Newton’s Laws:

Force and Motion

 The First Law: Force and Inertia

 The Second Law: Force, Mass and Acceleration

 The Third Law: Action and Reaction

 Objectives
 Describe how the law of inertia affects the motion of an object.
 Give an example of a system or invention designed to overcome inertia.
 Measure and describe force in newtons (N) and pounds (lb).
 Calculate the net force for two or more forces acting along the same line.
 Calculate the acceleration of an object from the net force acting on it.
 Determine whether an object is in equilibrium by analyzing the forces acting
on it.
 Draw a diagram showing an action-reaction pair of forces.
 Determine the reaction force when given an action force.
Force
 Force is an action that can change motion.
 A force is what we call a push or a pull, or any action
that has the ability to change an object’s motion.
 Forces can be used to increase the speed of an object,
decrease the speed of an object, or change the
direction in which an object is moving.
Inertia
 Inertia is a term used to measure the ability of an object to
resist a change in its state of motion.
 An object with a lot of inertia takes a lot of force to start
or stop; an object with a small amount of inertia requires
a small amount of force to start or stop.
 The word “inertia” comes from the Latin word inertus,
which can be translated to mean “lazy.”
The Laws of Motion
 Newton’s first law

 Force

 Mass

 Newton’s second law

 Newton’s third law

 Examples
Isaac Newton’s work represents one of the
greatest contributions to science ever made by
an individual.
08/07/23
Dynamics
 Describes the relationship between the motion of objects
in our everyday world and the forces acting on them

 Language of Dynamics
 Force: The measure of interaction between two objects
(pull or push). It is a vector quantity – it has a magnitude
and direction
 Mass: The measure of how difficult it is to change
object’s velocity (sluggishness or inertia of the object)

08/07/23
Forces
 The measure of interaction
between two objects (pull or
push)
 Vector quantity: has magnitude
and direction
 May be a contact force or a field
force
 Contact forces result from physical
contact between two objects
 Field forces act between
disconnected objects
 Also called “action at a distance”

08/07/23
Forces
 Gravitational Force

 Archimedes Force

 Friction Force

 Tension Force

 Spring Force

 Normal Force

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Vector Nature of Force

 Vector force: has magnitude and direction

 Net Force:a resultant

 force
 acting
 on object
Fnet   F  F1  F2  F3  ......

 You must use the rules of vector addition to obtain

the net force on an object  2 2
| F | F1  F2  2.24 N
F1
  tan 1 ( )  26.6
F2

08/07/23
 Newton’s First Law
 An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an
object in motion tends to stay in motion with the
same speed and in the same direction unless
acted upon by an unbalanced force

 An object at rest remains at rest as long as no net force acts on it

 An object moving with constant velocity continues to move with the
same speed and in the same direction (the same velocity) as long
as no net force acts on it
 “Keep on doing what it is doing”

08/07/23
 Newton’s First Law
 An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an
object in motion tends to stay in motion with the
same speed and in the same direction unless
acted upon by an unbalanced force

 When forces are balanced, the acceleration of the object is zero

 Object at rest: v = 0 and a = 0
 Object in motion: v  0 and a = 0

 The net force is defined as the vector sum of all the external forces
exerted on the object. If the net force is zero, forces are balanced.
When forces are balances, the object can be stationary, or move
with constant velocity.

08/07/23
Newton's First Law

 Can you explain why the long table would make

the trick hard to do?
 Newton’s Second Law
 The acceleration of an object is directly
proportional to the net force acting on it
and inversely proportional to its mass

 

a
F

Fnet
m m
  
Fnet   F  ma

08/07/23
Units of Force
 Newton’s second law:
  
Fnet   F  ma
kg m
1N 1 2
 SI unit of force is a Newton (N) s

08/07/23
More about Newton’s 2nd Law
 You must be certain about which body we are applying it to

