compass. You can easily make a compass of your own as illustrated in Activity
8.5.
Earth's magnetism
Activity 8.6. Group Discussion
Discuss with your friends or parents.
Why does a compass or a suspended magnet always point to the geographic
north pole?
In olden days, it was believed that some objects in the sky such as the North
Star, made a compass turn to the north-south position.
But now the answer for the above question is the magnetic nature of the earth.
156
Geographic North Pole
Earth’s magnetic pole (South pole)
Magnet inside the earth’s crust
Earth’s magnetic pole (North pole)

Earth axis of rotation
Geographic South Pole
Fig 8.8 The earth’s magnetism
Scientists explain the earth as a big magnet. They assume that a big magnet
exists inside the earth. Its north pole is found in the geographic south-pole and its
south pole is at the geographic north-pole. A suspended magnet or a compass
always points in the geographic North, because of the magnetic property of the
earth.
The earth's magnetic south pole attracts the North-pole of a compass or a
suspended bar magnet.
The earth's magnetic field resembles that of a huge bar magnet with the magnetic
poles near to the geographical north and south poles. (Refer to section 8.2)
Six things to know about magnets

You need to remember the following six basic facts about how magnets behave:
1. A magnet has two ends called poles. One of which is called a North Pole or
north-seeking pole, while the other is called a South Pole or south-seeking
pole.
2. The north pole of one magnet attracts the south pole of another magnet, while
the north pole of one magnet repels the other magnet's North Pole. The law of
magnet states that: like poles repel and unlike poles attract each other.
157
3. A magnet creates an invisible area of magnetism all around it called a
magnetic field.
4. The north pole of a magnet points roughly toward Earth's North Pole and
vice-versa. That's because the earth itself contains magnetic materials and
behaves like a huge magnet.
5. If you cut a bar magnet in half, it's a bit like cutting an earthworm in half!
You get two brand new, smaller magnets, each with its own North and South
Pole.
6. If you rub a magnet a few times over an unmagnetized piece of a magnetic
material (such as an iron nail), you can convert it into a magnet as well. This
is called magnetization.
Check point 8.1

1. What is a magnet?
2. What are the properties of a magnet?
3. Distinguish between magnetic and non-magnetic substances. (Give some examples
for each.)
4. What is a magnetic pole?
5. State the law of magnetism.
6. What is a compass? Describe its uses.
7. Explain why a suspended magnet always points to the geographic north and south
poles.
8.2. Mapping Magnetic Lines of Force

Activity 8.7
Discuss with your friends.
i. What is a non-contact force? How do you explain magnetic force as a
non-contact force?
ii. Describe the magnetic field and magnetic lines of force for a magnet.
158
Activity 8. 8 Mapping a magnetic field

a) Observing magnetic lines of force.
Materials required: iron filings, a bar magnet, paper sheet.
Procedure:- put a paper on a bar magnet lying on a table top.
- Sprinkle the iron filings on the paper covering the magnet.
- What do you observe? What do you call the space around the
magnet?
b) Mapping a magnetic field using compass
Materials required: pocket compass, bar magnet and a sheet of paper.
Procedures: place a magnet on a sheet of paper.
- Place a compass near the North Pole and mark its direction.
- Repeat this activity for different places around the magnet.
- Draw the directions of the compass at different pointers.
- The compass shows the directions of the magnetic field
represented by the magnetic lines of force.
S
N S
a) lron filing around b) Compass around a c) Magnetic lines of force

bar magnet. around a bar magnet.
a bar magnet.
Fig 8.9 Mapping lines of force
You have already learnt that a magnet exerts a force at a distance. The space
around a magnet is called magnetic field.
Magnetic field is a region where a magnetic pole would experience a force or

exerts a force. Magnetic field is represented by imaginary lines of force called
magnetic lines of force.
S
Magnetic lines of force are imaginary lines which continuously
represent the direction of the magnetic field.
159
Properties of magnetic lines of Force
1. The magnetic lines of force of a bar magnet always emanate from the North
Pole and following a curved path enter to the south pole. Then they reach
back the North pole moving inside the magnet from south pole to the North
pole of the magnet. Thus they are closed lines.
2. Magnetic lines of force never cross each other.
3. Near the magnetic poles, where the magnetic force is stronger, the lines of
force are closer. Going away from the magnetic poles, the strength of the
magnetic force decreases and the lines become sparse.
 A magnet exerts a force at a distance.

