You are on page 1of 6

1st law of motion

INERTIA
Example #1:

DEFINITION: Inertia is the resistance to changes in motion. Inertia is proportional to mass. Big masses resist changing their motion more than smaller masses. If an object is at rest it continuous to be at rest and if it is moving it continuous to move unless a nonzero force is applied on it

Objects at rest remain at rest unless acted on by a net force.

The large train resists changing its motion. Since the train is so huge, it is difficult to change its speed. In fact, a large net force is required to change its speed or direction.

Example #2:

A body will preserve its velocity and direction so long as no force in its motion's direction acts on it.
A package thrown out of an airplane will continue to move at the speed of the airplane on the horizontal axis (in the direction of the airplane's movement). Since the law of gravity acts on the package (a vertical downward axis), the package will gather speed along the vertical axis, but on the horizontal axis its speed will remain equal to that of the airplane. (In this explanation we have left out the force of air-resistance).

2nd law of motion

ACCELERATION
Example # 1:
POSITIVE ACCELERATION

CONSTANT SPEED

100 km/hr NEGATIVE ACCELERATION

DEFINITION:

A car, starting from rest, accelerates as it moves down on highway. When the car reaches its desired travelling velocity, say 100 km/hr, its no longer accelerating since its velocity is constant. When the car needs to slow down, the car undergoes negative acceleration, which is sometimes referred to as acceleration.

Example # 2:

When travelling in an elevator, you may have noticed a fluttering in your stomach near the beginning and at the end of the elevator ride. Why? It is during these times that the elevator undergoes positive and negative acceleration. Otherwise, the elevator is travelling at a constant velocity and you do not feel anything.

3rd law of motion

INTERACTION
Example # 1:

"Every action has an equal and opposite reaction"

Those familiar with small boats know that before jumping from a boat to the dock, it is wise to tie the boat to the dock first, and to grab a handhold on the dock before jumping. Otherwise, even as you jump, the boat "magically" moves away from the dock, possibly making you miss your leap or pushing the boat out of reach. It is all in Newton's third law: as your legs propel your body towards the dock, they also apply to the boat an equal force in the opposite direction, which pushes it away from the dock.

Example # 2:

On a rolling bike, balance is kept by a completely different mechanism. By slightly turning the handlebars right or left, you impart some of the rotation of the front wheel ("angular momentum") to rotate the bike around its long axis, the direction in which it rolls. That way the rider can counteract any tendency of the bike to topple to one side or the other, without getting into the vicious circle of action and reaction. To discourage thieves, some bikes contain a lock which clamps the handlebars in a fixed position. When such a bike is locked in the forward-facing direction, it can be rolled by a walking person, but it cannot be ridden because it cannot be balanced.

You might also like