Forces

The concept of force provides us a quantitative description of the interaction between two
Singapore Junior Physics Olympiad objects or between an object and its environment

Force is a vector quantity – we need to describe the direction in which it acts as well as its
magnitude describing “how much” the force pushes or pulls

Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion SI unit of force: Newton (N)

1 N = 1 kg · m/s2
Email: phyhcmk@gmail.com
Experiments show that when two forces F ⃗ 1 and F
⃗ 2 act at the same time at a point on an
⃗ total equal to the
object, the effect on the object’s motion is the same as if a single force F
vector sum of the original forces were acting:
⃗ total (t) = F
F ⃗ 1 (t) + F
⃗ 2 (t)

Principle of Superposition of Forces: any number of forces applied at the same time at a
point on an object have the same effect as a single force equal to the vector sum of the forces
⃗ total (t) = ⃗ i (t) = F
⃗ 1 (t) + F
⃗ 2 (t) + F
⃗ 3 (t) + · · ·
X
F F
i

The vector sum of all forces exerted on an object at the same time is called the resultant of
the forces or the net force

Cartesian components of the net force:

 X
Latest update: November 14, 2022 1:28am 

 Ftotal,x (t) = Fi,x (t)



 i

 X
Ftotal,y (t) = Fi,y (t)

⃗ total (t) = ⃗ i (t)
X
F F →
i


 i

 X
Ftotal,z (t) = Fi,z (t)





i

There are forces, for instance, nuclear forces, that do not obey the principle of superposition of
forces

Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 2 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023

 Newton’s First Law Newton’s Second Law

Newton’s first law: an object at remains at rest and an object in motion continues in motion
with a constant velocity unless a nonzero net force acts on it

Inertia is the tendency for an object to continue in its original state of motion

Mass is the quantity of matter in an object and the SI unit of mass is the kilogram (kg

Mass is a measure of the resistance of an object to change in its velocity due to a force

A frame of reference at which Newton’s first law is valid is called an inertial frame of reference

Any reference frame that moves with constant velocity with respect to an inertial frame is itself
an inertial frame
An object can have motion in the absence of forces; however, a non-zero net force is required
to have its motion to be changed

Newton’s second law: the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net external
force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass
 X


 Ftotal,x (t) = Fi,x (t) = max (t)



 i

 X
Ftotal,y (t) = Fi,y (t) = may (t)

⃗ total (t) = m⃗a(t)
F → 

 i

 X
Ftotal,z (t) = Fi,z (t) = maz (t)





i

Newton’s second law is only valid in inertial reference frames

Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 3 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023 Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 4 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023
 Newton’s Third Law Weight

Weight of an object is the gravitational force that the Earth exerts on the object

Gravitational acceleration of the Earth ⃗g is directed toward the center of the Earth

Gravitational force acting on an object with mass m:

⃗ g = m⃗a = m⃗g
F

Magnitude of the gravitational acceleration near the surface of the Earth:

⃗ 1 on 2 exerted by object 1 on g = 9.80 m/s2

Newton’s third law: If object 1 and object 2 interact, the force F
object 2 is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the force F⃗ 2 on 1 exerted by object
2 on object 1 Magnitude of the gravitational force acting on an object with a mass of 1 kg:
 
Fg = (1 kg) 9.80 m/s2 = 9.80 kg · m/s2 = 9.80 N
⃗ 1 on 2 may be called the action force and F
F ⃗ 2 on 1 the reaction force; either force can be
labelled the action or the reaction force Any object near the surface of the Earth that has a mass of 1 kg must have a weight of 9.80 N

Mass is an intrinsic property of an object; its value is unique and always the same
Action and reaction forces act on different objects

Stronger form of Newton’s third law: action and reaction forces are equal in magnitudes
with opposite direction along the line joining the two objects
Weight is a measure of the gravitational force between the object and the Earth; it is a property
of a system of two items: the object and the Earth
Weight depends on the object’s mass but it also depends on the situation – the gravitational
acceleration and the state of motion of the object

Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 5 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023 Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 6 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023
 Spring Force Tension

Springs exert one of the most basic contact forces known as spring force (or elastic force)

A spring can either push (when compressed) or pull (when stretched); direction of the spring
force is always parallel to the spring
When a rope or string or wire pulls on an object, it exerts a contact force called tension force
Hooke’s law: magnitude of the spring force is proportional to the distance by which the spring
is compressed or stretched The direction of the tension force, at any point along the rope, is always along the direction of
Fs = k ∆x the rope

The proportional constant k is known as the spring constant which is a property characterizing On the microscopic level, pulling on the ends of a rope stretches the molecular bonds slightly;
a spring the tension within a rope and the tension force experienced by an object at the end of the rope
are the net spring force exerted by billions and billions of microscopic springs
A “stiff” spring has a large value of k requiring a large pull to cause a significant stretch; a
“soft” spring has a small value of value which can be stretched with very little force If a rope is in equilibrium and if no forces act except at its ends, the net external force on the
rope is zero and the tension is the same at both ends and throughout the rope
Equivalent spring constant keq for two springs connected in series: forces are the same
1 1 1
= +
keq k1 k2

Equivalent spring constant keq for two springs connected in parallel: both springs have the
same distance of stretch or compression

keq = k1 + k2

Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 7 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023 Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 8 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023
 Normal and Friction Forces
Whenever two objects interacts by direct contact, we call the interaction forces contact forces
We can always represent the contact force at the interface of two objects in terms of components
of force perpendicular and parallel to the surface
⃗ and the parallel component is the friction
The perpendicular component is the normal force N
force ⃗f
On the microscopic level, normal and friction forces result from the intermolecular forces be-
tween two objects at points where they come into contact
The atoms at the interface of the two objects are pressed closely together and molecular bonds
are established between them; these bonds are the “cause” of the friction forces
The direct contact between two objects compresses the molecular bonds at their interface;
normal force is the net spring force pushing both objects outward against each other
Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 9 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023
Static and Kinetic Friction Forces
When an object is sliding with respect to a surface, the associated friction force is called kinetic
friction; when there is no relative motion, it is called static friction
Static friction ⃗fs keeps the object “stuck” on the surface and prevent its motion relative to the
surface
⃗fs points opposite the direction in which the object would move if there were no friction; that
is, it points in the direction necessary to prevent motion
Magnitude of static friction can have any value between zero and a maximum value fs,max
proportional to the magnitude of the normal force: µs is the coefficient of static friction
0 ≤ fs ≤ fs,max ≡ µs N
Kinetic friction ⃗fk always points opposite the direction in which an object moves relative to the
surface
Magnitude of kinetic friction is proportional to the magnitude of the normal force: µk is the
coefficient of kinetic friction
fk = µk N
Values of µs and µk depend on the nature of the surfaces; µk is generally less than µs which
explains why it is easier to keep an object moving than it is to start it moving relative to a
surface
Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 10 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023
 SJPO 2011/Q03 SJPO 2013/Q14

A 2 kg mass and a 4 kg mass on a horizontal frictionless surface are connected by a massless string A force F is used to pull 3 objects A, B, C across a frictionless surface. The three objects are
A. They are pulled horizontally across the surface by a second string B with a constant acceleration connected by strings. When a small object is placed on top of B and with force F unchanged, what
of 12 m/s2 . What is the magnitude of the net force on the 2 kg mass? will happen to the tensions Ta and Tb respectively?
(A) 72 N (A) Ta increases and Tb decreases
(B) 48 N (B) Ta increases and Tb increases
(C) 24 N (C) Ta decreases and Tb decreases
(D) 6N (D) Ta decreases and Tb increases
(E) 3N (E) Ta and Tb remain the same

Solution:
Solution:

Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 11 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023 Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 12 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023
 SJPO 2008/Q04 SJPO 2016/Q18