 The direction of the magnetic filed shows the direction of magnetic force.
 The closeness of the magnetic field lines shows the strength of the
magnetic force.
Check point 8.2

1. What are magnetic lines of force?
2. Describe the common properties of magnetic lines of force.
3. Sketch the magnetic lines of force
a) For a bar magnet b) between two unlike magnetic poles.
8.3. Uses of Magnets

In Activity 8.1 you visited different shops where magnets are used for different
purposes.
Activity 8.9
Mentions some common uses of magnets.
Magnets have different applications (uses). Some of these uses are:-

- Magnets in compasses are used to indicate directions on seas, oceans, air
and ground.
- They are used for lifting up iron or steel to higher places.
160
- They are used in the construction of electric bells, motors, radio,
generators, etc.
- They are used to separate magnetic substances like iron from mixtures of
different non-magnetic materials.
Check point 8.3

1. List and describe some uses of a magnet.
PART-2 ELECTRICITY
8.4. Electrostatics
Activity 8.10
Discuss the following observations with your friends or family.
i. What causes sparks and crackling sound when you take off your nylon
clothes? Why does a comb made of plastic pick up scraps of light paper
or dust particles when dropped after combing hair?
ii. What do you understand by the term "electrostatics"?
iii. What are electric charges?
In this section you will begin to study important phenomena about electric
charges at rest. All the sparks you see and the crackling sound you hear when
you take of nylon clothes are the effects of electric charges at rest. The study of
electric charges at rest is called electrostatics.
When two materials rub together, there is friction. This friction causes rubbed
materials to attract unrubbed materials. For example, if a rod of glass is rubbed
with fur, it gains the power to attract light bodies such as pieces of paper or
aluminum-foil or a pith ball. A body made attractive by rubbing is said to be
'electrified' or 'charged’.
The branch of electricity that studies electric charges at rest is called

electrostatics.
161
What are charges?

Activity 8.11
Revise your chemistry knowledge to answer the following questions with your
friends.
i. What is an atom?
ii. What are the two types of charges?
iii. What type of charge is carried by protons?
iv. What type of charge is carried by electrons?
v. When do we say an atom is electrically charged?
The results of numerous experiments indicated that under certain circumstances,

matter exhibited a 'new' property. This property was eventually traced to the
atom and is called electric charge.
Electric charge is an inherent physical property of certain sub-atomic

particles that is responsible for electrical and magnetic phenomena. Charge is
represented by 'Q' and the unit of charge is the Coulomb (C).
The smallest particle of an element is called an atom. The three important

particles of an atom: protons, electrons and neutrons are known as the basic
building blocks of all atoms. Fig 8.10 shows a model of how these particles are
thought to form an atom. The protons and the neutrons are held together at the
centre of the atom called the nucleus. The electrons exist around the nucleus.
They revolve in orbits around the nucleus at high speed.
Electric charge is a characteristic property of many subatomic particles. Electric
charge is the property of a matter that exhibits attraction or repulsion over other
matter.
Electron
Neutron
Proton
Fig 8.10 Structure of an atom

162
Types of charges
The idea of electricity is based on the theory that all matter are built up of atoms.
Each atom has a tiny core called the nucleus and around this nucleus spins a
number of electrons. The nucleus consists of neutron and proton.
Negative and positive charges

