Key term
OCR A-Level Physical Education H555
Skeletal and Muscular Systems
The Cardiovascular System
The Respiratory System
Energy for Exercise
Environmental Effects on Body Systems
Diet, Nutrition and Ergogenic Aids
Aerobic Training
Strength and Flexibility Training
Periodisation of Training
Training and Lifestyle Diseases
Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
Biomechanical Principles and Levers
Linear and Angular Motion
Fluid Mechanics and Projectile Motion
Skill Classification, Practice and Transfer
Theories and Stages of Learning
Guidance and Feedback
Memory Models
Personality and Attitudes
Motivation and Arousal
Anxiety
Aggression
Social Facilitation and Group Dynamics
Goal Setting
Attribution
Confidence and Self-Efficacy
Leadership
Stress Management
Sport in Pre-Industrial and Industrial Britain
Sport in the 20th and 21st Centuries
The Olympic Games and Global Sporting Events
Drugs in Sport
Violence and Gambling in Sport
Commercialisation and the Media
Routes to Sporting Excellence
Biomechanical Principles and Levers
- 5 subtopics
- 15 things to know
- Component 01
What Biomechanical Principles and Levers covers
Biomechanical Principles and Levers is examined in Component 01, Physiological factors affecting performance. It covers Newton's laws and force calculations, forces and free body diagrams, centre of mass and stability, levers and mechanical advantage and limb kinematics, force plates and wind tunnels.
Where it is assessed
Component 01
Physiological factors affecting performance, a 2 hour paper worth 30% of the A Level.
Check the OCR specification ↗The 5 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Newton's laws and force calculationsNewton's first, second and third laws with a penalty kick, a hockey strike, a sprint start and a swimmer, inertia, F = ma, weight, momentum and worked calculations for a sprinter, a rugby player and a cyclist.Open →
- Forces and free body diagramsNet force, balanced and unbalanced forces, weight, reaction, friction and its factors, sprint spikes and curling, air resistance and headwinds, and free body diagrams of a sprinter accelerating, running steadily and slowing.Open →
- Centre of mass and stabilityCentre of mass and how it moves, the Fosbury flop, sex differences, stability and the height of the centre of mass, the base of support, line of gravity and body mass, the sprint set position and the goalkeeper's ready position.Open →
- Levers and mechanical advantageThe fulcrum, effort, load, effort arm and load arm, first-, second- and third-class levers at the elbow and ankle, mechanical advantage and its equation, a worked ankle calculation, and the trade-offs of each class.Open →
- Limb kinematics, force plates and wind tunnelsLimb kinematics and how the data is collected, its use and limitations, force plates for sprint starts, long jumpers and injury risk, and wind tunnels for track cyclists and ski jumpers.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
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What is friction, which way does it act on a sprinter's foot, and what affects its size?
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Define centre of mass.
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Name the five components of a lever system.
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What is limb kinematics?
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State Newton's first law of motion.
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What is net force?
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Why does a performer's centre of mass move during a movement?
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What are the fulcrum, effort and load in a lever of the body?
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How is limb kinematic data collected?
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How does Newton's first law apply to a penalty kick in football?
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What happens to a body's motion when the forces acting on it are balanced?
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What happens to a gymnast's centre of mass when both arms are raised above the head?
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Define the effort arm and the load arm.
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How can limb kinematics improve a runner's technique?
Take Biomechanical Principles and Levers further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Mass vs Weight
Mass: the quantity of matter a body contains. Weight: the gravitational pull of the Earth on a body.
Inertia vs Momentum
Inertia: resistance of a body to a change in its state of motion. Momentum: the quantity of motion a moving body possesses.
First-class lever vs Third-class lever
First-class lever: a system with the fulcrum between the effort and the load. Third-class lever: a system with the effort between the fulcrum and the load.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
State Newton's first law of motion.
Model answer
A body stays at rest or keeps moving at constant velocity unless an external unbalanced force acts on it. Newton's first law is the law of inertia.
- 2
How does Newton's first law apply to a penalty kick in football?
Model answer
The ball stays at rest on the spot until the kicker's foot applies a force. The ball then keeps moving until another force, such as the goalkeeper's hands, changes its velocity.
- 3
What is inertia?
Model answer
Inertia is the resistance of a body to a change in its state of motion. A body with a greater mass has greater inertia.
- 4
Why does a 120 kg prop need a larger force to get moving than a 75 kg scrum-half?
Model answer
The prop has a greater mass and so a greater inertia. A larger force is needed to overcome that inertia and accelerate the prop.
- 5
State Newton's second law of motion.
Model answer
The rate of change of momentum of a body is proportional to the force applied. The change takes place in the direction in which the force acts.
- 6
Give the equation that links force, mass and acceleration, with units.
Model answer
Force equals mass multiplied by acceleration, F = ma. Force is in newtons (N), mass in kilograms (kg) and acceleration in m s⁻².
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Biomechanical Principles and Levers revision questions
- What does Biomechanical Principles and Levers cover in OCR A-Level Physical Education?
- 5 subtopics: newton's laws and force calculations, forces and free body diagrams, centre of mass and stability, levers and mechanical advantage and limb kinematics, force plates and wind tunnels. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Biomechanical Principles and Levers organised?
- By the OCR H555 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Biomechanical Principles and Levers, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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