General Physics I

Ch. 4: Newton's Laws of Motion

Ahmed Yousef

Email: yousef@jbnu.ac.kr
 Newton’s Second Law
Newton’s first law tells us that when a body is
acted on by zero net force, the body moves with
constant velocity and zero acceleration.

But what happens when the net force is not zero?

• If we apply a constant horizontal force to a

sliding puck in the same direction that the
puck is moving.

• If we reverse the direction of the force on the

puck so that σ 𝐹Ԧ acts opposite to 𝑣.
Ԧ

A net force acting on a body causes the

body to accelerate in the same direction
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as the net force.
Newton’s Second Law

These conclusions about net force and acceleration also

apply to a body moving along a curved path.

The net force and acceleration are both constant in

magnitude and directed toward the center of the circle.

The speed of the puck is constant, so this is a uniform

circular motion.

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Newton’s Second Law

• A constant net force causes a constant acceleration.

• Doubling the net force doubles the acceleration.

• Halving the net force halves the acceleration.

For any given body, the magnitude of the acceleration is directly

proportional to the magnitude of the net force acting on the body.

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Newton’s Second Law

Mass and Force:

For a given body, the ratio of the magnitude σ 𝐹Ԧ of the net force to
the magnitude 𝑎 = 𝑎Ԧ of the acceleration is constant, regardless of the
magnitude of the net force. We call this ratio the inertial mass, or simply
the mass, of the body and denote it by m.

σ 𝐹Ԧ σ 𝐹Ԧ
𝑚= , 𝑜𝑟, ෍ 𝐹Ԧ = 𝑚𝑎, 𝑜𝑟, 𝑎=
𝑎 𝑚

Define the newton: One newton is the amount of net force that gives
an acceleration of 1 meter per second squared to a body with a mass of
1 kilogram.

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Newton’s Second Law

Mass and Force:

For the same net force, the ratio of the masses of two bodies is
the inverse of the ratio of their accelerations.
𝑚1 𝑎1 = 𝑚2 𝑎2

𝑚2 𝑎1
=
𝑚1 𝑎2

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Newton’s Second Law
Newton’s second law of motion:

If a net external force acts on a body, the body accelerates. The

direction of acceleration is the same as the direction of the net
force. The mass of the body times the acceleration vector of the
body equals the net force vector.

෍ 𝐹Ԧ = 𝑚𝑎Ԧ

σ 𝐹Ԧ
𝑜𝑟, 𝑎Ԧ =
𝑚

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Using Newton’s Second Law

There are at least four aspects of Newton’s second law that deserve special attention.

 First, Eq. σ 𝐹Ԧ = 𝑚𝑎Ԧ is a vector equation.

෍ 𝐹𝑥 = 𝑚𝑎𝑥 , ෍ 𝐹𝑦 = 𝑚𝑎𝑦 , ෍ 𝐹𝑧 = 𝑚𝑎𝑧

 Second, the statement of Newton’s second law refers to external forces.

 Third, the previous equations are valid only when the mass m is constant.

 Finally, Newton’s second law is valid in inertial frames of reference only, just like the first law.

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Example:-

A worker applies a constant horizontal force with a magnitude of 20 N to a box with

a mass of 40 kg resting on a level floor with negligible friction. What is the
acceleration of the box?

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Example:-

A waitress shoves a ketchup bottle with a mass of 0.45 kg to her right along a smooth, level lunch
counter. The bottle leaves her hand moving at 2.8 m/s, then slows down as it slides because of a
constant horizontal friction force exerted on it by the countertop. It slides for 1.0 m before coming
to rest. What are the magnitude and direction of the friction force acting on the bottle?

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Some Notes on Units

The cgs unit of force is called the dyne:

1 𝑑𝑦𝑛𝑒 = 1 𝑔 ∙ 𝑐𝑚Τ𝑠 2 = 10−5 𝑁

In the British system:

1 𝑝𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 = 1 𝑠𝑙𝑢𝑔 ∙ 𝑓𝑡Τ𝑠 2

The official definition of the pound is:

1 𝑝𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 = 4.448221615260 𝑁

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Mass and Weight

Weight is the gravitational force that the earth exerts on the body.

Mass characterizes the inertial properties of a body.

A freely falling body has an acceleration of magnitude g. Newton’s second

law tells us that a force must act to produce this acceleration.
𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎 = 1 𝑘𝑔 9.8 𝑚Τ𝑠 2 = 9.8 𝑘𝑔 ∙ 𝑚Τ𝑠 2 = 9.8 𝑁

The force that makes the body accelerate downward is its weight.
𝑤 = 𝑚𝑔

Hence the magnitude w of a body’s weight is directly proportional to its

mass m.
𝑤 = 𝑚𝑔Ԧ

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Example:-

A one-euro coin was dropped from rest from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. If the coin
falls freely, so that the effects of the air are negligible, how does the net force on
the coin vary as it falls?

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Variation of g with Location

We will use g = 9.80 m/s2 for problems set on the earth.

The value of g varies somewhat from point to point on the

earth’s surface—from about 9.78 to 9.82 m/s2—because
the earth is not perfectly spherical and because of effects
due to its rotation and orbital motion.

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Example:-

A 2.49 × 104 𝑁 Rolls-Royce Phantom traveling in the +x- direction makes an

emergency stop; the x-component of the net force acting on it is −1.83 × 104 𝑁 .
What is its acceleration?

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Newton's Third Law

A force acting on a body is always the result of its interaction

with another body, so forces always come in pairs.

Newton's Third Law of Motion:

If body A exerts a force on body B (an “action”), then body B

exerts a force on body A (a “reaction”). These two forces have
the same magnitude but are opposite in direction. These two
forces act on different bodies.
𝐹Ԧ𝐴 𝑜𝑛 𝐵 = −𝐹Ԧ𝐵 𝑜𝑛 𝐴

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Example:-

After your sports car breaks down, you start to push it to the nearest repair shop.
While the car is starting to move, how does the force you exert on the car compare
to the force the car exerts on you? How do these forces compare when you are
pushing the car along at a constant speed?

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Example:-
An apple sits at rest on a table, in equilibrium. What forces act on the apple? What
is the reaction force to each of the forces acting on the apple? What are the
action–reaction pairs?

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Example:-

A stonemason drags a marble block across a floor by pulling on a rope attached to

the block. The block is not necessarily in equilibrium. How are the various forces
related? What are the action–reaction pairs?

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 Free-Body Diagrams
Newton’s three laws of motion contain all the basic principles we
need to solve a wide variety of problems in mechanics.

we’ll point out three key ideas and techniques to use in any
problems involving Newton’s laws.

1. Newton’s first and second laws apply to a specific body.

2. Only forces acting on the body matter.

3. Free-body diagrams are essential to help identify the relevant

forces.

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