As it is mentioned above an atom consists of neutron, proton and electron
particles.
i. Neutron is a neutral particle; it does not have a charge.
ii. Proton is positively charged particle.
iii. Electron is a negatively charged particle.
Hence there are two types of electric charges called positive and negative
charges. A negative charge is carried by electrons and a positive charge is
carried by protons.
The allocation of signs to charges was made randomly many years ago. We use this
assignment today.
Note the following points carefully

i. Every matter is electrical in nature.
ii. We have two types of charges.
iii. In the normal state, the number of electrons is equal to the number of proton
in an atom. Therefore, an atom is neutral as a whole. This explains why a
body does not exhibit any charge under ordinary conditions.
iv. If some electrons are removed from a neutral body, there occurs a deficit of
electrons in the body and consequently the body has surplus positive charge.
v. If a neutral body is supplied with electrons, there occurs an excess of
electron and consequently the body is said to have a negative charge.
163
Check point 8.4

1. What does the term electrostatics stand for?
2. Describe the two types of electric charges.
3. What charges are carried by
a) Protons
b) Electrons
8.5. Methods of Charging a Body

Charging is the process of electrifying bodies i.e. removing from or adding
electrons to a body.
There are different methods of charging a body:-

i. Charging by rubbing ii. Charging by conduction
i. Charging by rubbing
Activity 8.12 Charging a body by rubbing
Apparatus:- a piece of paper, a polythene rod (plastic comb, plastic ruler, ball
point, pen.) woolen cloth or you can use your hair.
Procedure:
i. Tear pieces of paper into bits and put them on the table.
ii. Touch the bits of paper with a polythene rod without rubbing, observe
what happens.
iii. Now rub the polythene rod with woolen cloths (your hair) and bring it
close to the bits of paper. Observe what happens. Do you explain why
it happens this way?
Fig 8.11 Charged plastic rod attracts pieces of paper
164
From the structure of an atom we could understand that the rubbing of two
bodies cause a transfer of electrons from one body to another. One of the bodies
gains electrons, while the other loses electrons.
For example in Activity 8.12, when a plastic rod is rubbed with woolen clothes
(your hair) electrons will be transferred from the plastic rod to the woolen cloth
(you hair). Hence, the plastic rod is negatively charged while the woolen clothes
is charged positively.
Similarly when a glass rod is rubbed with silk, electrons will be transferred from
the glass to the silk. Hence the glass is positively charged while the silk is
negatively charged.
ii. Charging by conduction (sharing)

When a neutral body is made to contact or touch a charged body, it shares the
charges and becomes charged. Charging by conduction involves sharing of
electrons between the charged and uncharged bodies.
Touching Charged 
  with  negatively  
  charged  
rod.    
  Un charged
   
Negatively
charged
pith ball  
rod
Fig 8.12 Charging pith ball by conduction
For example, consider a charged body that has surplus of electrons. If you bring
this charged rod near the uncharged body it attracts the uncharged body. When
the charged body touches the uncharged body, same negative charges transfer to
the uncharged body and make it negatively charged. Then the two bodies repel
each other, because they have the same charges. The process of charging a body
165
by touching it with a charged body is called "charging by conduction or
sharing".
Discharging a body is the process of removing electric charges from a charged

body. A charged body can be made to lose its charges by touching it with a
conductor. When a body is discharged, it becomes neutral.
Check point 8.5

1. Explain the term charging.
2. State two methods of charging a body.
3. Compare charging by rubbing and charging by sharing.
4. When do we say a body is charged positively?
5. When do we say a body is charged negatively?
8.6. Law of Electrostatics

Activity 8.13 Illustrating the law of electrostatics
Material required: pith balls, glass, rubber rods, woolen cloth, silk cloth
Procedure:
i. A pith ball is charged positively by conduction or touching with a charged
glass rod. (Fig 8.13(a)
ii. Observe what happens.
iii. Repeat this activity with rubber rod rubbed with silk. Charge another pith
ball by touching. (Fig 8.13 b)
iv. Bring two balls one touched with charged glass rod and another ball
touched with charged rubber rod.
v. Bring these charged balls, closer to each other. Fig 8.13 (c)
vi. Observe what happens.
vii. These two balls attract each other because they carry different charges.
Conventionally negative charge is represented by (-) and positive charge is

represented by (+).
166
Glass rod +
+ +  +  +
+ ++ ++
++ + +  + ++ +
+ +
+  + + +
 + Repel each
 + other
a)

