8.

2 Using F = m a
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Using F  m a

Specification references
 3.4.1.5 Newton’s laws of motion
 M1.1
 M2.2, M2.3, M2.4
 M4.1, M4.2

Introduction
This worksheet builds on ‘8 Support: Newton’s laws of motion’, which expanded
upon the combined use of suvat equations and F  m a. You became familiar with
situations such as a rocket lift-off and cars pulling caravans.
You may be required to apply your knowledge to more complex situations, such as
lifts, pulleys, or movement on an inclined plane. This worksheet will help you
practise working out problems of these types.

Learning objectives
After completing the worksheet you should be able to:
 know and understand when to apply the first and second laws of motion
 know when to apply F  ma in situations where the mass is constant.

Background
In problems involving lifts, you may come across three different situations:
 lift stationary or at constant speed (no acceleration):
tension in lift cable T  mass m  acceleration due to gravity g
T  m g
In this case m g is equal to the weight of the lift and the passengers:
m g  weight of lift  passengers.

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 lift accelerating upwards (resultant force is upwards):

If a is the acceleration
T − m g  m a

 lift accelerating downwards (resultant force is downwards)

m g − T  m a

It’s not necessary to remember the equations. Simply know how to apply F  m a in
each situation.
In problems involving inclined planes, remember that the weight always acts
vertically downwards. To calculate the force along the plane you can use
Pythagoras’ theorem to find the weight’s component in that direction, as shown in
Figure 1.
Note that since one of the weight vector’s components are parallel to the slope, the
angle between the slope and the horizontal (θ) is equal to the angle between W and
the component at right angles to the slope.

Figure 1

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Worked example 1 – pulleys

Question
A rope passes over a frictionless pulley. A mass of 1.0 kg is attached to one end of
the rope and a mass of 0.50 kg to the other end. The pulley has negligible mass.
Calculate:
a the acceleration of both masses and state which direction the masses will move
b the tension, T in the rope.
Answer
Step 1
Draw a diagram marking on all the values given and any you need to find.
T is the same on both sides of the pulley since it is the same rope. The acceleration
would be in the direction of the largest mass.

Step 2
Find the weight of the two masses using W  m g.
g  9.81 m s−2
For the 1.0 kg mass:
W1  m g
 1  9.81
 9.8 N
For the 0.5 kg mass:
W2  m g
 0.5  9.81
 4.9 N

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Step 3
Put the calculated weight values into F  m a. Keep in mind that in this case the
resultant force is in the same direction as W 1, the heavier weight. Considering each
side of the rope separately, you can write two equations from F  m a:
resultant force on the left hand side (downwards)  W1 − T
Since F  m a,
W1 – T  m a
9.8 – T  1 a (Equation 1)
resultant force on the right hand side (upwards)  T − W2
Since F  m a,
T − W2  m a
T − 4.9  0.5 a (Equation 2)
a Step 4
Solve Equations 1 and 2 simultaneously to find the acceleration.
Add Equations 1 and 2:
9.8 − T  T − 4.9  1 a  0.5 a
4.9  1.5 a
4.9
a
1.5
a  3.3 m s−2 towards the 1 kg mass
b Step 5
Find the tension of the rope by substituting back into Equation 1.
9.8 − T  1 a
9.8 − T  1  3.3
9.8 − T  3.3
T  9.8 − 3.3
T  6.5 N

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Worked example 2 – lifts

Question
A man of mass 70 kg is ascending in a lift of mass 600 kg. If the lift is accelerating at
0.30 m s−2, calculate the tension in the lift cable.
Answer
Step 1
Draw a diagram, adding on the values you are given and any you need to find.

Step 2
Find the total weight using W  m g.
g  9.81 m s−2
W  m g
 (600  70)  9.81
 6600 N
Step 3
Find the tension in the lift cable using F  m a. In this case the resultant force
(upwards) is equal to the tension T minus the weight W.
T − W  m a
T − 6600  670  0.3
T − 6600  201
T  201  6600
T  6800 N (to two significant figures)

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Worked example 3 – inclined plane

Question
A car of mass 500 kg is at rest on a frictionless slope inclined at an angle of 35° to
the horizontal.
What will its acceleration down the slope be if the driver accidentally releases the
handbrake?
Answer
Step 1
Draw a diagram of the slope and car, including the relevant angles, forces, and force
components.

Step 2
Use F  m a for the component down the slope to find the acceleration.
g  9.81 m s−2
F  m a
500  9.81  sin 35  500  a
2800  500 a
2800
a
500
a  5.6 m s−2 (to two significant figures)

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Questions
1 A mass of 2.5 kg is attached to one end of a rope which passes over a
frictionless pulley and has a mass of 1.5 kg attached to the other end.
Assume the pulley has no mass.
a Calculate the acceleration of the 2.5 kg and 1.5 kg masses (2 marks)
b Calculate the tension in the rope (2 marks)

2 A lift has a mass of 1.2  103 kg when it is empty.

Calculate the tension in the supporting cable when the lift is
a ascending at constant velocity (2 marks)
b descending with a downward acceleration of 2.0 m s−2 (2 marks)
c ascending with an upward acceleration of 2.0 m s−2. (2 marks)

Exam-style question
3 A car moves up a slope inclined at 30° to the horizontal in a fairground ride.
a If the car and its passengers have a combined weight of 7.5 kN, calculate
the component of the weight parallel to the slope. (1 mark)
b Assuming that this component of the weight causes the car to decelerate,
calculate the deceleration of the car. (2 marks)
c The speed of the car at the bottom of the ramp is 15 m s −1. Calculate how
far up the ramp the car will travel before it stops. (2 marks)
d Explain why in practice the stopping distance will be shorter than that
calculated above. (2 marks)

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