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NO!!!
An object at rest must “Free Body
have no net force on it. Diagrams”
If it is sitting on a table, the for Lincoln. Show
force of gravity is still there; all forces in proper
what other force is there? directions.
The force exerted
perpendicular to a
surface is called the
Normal Force FN.
It is exactly as large as needed to
balance the force from the object.
(If the required force gets too big,
something breaks!)
Newton’s 2nd Law for Lincoln:
∑F = ma = 0 or FN – FG = 0 or FN = FG = mg
FN & FG AREN’T action-reaction pairs from N’s 3rd Law! They’re equal
& opposite because of N’s 2nd Law! FN & FN ARE action-reaction pairs!!
Example
m = 10 kg
l
Find: The Normal force
on the box from the
table for Figs. a., b., c.
Example
m = 10 kg
The normal
force is
NOT
l
always equal Find: The Normal force
& opposite to on the box from the
table for Figs. a., b., c.
the weight!! Always use N’s 2nd
Law to CALCULATE
FN!
l
Example
m = 10 kg
The normal
force is
NOT
l
always equal Find: The Normal force
& opposite to on the box from the
table for Figs. a., b., c.
the weight!! Always use N’s 2nd
Law to CALCULATE
FN!
Example
m = 10 kg
The normal
force is
NOT
always equal Find: The Normal force
& opposite to on the box from the
table for Figs. a., b., c.
the weight!! Always use N’s 2nd
Law to CALCULATE
FN!
Example
What happens when a m = 10 kg, ∑F l
= ma
person pulls upward on FP – mg = ma
the box in the previous l
100 – 89 = 10a
example with a force a = 0.2 m/s2m = 10 kg
greater than the box’s
weight, say 100.0 N?
∑F = ma
l The box will accelerate
upward because FP – mg = ma
FP > mg!!
Note:
l The normal force is zero here
because the mass isn’t in contact with
a surface!
Example
What happens when a m = 10 kg, ∑F = ma
person pulls upward on FP – mg = ma
the box in the previous 100 – 89 = 10a
example with a force a = 0.2 m/s2m = 10 kg
greater than the box’s
weight, say 100.0 N?
∑F = ma
The box will accelerate
upward because FP – mg = ma
FP > mg!!
Note
The normal force is zero here
because the mass isn’t in contact with a surface!
Example: Apparent “weight loss”
A 65-kg (mg = 640 N) woman descends in an
elevator that accelerates at a rate a = 0.20g
downward. She stands on a scale that reads in kg.
(a) During this
acceleration, what is her weight & what does the
scale read? (b)
What does the scale read when the elevator
descends at a constant speed of 2.0 m/s?
Example: Apparent “weight loss”
A 65-kg (mg = 640 N) woman descends in an
elevator that accelerates at a rate a = 0.20g
downward. She stands on a scale that reads in kg.
(a) During this
acceleration, what is her weight & what does the
scale read? (b)
What does the scale read when the elevator
descends at a constant speed of 2.0 m/s?
Reasoning to get the solution using from Newton’s Laws
To use Newton’s 2nd Law for her, ONLY the forces acting on her are included.
By Newton’s 3rd Law, the normal force FN acting upward on her is equal &
opposite to the scale reading. So, the numerical value of FN is equal to the “weight”
she reads on the scale! Obviously, FN here is NOT equal & opposite
to her true weight mg!! How do we find FN? As always,
WE APPLY NEWTON’S 2ND LAW TO HER!!
Example: Apparent “weight loss”
A 65-kg (mg = 637 N) woman descends in an
elevator that accelerates at a rate a = 0.20g
downward. She stands on a scale that reads in kg.
(a) During this
acceleration, what is her weight & what does the
scale read? (b)
What does the scale read when the elevator
descends at a constant speedSolution
of 2.0 m/s?
(a) Newton’s 2nd Law applied to the woman is (let down be positive!):
∑F = ma
Since a is a 1d vector pointing down, this gives: mg – FN = ma
so FN = mg - ma = m(g – 0.2g) = 0.8mg
which is numerically equal to the scale reading by Newton’s 3rd Law!!
So if she trusts the scale (& if she doesn’t know N’s Laws!), she’ll think
that she has lost 20% of her body weight!!