 +  +  
 
  + 
+    
Rubber rod
 +   Repel each
 + other
b)
+  +  +  +
 +
    + +
 
       + 
 + + +
c)
Fig 8.13 Law of electrostatics
You have learnt in unit 3 of this book that electric charges exert a force at a
distance. It either attracts or repels other charged bodies without direct contact.
Electric charges have similar properties as magnetic forces. They are non-contact
forces.
All charged bodies exert forces on each other;

i) Like charges repel each other
ii) Unlike charges attract each other.
This is the law of electrostatics.
167
Electroscope and its use

From different activities in the previous sections, you studied how charged
bodies are detected and the existence of two kinds of electric charges.
An electroscope is a simple device used to study the properties of

charges. It enables us to determine both the sign of the charge and
the magnitude of the charge on a body.
a) Aluminum leaf electroscope

b) Locally made electroscope
Fig 8.14 Electroscope
Fig.8.14 (a) shows an aluminum foil electroscope. It consists of a brass rod, on

which is mounted a brass cap, at the top, and a brass plate at the bottom, with
thin leaves of aluminum foil attached to the brass plate. The brass rod is mounted
on a metal case, and supported by a plug of insulating material. The metal case
has glass windows to allow the aluminum leaves to be seen.
Uses of electroscope
An electroscope is used:
i. To illustrate that charges move through metals.
ii. To test whether a body is charged or not.
iii. To detect the sign of a charge on a body. i.e. to check whether a body is
negatively or positively charged.
168
Activity 8.14 Detecting whether a body is charged or not

Charge a glass rod by rubbing with silk clothes. Bring the charged rod
near to the cap of a neutral electroscope without touching. The leaves of
the neutral electroscope will diverge to show that the nearby rod is
charged. The leaves will not show any deflection when uncharged rod is
brought near to the cap of the neutral electroscope.
Fig 8.15 Deflected leaves of an electroscope
Activity 8.15 Detecting the sign of charges on a charged body

i. An electroscope must be charged first to use it to detect the sign of
charges on a charged body. A neutral electroscope does not help us to
detect the sign of charge on a charged body.
ii. Charge the electroscope negatively by touching its cap with a negatively
charged rod. Then bring another charged rod whose sign is not known
near the cap of the charged electroscope without touching it.
iii. If the divergence of the leaves increases, we can conclude that the near by
charged rod have similar (--) charges as the charges of the electroscope.
But if the original divergence of the leaves decreases when the unknown
charged rod is brought near to the cap of the electroscope, then the sign
of the unknown charged body is opposite (+) to the charge of the
electroscope.
169
Unknown
Unknown
charged rod
charged rod
b) Similarly charged rod c) Oppositely charged rod

a) Charged Electroscope.
causes electroscope to causes electroscope to
increase in deflection. decrease in deflection.
Fig 8.16 Detecting the sign of unknown charged body
Project work: Making your own electroscope

Materials required:
 Small medicine bottle with plastic lid or cork.
 Aluminum foil obtained from the inside of a chewing gum or
cigarette packet.
 Copper wire (from electric wire) or paper clip.
Procedure:
1. Bend the copper wire at one end.
2. Pierce the bottle lid with the copper wire and push the wire
through it.
3. Tie the aluminum foil with silk thread or fasten it with a sellotape
4. Close the bottle with the bend of the wire at the top. This is a
locally made electroscope.
5. Use this electroscope to demonstrate the uses of electroscope.
For example, you can bring an uncharged body near the cap of a
positively or negatively charged electroscope. What do you think will
happen to the leaves? Will the leaves decrease or increase its
divergence?
170
Activity 8.16 Complete the following table considering testing