 Fnet must be the vector sum of all the forces that act on that
body
 Only forces that act on that body are to be included in the
vector sum
 Net force component along an

axis gives rise to the acceleration

Fnetthat
along ma x axisFnet , y  ma y
, x  same

08/07/23
Gravitational Force
 Gravitational force is a vector

 Expressed by Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation:

mM
Fg  G 2
 G – gravitational constant R
 M – mass of the Earth
 m – mass of an object
 R – radius of the Earth

 Direction: pointing downward 08/07/23

Weight
 The magnitude of the gravitational force acting on an object
of mass m near the Earth’s surface is called the weight w of
the object: w = mg

 g can also be found from the Law of Universal Gravitation

 Weight has a unit of N

mM
Fg  G 2 w  Fg  m g
R
M
g  G 2  9 .8 m/s 2
R location
 Weight depends upon
R = 6,400 km
08/07/23
Normal Force

 Force from a solid

surface which keeps
object from falling w  Fg  m g

through

 Direction: always
perpendicular to the
surface N  Fg  m a y
N  mg  may
 Magnitude: depends on
N  mg
situation
08/07/23
Tension Force: T

 A taut rope exerts forces on

whatever holds its ends

 Direction: always along the

cord (rope, cable, string
……) and away from the
object T1
T1 = T = T2
 Magnitude: depend on T2
situation

08/07/23
The Second Law:
Force, Mass, and Acceleration

Investigation Key Question:

 What is the relationship between

force, mass, and acceleration?
Newton's Second Law

 If you apply
more force to
an object, it
accelerates at
a higher rate.
Newton's Second Law
 If the same force is
applied to an object
with greater mass,
the object
accelerates at a
slower rate because
mass adds inertia.
The definition of force
 The simplest concept of force is a push or a
pull.

 On a deeper level, force is the action that has

the ability to create or change motion.
 In the English system,
the unit of force, the
pound, was originally
defined by gravity.
 The metric definition of
force depends on the
acceleration per unit of
mass.
Newton's Second Law
 A force of one newton is exactly the amount of force
needed to cause a mass of one kilogram to accelerate
at one m/s2.

 We call the unit of force the newton (N).

 Newton's Second Law

Force (newtons, N)
Acceleration (m/sec2) a=F
m
Mass (kg)
Using the second law of motion
 The force F that appears in the second law is the net
force.

 There are often many forces acting on the same

object.

 Acceleration results from the combined action of all

the forces that act on an object.

 When used this way, the word net means “total.”

Converting Newtons and pounds

 A force of one pound is equal to about 4.448

newtons.
Using the second law of motion
 To solve problems with multiple forces, you
have to add up all the forces to get a single net
force before you can calculate any resulting
acceleration.
 Calculating acceleration
A cart rolls down a ramp. Using a
spring scale, you measure a net force
of 2 newtons pulling the car down.
The cart has a mass of 500 grams (0.5
kg). Calculate the acceleration of the
cart.
1. You are asked for the acceleration (a).
2. You are given mass (m) and force (F).
3. Newton’s second law applies: a = F ÷ m
4. Plug in numbers. (Remember: 1 N = 1 kg·m/s2)
Newton's Second Law
Three forms of the second law:
 Finding the acceleration
of moving objects
 The word dynamics refers to problems
involving motion.

 In dynamics problems, the second law is often

used to calculate the acceleration of an object
when you know the force and mass.
 Direction of acceleration
 Speed increases when
the net force is in the
same direction as the
motion.

 Speed decreases when

the net force is in the
opposite direction as the
motion.
 Positive and negative acceleration
 We often use positive and negative numbers to show
the direction of force and acceleration.

 A common choice is to make velocity, force, and

acceleration positive when they point to the right.
 Acceleration from multiple forces
Three people are pulling on a wagon
applying forces of 100 N, 150 N, and
200 N. Determine the acceleration and
the direction the wagon moves. The
wagon has a mass of 25 kilograms.

1. You are asked for the acceleration (a) and direction

2. You are given the forces (F) and mass (m).

3. The second law relates acceleration to force and mass: a = F ÷ m

4. Assign positive and negative directions. Calculate the net force then use the
second law to determine the acceleration from the net force and the mass.
Finding force from acceleration
 Wherever there is acceleration there must also
be force.

