Flashback: Newton’s Laws of

Motion
• Sir Isaac Newton was a central figure in the
Scientific Revolution during the 17th century.
His ideas went against the more accepted ideas
of motion. The popular idea before Newton
was that a moving object, if left on its own,
would eventually come to rest, and a force was
necessary to keep the object moving.
• We now know this to be false, thanks to Isaac
Newton.
 Flashback: Newton’s Laws of
Motion
• Today, Newton’s three
laws of motion are
considered to be the
backbone of physics.
These ideas were major
breakthroughs that set
history on a new course.
Because of these ideas
we now have safety
restraints (seat belts) in
multiple types of travel.
 Flashback: Newton’s 1st Law of
Motion
• An object at rest remains
at rest, and an object in
motion remains in
motion at a constant
speed and in a straight
line unless acted on by
an unbalanced force.
• Newton’s 1st law is
sometimes called the • Inertia is the tendency
law of inertia. of all objects to resist
any change in motion.
 Law of Intertia

Tennis ball wants to

keep sitting still

Baseball wants to
keep moving!
Law of Intertia, continued
 Law of Intertia

Don’t let this be you. Wear seat belts!!

Because of inertia, objects (including you) resist
changes in their motion. When the car going
80 km/hour is stopped by the brick wall, your body
keeps moving at 80 km/hour.
Law of Intertia
 Flashback: Newton’s First Law
Balanced Forces = No Change in Velocity
• A stationary object
will never move
12N 12N
without unbalanced
forces acting on it
Balanced forces = no change in speed
• A moving object
will never stop
0N 0N
moving without
unbalanced forces
acting on it
Combining forces to form NET FORCE
• If the forces are in the same direction,
then the net force is the sum between
the two forces.

12 N 8N

NET FORCE = 12N + 8N = 20N, left

Combining forces to form NET FORCE
• If two forces are in opposite directions,
then the net force is the difference
between the two forces, and it is in the
direction of the larger force.

12 N 8N

NET FORCE = 12N – 8N = 4N, right

 Flashback: Types of Friction –
Static Friction
• Static friction is the type of
friction that prevents an
object from moving when a
force is applied.
• For example, when you
push or pull on the
refrigerator and at first it
doesn’t want to move but
then it suddenly starts to
move.
Flashback: Types of Friction –
Static Friction

• Generally, the
rougher the
surface or the
heavier the
object, the more
static friction.
 Flashback: Types of Friction -
Sliding Friction
• Sliding friction slows
down an object that
slides.
• Sliding friction is due to
microscopic roughness
of two surfaces.
• Brakes on a car are an
example of sliding
friction.
Flashback: Types of Friction -
Rolling Friction
• Rolling friction is
needed to provide
grip to make a wheel
or a tire turn.
• Rolling friction
occurs between the
ground and the part
of the tire touching
the ground.
 Flashback: Types of Friction -
Fluid Friction
• Fluid Friction occurs
between an object
and air or water.
• For example, fluid
friction occurs when
skydivers jump out
of a plane, or when
boats travel through
the water
Flashback: Mass vs. Weight
• Mass is the amount of matter
in an object and DOES NOT
change with gravity.
• Mass is measured in
Kilograms (Kg).
• Weight is a force measured
by the pull of the Earth’s
gravity.
• Weight is measure in
Newtons (N).
 Flashback: Mass vs. Weight
• Your weight
would change if
you were
standing on a
planet other than
Earth, as shown.

• If your mass was

60 kg, what would
your weight in
Newton’s be on
Earth? On Jupiter?
 Flashback: Force and
Acceleration
• When the motion of an object changes,
the object is accelerating.

• Acceleration occurs any time an object

speeds up, slows down, or changes its
direction of motion.
Newton’s 2 Law of Motion
nd

• Newton’s 2nd law of

motion connects force,
acceleration, and mass.

• In the presence of a NET

FORCE, an object
experiences acceleration in
the direction of the force.
• The acceleration of an object depends on the
mass of the object and the amount of force
applied (f=ma)
 Newton’s 2 Law of Motion
nd

• With any given force:

• an object with less
mass accelerates
quicker (i.e. volleyball)

• An object with more

mass accelerates
slower (i.e. bowling
ball)
 Question 1
Your _______ on Earth is the
gravitational force between you and
Earth.
A. acceleration
B. inertia
C. mass
D. weight
 Question 1
Answer
The answer is D, “weight”. Since weight
is dependant on gravity, your weight
would be different if you were standing
on a planet other than Earth.
 Question 2
Explain Newton’s second law of motion.
 Question 2
Explain Newton’s second law of motion.

ANSWER
Newton’s Second Law states that an object
acted upon by a net force will accelerate in
the direction of the force. And, that the net
force is equal to the acceleration times the
mass of the object (f=ma).
 Newton’s 2 Law Formulas
nd

• ALL THESE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO

EXPRESS THE SAME EQUATION!!
• In these equations, a is the acceleration (m/s2),
m is the mass (kg), and f is the net force (N).
• Force is measured in Newtons, abbreviated N.
 Calculations, Force
f = ma
• Newton’s second law of motion can be used to
calculate NET FORCE.
• A baseball has a mass of 0.2 kg. If its acceleration is
40 m/s2, what is the net force on the baseball?
f = ma f = ? m = 0.2kg a = 40m/s2
f = 0.2kg * 40m/s2 8 fN
=
 Calculations, Force
• A 6 kg cat accelerates at 1.5 m/s2. Find the
net force.
f = ma f = ? m = 6kg a = 1.5m/s2
f = 6kg * 1.5m/s2 f= 9N
 (Advanced Classes)
Calculations, Force
f = ma
• A 2 kg book is pushed along a table with a thrusting
force of 4 N. Find the frictional force on the book if
the book’s acceleration is 1.5 m/s2
f = ma f = ? m = 2kg a = 1.5m/s2
f = 2kg * 1.5m/s2 3f N
= (net force)

4 N (thrusting force) – 3 N (net force) =

1 N (frictional force)
 Calculations, Acceleration
f = ma
• Newton’s second law of motion can be used
to calculate ACCELERATION.
• Suppose you pull a 10-kg sled so that the net
force on the sled is 5 N. What is the
acceleration?
f = ma f = 5N m = 10kg a = ?
5N = 10kg * a a = 5N/10kg = 0.5 m/s2
 Calculations, Acceleration
f = ma
A net force of 4,500 N acts on a car with a
mass of 1,500 kg. What is the acceleration
of the car?
f = ma f = 4,500N m = 1,500kg a = ?
4500N = 1500kg * a

a = 4500N/1500kg = 3.0 m/s2

 Calculations, Acceleration
f = ma
• A book with a mass of 2.0 kg is pushed
along a table. If the net force on the book
is 1.0 N, what is the acceleration of the
book?
f = ma f = 1.0N m = 2.0kg a = ?
1.0N = 2.0kg * a
a = 1.0N/2.0kg = 0.5 m/s2
 Calculations, Mass
f = ma
• Newton’s second law of motion can also be
used to calculate MASS.
• A basketball is thrown with a net force of 9 N
and accelerates at 1.5 m/s2, what is the mass of
the basketball?
f = ma f = 9N m = ? a = 1.5 m/s2
9N = m * 1.5m/s2

m = 1.5m/s2 / 9N = 6 kg
 Calculations, Mass
f = ma
• An object acted on by a force of 3.6 N has an
acceleration of 1.2 m/s2. What is the mass of
the object?
f = ma f = 3.6N m = ? a = 1.2 m/s2
3.6N = m * 1.2m/s2

m = 3.6N / 1.2m/s2 = 3 kg