charged and uncharged bodies
Charge on Charge on unknown
Leaf divergence
electroscope body
- - Increase
- + Decrease
neutral - Decrease
+ +
+ neutral
- neutral
An increase in leaf divergence occurs when the charge on the electroscope and
the charged body are having the same sign of charge. A decrease in the leaf
divergence does not only mean the body and the electroscope are oppositely
charged. The body can also be uncharged. Hence the best test for the sign of
charge on a body is the increase in divergence of the leaf.
Activity 8.17 Identifying a material as a conductor or an insulator using an

electroscope.
Apparatus: an electroscope and different materials like plastic rod, glass rod,
wood, metallic materials like copper, tin, aluminum, etc.
Procedure: charge an electroscope (either positively or negatively)
Hold the different materials to be tested in your hand and place it on
the cap of the electroscope. (Note: the materials are not charged.)
If the leaf collapses very rapidly (immediately), the material is a good conductor.
Because the charge from the electroscope moves through the conductor to your
hand. If the leaf remains diverged as it was previously, the material is an
insulator. Because the charges from the electroscope do not move through the
insulator to your hand.
Can a conductor be charged?
As you have observed in previous pages, insulators like glass rod and plastic
rods can be easily charged.
171
Charging a conductor is possible, but not as easy as in an insulator. In a

conductor, charges spread through its body. If it is touched or held with hands,
the charges move to your hands. To avoid the flow of charges to other bodies
you can use a conductor with insulating handle, or support the conductor with
insulating stand for example, the metal rod in an electroscope is charged using
insulating materials like rubber.
8.7. Electric Current and Potential Difference

In Section 8.6 you learnt the properties of charges at rest. This section introduces
you to the properties of moving charges.
Activity 8.18
i. What is an electric current?
ii. Discuss what makes electric charges flow in a wire.
Electric current
When two oppositely charged bodies are connected by a metallic conductor a
movement of charges occurs. The electrons flow from the negatively charged
body to the positively charged body. This motion of electric charges is called
electric current.
The strength of an electric current in a conductor is determined by the number of

electrons which pass through the conductor at a point in a given time interval.
Electric current is the rate of flow of electric charge. It is the amount of

charge that flows per second.
Electric current = Charge moved Q
 I = t
Time taken
Where I is the current
Q is the amount of charge flow
t is time taken.
172
The SI unit of electric current is Ampere, symbolized by A. One ampere is equal
to one coulomb moved in one second. Here, electric charges are measured in
coulomb (C) and time in second(s).
c
1A  1
s
1 milliampere (1mA)= 0.001A

1 microampere(1µA)= 0.000001A. μ is a Greek letter, read as ‘miu’.
Electric current is measured with a device called an ammeter.
The electric current in a conductor is not visible. We can only notice its effects.
The effects of electric current are heating, lighting, magnetic, etc.
Worked examples
1. A charge of 120 C passes through a conductor every 1 minute. What is the
charge that flows every second?

Q
Q = 120 C I=? By definition I
t
120 C
t = 1 minute I= = 2A
60s
= 60 s
Therefore, the charge flow per second = 2A.
2. How much charge flows through a conductor if a current of 1.5A flows for 2
minutes?
I = 1.5 A Q=? Q = It
t = 2 minutes Q = (1.5A) (120s)
= 120 Seconds Q = 180 C
Sources of potential difference

Activity 8.19 Group discussion
i. Explain what causes water to flow from high level to low level in a pipe.
ii. Explain the importance of gravitational potential energy in water flow.
173
The potential difference between two positions causes water to flow. Similarly
charges flow because of the potential difference between two points.
We have seen that current is a flow of charge through a conductor. For charges to
flow through a conductor a source that supply energy to move charges to the end
points are necessary. The common sources of potential difference are electric
cells and generators. Battery is a combination of two or more electric cells. It is
a common source of potential difference.
 A source of potential difference provides electric current. Potential
difference is also called voltage.
 The unit of potential difference (voltage) is Volt (V)
 The instrument used for measuring potential difference is a voltmeter.
Primary and secondary cells