 Any change in the motion of an object results

from acceleration.

 Therefore, any change in motion must be

caused by force.
 Calculating force
An airplane needs to accelerate at 5 m/sec2
to reach take-off speed before reaching the
end of the runway. The mass of the
airplane is 5,000 kilograms. How much
force is needed from the engine?

1. You asked for the force (F).

2. You are given the mass (m) and acceleration (a).

3. The second law applies: a = F ÷ m

4. Plug in the numbers. Remember: 1 N = 1 kg·m/s2.

 Calculating force
A tennis ball contacts the racquet for much less
than one second. High-speed photographs show
that the speed of the ball changes from -30 to +30
m/sec in 0.006 seconds. If the mass of the ball is
0.2 kg, how much force is applied by the racquet?
Equilibrium
 The condition of zero acceleration is called
equilibrium.

 In equilibrium, all forces cancel out leaving

zero net force.

 Objects that are standing still are in

equilibrium because their acceleration is
zero.
Equilibrium
 Objects that are moving at
constant speed and direction
are also in equilibrium.

 A static problem usually

means there is no motion.
 Calculating force
A woman is holding two dogs on a leash. If
each dog pulls with a force of 80 newtons,
how much force does the woman have to
exert to keep the dogs from moving?

1. You are asked for force (F).

2. You are given two 80 N forces and the fact that the dogs are not
moving (a = 0).
3. Newton’s second law says the net force must be zero if the
acceleration is zero.
4. The woman must exert a force equal and opposite to the sum of
the forces from the two dogs.
The Third Law: Action and
Reaction
Investigation Key Question:

Can you identify action-reaction forces?

The Third Law: Action and Reaction

 “For every action there is an equal

and opposite reaction.”

 This statement is known as

Newton’s third law of motion.

 Newton’s third law discusses pairs

of objects and the interactions
between them.
Forces occur in pairs
 The astronauts working on the space station have a serious
problem when they need to move around in space: There is
nothing to push on.

 One solution is to throw something opposite the direction you

want to move.
Forces occur in pairs
 The two forces in a pair are
called action and reaction.
 Anytime you have one, you
also have the other.
 If you know the strength of one
you also know the strength of
the other since both forces are
always equal.
Newton's Third Law
 Newton’s third law states that
for every action force there has
to be a reaction force that is
equal in strength and opposite
in direction.
 Action and reaction forces act
on different objects, not on the
same object.
Newton's Third Law
 Newton’s third law states that for every action force
there has to be a reaction force that is equal in
strength and opposite in direction.
 Action and reaction forces act on different objects, not
on the same object.
 The forces cannot cancel because they act on different
objects.
 Newton’s Third Law
 If object 1 and object 2 interact, the force
exerted by object 1 on object 2 is equal in
magnitude but opposite in direction to the
force exerted by object 2 on object 1

 
Fon A   Fon B

 Equivalent to saying a single isolated force cannot exist

Feb. 11-15, 2013
 Newton’s Third Law cont.

 F12 may be called the

action force and F21 the
reaction force
 Actually, either force can be
the action or the reaction
force

 The action and reaction

forces act on different
objects

Feb. 11-15, 2013

Some Action-Reaction Pairs

mM
Fg  G
R2

GM
Fg  mg  m 2
mM R
Fg  G 2 Gm
R Fg  Ma  M 2
R

Feb. 11-15, 2013

 Free Body Diagram
 The most important step in
solving problems involving F hand on book
Newton’s Laws is to draw the
free body diagram

 Be sure to include only the forces

acting on the object of interest
F Earth on book
 Include any field forces acting on
the object

 Do not assume the normal force

equals the weight

Feb. 11-15, 2013

Hints for Problem-Solving
 Read the problem carefully at least once

 Draw a picture of the system, identify the object of primary interest, and
indicate forces with arrows
 Label each force in the picture in a way that will bring to mind what physical
quantity the label stands for (e.g., T for tension)
 Draw a free-body diagram of the object of interest, based on the labeled picture.
If additional objects are involved, draw separate free-body diagram for them
 Choose a convenient coordinate system for each object

