Newton’s Second Law

Force and Acceleration

 Remember the formula for
acceleration?
 Change in Velocity/Change in Time
 The Greater the force applied to an
object, the greater its acceleration will
be.
Force and Mass
 If you throw a softball and a baseball
as hard as you can, why don’t they
have the same speed?
 Answer  The baseball has less
mass.
 Acceleration depends on mass and
the force exerted on it.
2nd Law of Motion
 Describes how force, mass, and
acceleration are connected.
 Acceleration can be determined by
two things:
3. Size of the net force
4. Mass of the object
Using Newton’s 2nd Law
 Acceleration = net force
mass
 Another way of saying it is…
Force = mass x acceleration (F=ma)
Friction
 This is the force that opposes motion
between two surfaces that are
touching each other.
 Depends on two things:
3. Type of surface
4. Force pressing surfaces together
What Causes Friction?
 Microwelds – bumps that stick out of
objects.
 When these bumps stick together,
friction occurs.
 The stronger the force, the more the
bumps will come into contact.
There are 3 types of Friction:
2. Static

3. Sliding

4. Rolling
Static Friction
 The friction between two surfaces that
are not moving past each other.
 Ex. Box with a lot of books.
- The box will not be moved easily
because static friction cancels the
applied force.
Sliding Friction
 This is the force that opposes motion
of 2 surfaces sliding past each other.
 It is formed by microwelds breaking
and forming over again as an object
slides.
Rolling Friction
 This is the friction between a rolling
object and the surface it rolls on.
** Much less static than sliding friction **
 Also formed by breaking and reforming
of microwelds.
Air Resistance
 This is the resistant force to gravity.
 As an object is pulled down by gravity,
air resistance counteracts it (pushes
up).
 Ex. Dropping a crumpled piece of
paper and a flat piece of paper.
 The more surface area an object has,
the more air resistance.
 Terminal Velocity
 This is the highest velocity that a
falling object will reach.