Activity 8.20
Collect different dry cells from your locality. Study the types and value of
potential difference of each cell.
Of all the sources of potential differences, the most widely available is the
chemical cells. Chemical cells change chemical energy into electrical energy.
Electric cells are of two types: primary and secondary cells.
1. Primary cells are cells which can produce current as a result of chemical
changes taking place between their various components. Once they are used
exhaustively they cannot be used again. Example of this type is a dry cell. A
dry cell has two terminals labeled as ‘+’ and ‘‘. The potential difference
between these terminals is 1.5 volt (1.5V). Two or more dry cells are
connected in series to obtain greater potential difference. 3 dry cells
connected in series give 4.5V.
2. Secondary cells can be recharged and used again and again. A typical
example of this type is car battery. They are also known as storage cells or
accumulators.
174
Check point 8.7

1. What is an electric current?
2. List some sources of potential difference.
3. What is the difference between primary and secondary cells?
4. A current of 90 milliAmpere (mA) flows for 150 s. What amount of
charge are transferred during this time?
8.8. Electric Circuit

Electric current needs a complete path to flow from one point to another. A
complete path through which electric current flows is called an electric circuit.
A simple electric circuit is constructed from a source of potential difference, a
device, and a switch. These elements are connected to each other by connecting
wires. See Fig 8.17.
Bulb
+ ---
Switch
Fig 8.17 Simple electric circuit
Fig 8.18 Electric current drawn with symbols

175
Items Symbols
Switch
Cell
Battery
Lamp
Resistor
V 
+
Voltmeter
A 
+
Ammeter
Crossing wires
Joined wires
Fig 8.19. Symbols of elements of an electric circuit
Direction of electric current

Electric current has a certain direction of flow in an electric circuit. This
direction is determined by the type of charged particles flowing through the
circuit. Suppose the end points of a metallic conductor are connected to the two
terminals of a source of potential difference, the free electrons of the conductor
move from the negative to the positive terminal of the source across the
conductor.
Electron current is the flow of electrons from the negative terminal to a positive
terminal of the source. The direction of electric current is the direction in which
electrons are actually moving.
However, before the discovery of Conventional current

electrons as moving particles, it was
assumed that current is the flow of + 
positively charged particles from Electron Current
positive terminal to negative terminal.
Fig 8.20 Direction of electric current
This kind of current is called conventional current. It is in opposite direction to
that of electron current. Thus, conventional current is the agreed direction of
176
electric current in a circuit, and this current direction is consistently used in this
and other physics books.
Conductors and Insulators

Conductors are materials made up of atoms with a large number of free
electrons. Free electrons are in the outer most orbit of an atom. They are free to
move because they are far from the nucleus. Consequently the flow of charges
(electrons) is possible through conductors. Conductors are materials that allow
an electric current to flow through them. Opposite to conductor we have
insulators. Insulators have few free electrons or no free electron. Thus, the flow
of charges through them is highly restricted. Insulators are materials that do not
allow an electric current to pass through them.
A simple electric circuit is used as a tester to check whether a material is a
conductor or insulator.
Activity 8.21
To test whether materials are conductors or insulators.
Materials required:- a simple circuit with a bulb, connecting wires, dry cells,
different materials to be tested
- Example, metallic materials, wood, plastic, cloth, , etc.
Procedure:
1) Arrange the circuit as shown in Fig 8.21
2) Put the different materials between points A and B and observe what happens
to the bulb. Check whether the bulb gives light or not. Complete the following
table by writing “gives light, do not give light”
materials Gives light No light
Rubber rod
metallic materials
wood
plastic
Cloth
Water
3) classify materials that give light as conductors and those which don’t give light
as insulators
177
Bulb
Battery A
Gap
B
Fig 8.21 Simple circuit as a tester
Check point 8.8

