positive direction
What positive direction means in Physics GCSE, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of positive direction
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Reference: AQA
A direction chosen and stated first, so that forces the other way are treated as negative and the sign of the answer tells you the direction of the resultant.
The way you decide to call positive before calculating, so forces pointing that way count as positive and forces the other way as negative.
Topics that use positive direction
- Contact and non-contact forces (AQA GCSE)
- Resultant forces (AQA GCSE)
Related terms
- acting on different objects
- attraction and repulsion
- balanced forces
- combining forces
- contact forces
- effect on normal contact force
- electrostatic force
- equal and opposite
Using positive direction in the exam
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