 Apply Newton’s second law. The x- and y-components of Newton second law
should be taken from the vector equation and written individually. This often
results in two equations and two unknowns
 Solve for the desired unknown quantity, and substitute the numbers
Fnet , x  ma x Fnet , y  ma y
Feb. 11-15, 2013
Objects in Equilibrium

 Objects that are either at rest or moving with

constant velocity are said to be in equilibrium

 of an object can be modeled as zero:

 Acceleration
a0
 Mathematically, the net force acting on the object is
zero F  0
 Equivalent to the set of component equations given
by

F x 0 F y 0
Feb. 11-15, 2013
Equilibrium, Example 1
 A lamp is suspended from a
chain of negligible mass

 The forces acting on the lamp

are
 the downward force of gravity
 the upward tension in the chain

 Applying equilibrium gives

F y  0  T  Fg  0  T  Fg
Feb. 11-15, 2013
Equilibrium, Example 2
 A traffic light weighing 100 N hangs from a vertical cable tied
to two other cables that are fastened to a support. The upper
cables make angles of 37° and 53° with the horizontal. Find
the tension in each of the three cables.
 Conceptualize the traffic light
 Assume cables don’t break
 Nothing is moving
 Categorize as an equilibrium problem
 No movement, so acceleration is zero
 Model as an object in equilibrium

F x 0 F y 0
Feb. 11-15, 2013
 Equilibrium, Example 2
 Need 2 free-body diagrams
 Apply equilibrium equation to light
F
 Fy  0  T3  Fg  0 y  0  T3  Fg  0
T3  Fg  100 N
T3  Fg  100 N
 Apply equilibrium equations to knot

F x  T1x  T2 x  T1 cos 37  T2 cos 53  0

F y  T1 y  T2 y  T3 y
 T1 sin 37  T2 sin 53  100 N  0
 cos 37 
T2  T1    1.33T1
 
 cos 53 
T1  60 N T2  1.33T1  80 N

Feb. 11-15, 2013

Accelerating Objects
 If an object that can be modeled as a particle
experiences an acceleration, there must be a nonzero
net force acting on it
 
 Draw a free-body diagram  F  ma
 Apply Newton’s Second Law in component form

F x  ma x
F y  ma y
Feb. 11-15, 2013
Accelerating Objects, Example 1
 A man weighs himself with a scale in an elevator. While the
elevator is at rest, he measures a weight of 800 N.
 What weight does the scale read if the elevator accelerates upward at
2.0 m/s2? a = 2.0 m/s2
 What weight does the scale read if the elevator accelerates downward
at 2.0 m/s2? a = - 2.0 m/s2
 Upward: F y  N  mg  ma N
N  mg  ma  m( g  a ) N  80(2.0  9.8)  624 N
N
w 800 N
m 
g 9.8 m/s 2
 80 N N  mg
 Downward: N  80( 2.0  9.8)  624 N
N  mg mg mg
Feb. 11-15, 2013
N  80(2.0  9.8)  1560 N
 Calculating force
Three people are each applying 250 newtons of force to try
to move a heavy cart. The people are standing on a rug.
Someone nearby notices that the rug is slipping. How much
force must be applied to the rug to keep it from slipping?
Sketch the action and reaction forces acting between the
people and the cart and between the people and the rug.
Locomotion
 The act of moving or the ability to move from one
place to another is called locomotion.

 Any animal or machine that moves depends on

Newton’s third law to get around.

 When we walk, we push off the ground and move

forward because of the ground pushing back on us in
the opposite direction.
Locomotion
 Jets, planes, and
helicopters push air.
 In a helicopter, the
blades of the propeller
are angled such that
when they spin, they
push the air molecules
down.
 Biomechanics is the science of how physics is applied to muscles
and motion.
 Many athletes use principles of biomechanics to improve their
performance.
 People who design sports equipment use biomechanics to achieve
the best performance by matching the equipment design to the
athlete’s body.
 Spacecraft Charging
 Attitude Control
 Rocket/ Launching