1. What is an electric circuit?
2. List the elements of simple electric circuit. (Draw a simple electric
circuit using symbols).
3. Define conductors and insulators. (Give examples of each.)
4. Explain the way to identify a material as a conductor or an insulator
using a simple circuit.
178
Summary
In this unit you learnt that

 a magnet attracts irons and nickels. Magnets can be categorized in to
two main types. Natural and artificial magnets. A magnet has two
poles. The North Pole and the South Pole. Magnetic Poles can never
be separated by breaking a magnet into pieces. The law of magnetism
is stated as: Like poles of a magnet repel each other and un-like poles
attract each other.
 we can produce a magnet, but the period of permanency depends up
on the type of the stroked metal.
 a suspended magnet called a compass always rests in north – south
direction, due to the magnetic effect of the earth. Materials which are
attracted by a magnet are called magnetic materials. And the materials
which are not attracted by a magnet are called non- magnetic
materials.
 electrostatics is the study of electric charges at rest. It is the basis of
the study of electricity. Friction causes charges to transfer from one
body to another body. The process of charging materials by friction is
called charging by rubbing. The law of electrostatic is stated as: like
charges repel and un-like charges attract each other.
 discharging is the process of removing charges from a charged body.
 electrons carry negative charges, protons carry positive charges and
neutrons carry no charge and it is called a neutral particle.
 a device which detects the presence of charges on an object is called
an electroscope. The study of electric charges is best illustrated by an
electroscope.
 electric current is the time rate of flow of charge. The SI unit of current
is Ampere (A). Conventional current flows from the positive (+)
terminal to the negative (-) terminal of the source while electron
current flows from the (-) terminal to the (+) terminal of the source.
 current and voltage are measured with an instrument called Ammeter
and Voltmeter respectively. The unit of voltage or potential difference
(P.D) is Volt. (V)
179

1.
1. Magnetic poles always appear in pair.

2. Iron and nickel are examples of magnetic materials.
3. The two ends of a magnet are called magnetic poles.
4. Two similar magnetic poles attract each other
5. If one end of an iron bar attracts one pole of a compass needle,
then the iron bar must be a magnet.
II. Match the terms in column A with the phrases in column B.

A B
1. Electron current a) device used to identify whether a body is
charged or not
2. Law of electrostatic b) flow of electrons from – terminal to
+ terminal.
3. Electroscope c) unlike charges attract each other and like
charges, repel each other
4. Coulomb/ second d) unit of electric potential difference
5. Volt e) Ampere.
III. Multiple choice question- chose the best answer among the given
alternative answers.
1. Which of the following devices consists of a magnet
a) Telephone c) electric motor
b) radio d) all of the above
2. Which one of the followings can be picked up by a magnet.
a) Iron and Steel c) wood
b) plastic d) all non metals
3. Which of the following substances cannot be magnetized?
a) Iron b) nickel c) Aluminum
4. The Magnetic attraction is greater
a) At the middle c) a and b
b) at the poles d) none
180
5. Magnets are made of ________
a) Iron c) a and b
b) steel d) copper
6. Which one of the follow diagrams represents a battery?
a) c)
b) d)
7. Which one of the following instruments measure electric current?

a) Voltmeter c) electroscope
b) Ammeter d) electric cur
8. A pith ball is positively charged. What happens when a negatively
charged body is brought near to it?
a) They repel each other.
b) They attract each other.
c) Share their charges and remain neutral
d) Nothing happens.
IV. Fill in the blanks with a correct word or words.

