Newton’s Laws of Motion: Practice Name: ___________________

Newton’s Second Law of Motion states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force on the object and
inversely proportional to the mass of the object. This is often written simply as the equation F = ma, where F is the net force, m is
the mass of the object, and a is the object’s acceleration. The acceleration is always in the same direction as the unbalanced
m
force. Recall that Force is measured in units of Newtons (N), where N=kg ∙
s2
Sample Problem: Astronauts are conducting an experiment on the moon. They find that a bowling ball of mass 7kg is pulled
down to the surface of the moon with a net force of -11.2N. What is the acceleration due to gravity on the moon?

Mass: 7kg Net Force: -11.2N Acceleration: m/s2

We use the circle chart at the right to solve for acceleration: a=
F
m
where F = -11.2 N and m = 7kg.
Fa
m
F −11.2 N
a= =
m 7 kg
m
a=−1.6 2
s
Solve the following problems. SHOW ALL WORK. Be sure ALL numbers have the correct units!
1. The gravitational force that Earth exerts on the moon is 2.03 x 10 20 N. The moon’s mass is 7.35 x 1022 kg. What is the
acceleration of the moon due to Earth’s gravitational pull?
Mass: ________ Net Force: _________ Acceleration: __________

2. Assume that a catcher in a professional baseball game exerts a force of -65.0 N to stop the ball. If the baseball has a mass
of 0.145 kg, what is its acceleration as it is being caught?
Mass: _________ Net Force: _________ Acceleration: ___________

3. A 214 kg boat is sinking in the ocean. The force of gravity that draws the boat down is partially offset by the buoyant force of
the water, so that the net unbalanced force on the boat is -1310 N. What is the acceleration of the boat?
Mass: _________ Net Force: _________ Acceleration: ___________

4. A freight train slows down as it approaches a train yard. If a force of -3.8 x 10 6 N is required to provide an acceleration of
-0.33 m/s2 what is the train’s mass?
Mass: __________ Net Force: __________ Acceleration: __________

5. A house is lifted from its foundations onto a truck for relocation. The unbalanced force lifting the house is 2850 N. This force
causes the house to move from rest to an upward speed of 0.15 m/s in 5.0 s. What is the mass of the house?
Mass: __________ Net Force: ____________ Acceleration: ___________

6. Because of a frictional force of 2.6 N, a force of 2.8 N must be applied to a textbook in order to slide it along the surface of a
wooden table. The book accelerates at a rate of 0.11 m/s 2.
a. What is the unbalanced (net) force on the book?

Net Force: ________

b. What is the mass of the book?

7. In drag racing, acceleration is more important than speed, and therefore drag racers are designed to provide high
accelerations. Suppose a drag racer has a mass of 1250 kg and accelerates at a constant rate of 16.5 m/s 2. How large is the
unbalanced force acting on the racer?
Mass: _________ Net Force: _________ Acceleration: ___________
8. The largest acceleration that a human has ever endured occurred when a race car accidentally crashed into a wall. The car
was traveling at a speed of 48 m/s when it hit the wall. The car came to a complete stop 0.0272s later.
a. What was the car’s acceleration?

Acceleration: __________
b. What was the car’s acceleration in “g’s”? Hint: A “g” is the acceleration due to gravity, 9.8 m/s 2.

Acceleration: _________ g’s

c. If the driver had a mass of 70kg, what was the net force on his body during the crash?

Net Force: ____________

9. A 4600 kg helicopter accelerates upward at 2.0 m/s2. Assume that there is no air resistance. The helicopter is lifted by the air
on the propellers.
a. Draw a free-body diagram for the helicopter.

b. Find the net force of the helicopter using Newton’s 2nd Law.

Net Force: ____________

c. What is the helicopter’s weight?

Weight: _____________
d. What is lift-force exerted by the air on the propellers?

Lift-force: _______________
10. A racecar has a mass of 710 kg. It starts from rest and travels 40.0m in 3.0s. The car is uniformly accelerated during the
entire time.
a. What is the car’s acceleration?

Acceleration: _______________
b. What net force is acting on the car?
Net Force: _______________
11. Suppose that a 1000 kg car is traveling at 25 m/s (≈55 mph). Its brakes can apply a force of 5000N.
a. What is the car’s maximum acceleration due to braking?

b. What is the minimum distance required for the car to stop? (Hint: use the formula for braking distance.)

Distance: __________
12. A 65 kg person dives into the water from the 10 m platform.
a. What is her speed as she enters the water? Hint: The acceleration due to gravity is 9.8m/s 2.

vy:___________
b. She comes to a stop 2.0 m below the surface of the water. What was her acceleration in the water?

Acceleration: __________
c. What net force did the water exert on the swimmer?
Net Force: _______
13. An astronaut is completing a spacewalk when he becomes detached from the space station. He begins drifting away
from the space station. Luckily, the astronaut is carrying a toolbox which has a large mass. What can the astronaut do
with the toolbox to move back to the space station? Explain why this works using Newton’s Laws of Motion.

14. Two students are discussing Newton’s First Law of motion. One of the student’s states that he can disprove Newton’s First Law. He
pushes a textbook across the desk. It slows down and comes to a stop after traveling a short distance. He argues that because the
textbook did not continue moving forever in a straight line, Newton’s First Law cannot always be correct. Explain why the student is
incorrect.

15. Write a set of instructions teaching someone how to walk. Use Newton’s Third Law to explain how to walk in the most
efficient way, why walking on slippery surfaces is more difficult, and why pushing backwards with greater force with your
foot results in greater forward acceleration.
Force Diagrams
Complete the following. Remember that the net force is the sum of all the forces in the same direction (either x or y).
For these problems, use “g” of 10 m/s2.
1. An applied force of 50 N is used to accelerate an object to the right across a frictional surface. The object
encounters 10 N of friction. Use the diagram to determine the normal force, the net force, the mass, and the

acceleration of the object. (Neglect air resistance.)

2. Free-body diagrams for four situations are shown below. The net force is known for each situation. However, the
magnitudes of a few of the individual forces are not known. Analyze each situation individually and determine the
magnitude of the unknown forces.

A = _________________

B = _________________

C = _________________

D = _________________

E = _________________

F = _________________

G = _________________
3. A rightward force is applied to a 6-kg object to move it across a rough surface at constant velocity. The object
encounters 15 N of frictional force. Use the diagram to determine the gravitational force, normal force, net force,
and applied force. (Neglect air resistance.)