The apparent weight of a girl in an elevator is greatest when the elevator Two masses, m1 = 100 kg and m2 = 200 kg, are attached to a light, unstretched, string on a fixed
rod as shown. Assume that friction is negligible, what is the acceleration of mass m1 ?
(A) moves downward at constant speed.
(B) moves upward at constant speed. (A) 3.3 m/s2 upwards
(C) moving downward with decreasing speed. (B) 4.9 m/s2 upwards
(D) moving upward with decreasing speed. (C) 9.8 m/s2 downwards
(D) 9.8 m/s2 upwards
Solution: (E) 19.6 m/s2 upwards

Solution:

Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 13 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023 Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 14 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023
 SJPO 2009/Q15 SJPO 2018/Q12

A small bob with a mass of 250 g is suspended by a string from a clamp attached to a cart that is A wooden peg is to be pulled out of the ground using two ropes A and B. Rope A is subjected to
accelerating at a constant rate of a = 2 m/s2 as it moves along a flat straight table as shown in a force of 600 N at 60◦ to the horizontal. Rope B is pulled at a fixed angle θ to the vertical. If the
the diagram. Assuming the bob to be suspended motionless with respect to the cart, approximately resulting force on the post is to be 1600 N vertically, what should be the force T on rope B?
what angle does the string make with the vertical?

(A) 11.5◦ (A) 1121 N

(B) 10.0◦ (B) 1334 N
(C) 78.5◦ (C) 1400 N
(D) 75.0◦ (D) 1924 N
(E) 11.0◦ (E) 2040 N

Solution:
Solution:

Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 15 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023 Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 16 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023
 SJPO 2011/Q07 SJPO 2015/Q12

A block of mass m is pulled along the floor by a force T inclined at an angle θ as shown in the A block with mass M is stationary upon the plank and the angle of the slope θ is increased as
diagram. The magnitude of the force T is such that the block moves with uniform velocity. The shown. Which of the following is true for the normal force of the block on the wooden plank N and
coefficient of friction between the block and the floor is denoted by µ. The magnitude of the the frictional force on the plank f ?
frictional force exerted on the block by the floor is given by
(A) Both N and f increase.
(A) T (B) Both N and f decrease.
(B) µmg (C) N increases and f decreases.
(C) T sin θ (D) N decreases and f increases.
(D) µ (mg − T sin θ) (E) The response differs when the value of M is different.
(E) µ (mg + T sin θ)
Solution:
Solution:

Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 17 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023 Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 18 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023
 SJPO 2014/Q03 SJPO 2008/Q50

As shown in the diagram, the setup comprises of a metal box with a metal pole at the center. The A slab of mass m1 = 40.0 kg rests on a frictionless floor, and a block of mass m2 = 10.0 kg rests
mass of the metal box and pole is M . A ring of mass m slides down the pole with an acceleration on top of the slab. The coefficients of static friction and kinetic friction between the block and the
a. The frictional force between the ring and the pole is f . The force of the box on the floor, when slab are µs = 0.600 and µk = 0.400 respectively. The block is pulled by a horizontal force F . What
the ring is sliding down, is hence is the maximum value of F such that m1 and m2 will move together, that is, there is no slipping
between the two blocks?
(A) Mg (A) 39.2 N
(B) (M + m) g (B) 73.5 N
(C) Mg + f (C) 58.8 N
(D) (M + m) g − f (D) 157 N
(E) (M + m) a (E) 195 N

Solution:
Solution:

Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 19 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023 Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 20 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023
 SJPO 2012/Q11

For the system consisting of the 2 blocks shown, a horizontal force F is applied so that block B
does not fall due to its weight. The masses of A and B are 12.0 kg and 2.0 kg respectively. The
horizontal surface is frictionless and the coefficient of static friction between the 2 blocks is 0.45.
The minimum magnitude of F is
63
(A) g
10
100
(B) g
3
280
(C) g
9
560
(D) g
9
(E) 70g

Solution:

Topic 2: Newton’s Laws of Motion 21 / 21 CHS SJPO 2023