1. Like poles ______ each other and unlike poles _______ each other.
2. ________ is a natural magnet.
3. Artificial magnets are made of _______ or ______.
4. We call the ends of the magnets _______.
5. Magnets are made in the shape of _________, ________ , ____ etc.
6. _______ are materials that allow electric current to pass through them.
7. ________ is the rate of flow of electric charges through a point.
8. Charging by sharing is called ________.
9. A body is said to be ________ charged if it gains electrons.
10. A neutral sub atomic particle is called ________.
V. Questions
1. How do you know which end of a magnet is North Pole?
2. State the law of magnetism.
3. What are the essential parts of an electroscope?
4. What is meant by a non magnetic material?
181
5. Name three common magnetic materials.
6. Mention some applications of a magnet in our daily life.
7. What is measured in a) coulomb and b) ampere?
8. What is the electric current when 10 coulombs of charges pass a point
in 2 second?
9. What are the amounts of charges that pass a point if 4 Amperes flows
for 3 seconds?
10. Explain the difference between a conductor and an insulator of
electric current.
11. Take a hand torch and study parts of its electric circuit. Draw the
circuit diagram of a torch.
12. What are essential parts of an electroscope? Draw an electroscope
and label it.
13. What is the difference between conventional current and electron
current?
14. How do charges transfer from one body to another?
15. You know that when you comb your hair, charges will be transferred
from the hair to the comb. What is the charge on the comb and your
hair after combing?
16. If you rub a balloon with wool or duster you can charge it negatively.
Where do these extra charges come from?
17. State what happens when.
a) A glass rod is rubbed with fur.
b) This glass rod is touched with your finger
182

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Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

UNIT 1: PHYSICS AND MEASUREMENT

1.1 Definition of Physics ..................................................... 3

2.1 Definition of Motion ..................................................... 25

UNIT 3: FORCE AND NEWTON’S LAWS OF MOTION

3.1 Force ........................................................................... 49

4.1 Work ............................................................................. 76

UNIT 5. SIMPLE MACHINES

5.1 Definition of machines ............................................... 93

Summary .......................................................................... 112

UNIT 6.TEMPERATURE AND HEAT

6.1 Definition of Temperature ....................................... 115

Summary .......................................................................... 132

Summary .......................................................................... 147

UNIT 8. ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM

The outcomes of the lesson are listed at the beginning. Basic

a) What is the distance between A and B?

b) What is the length of block A (LA = ?)

c) What is the length of block B (LB = ?)

d) What is the length of blocks A and B (LA +LB) = ?

Discuss the following questions in a group.

In a simple term, science is the study of the world

Chart 1. Classification of science

Physics Chemistry Biology

1.1 Definition of Physics

Hence, physics is the branch of natural science. It is the study of the

Fig1.1 Some known physicists and their works

Mention at least five areas of study or topics

b) Purposes of studying physics

The following are some specific purposes of studying physics

Generally studying physics helps you to:

c) Areas of study where physics does not address

d) The main goal of the study of physics

e) Relationship of physics to other sciences and disciplines

g) Relationship of physics to engineering and technology

Engineers are technologists who design, construct and assemble products.

Products of engineers can be judged on six criteria. These are:

Check point 1.1

1.2 Standardization and Measurement

i. Measure the length and width of this textbook.

i. What traditional measuring units do you know that are used to

i. Select friends who are shorter and taller than you.

The development of science and technology

Quantities that can be measured directly or indirectly are known as physical

Physical quantities are The measured values of physical quantities are

Physical quantities are classified into two:

Fundamental physical quantities: are those quantities which can be measured

Derived physical quantities: are quantities that can be measured indirectly.

Scalar and vector quantities

A scalar quantity is a physical quantity which has only a magnitude.

A vector quantity is a physical quantity which has both magnitude and

Displacement, velocity and force are some examples of a vector quantity.

Check point 1.2

Scalar Quantities Vector Quantities

1.3 Measuring Length, Mass and Time

• What is the height and width of the blackboard?

Length is one of the fundamental (basic) physical quantities that describes

a) Ruler b) Tape Measure c) Carpenter Rule d) Vernier Caliper

Form a group with your classmates and do the following activities.