Applications of Newton's

Laws of Motion

Jericho D. Gonzales
General Physics 1
Applying Newton's First Law
Resultant Force = Zero
No change in the present
state of motion

Resultant Force ≠ Zero

State of motion will change
Static and Kinetic Friction
Static Friction
•It is the result of the interaction between two bodies which are in contact with one another.
•It prevents the bodies from moving against each other.

Starting Friction
•The force needed to break a heavy load out of static condition.

Kinetic Friction
•The force that results whenever two surfaces are rubbing against each other while in motion.
•The direction is always opposite the direction of motion of the moving body.
•It depends on the normal force pushing the two surfaces together.
 Magnitude of Kinetic Friction
F f  FN
μ - coefficient of friction which depends on the nature of the two surfaces
FN - normal force

Example:
1. A cardboard box weighing 200 N is resting on a wooden tabletop. If the coefficient of friction between the box and the table top is 0.25, how much force would it
take to keep the box sliding at constant speed?
2. A girl is pressing a 2-kg book against a vertical wall. If the coefficient of friction between the book and the wall is 0.30, how hard should the girl push to allow the
book to slide down the wall at constant speed?
A cardboard box weighing 200 N is resting on a wooden tabletop. If the
coefficient of friction between the box and the table top is 0.25, how
much force would it take to keep the box sliding at constant speed?
Given: FN µ=0.25

F a

W=200 N

Solution:
A girl is pressing a 2-kg book against a vertical wall. If the coefficient of
friction between the book and the wall is 0.30, how hard should the girl
push to allow the book to slide down the wall at constant speed?
Given: m = 2kg µ = 0.30

a
W = mg = 2kg(9.8 m/s^2) = 19.6 N =F
Asked: F

Solution:
Based from 3rd Law,
Exercise:

1. Jojo exerts a horizontal force of 276 N in attempting to push a freezer across a room, but the
freezer does not move. What is the static frictional force that the floor exerts on the freezer?

2. A 92-kg baseball player slides into the second base. The coefficient of kinetic friction between
the player and the ground is 0.61. a) Find the magnitude of the frictional force. b) If the player
comes to rest after 1.2 s, what is his initial speed?
A 92-kg baseball player slides into the second base. The coefficient of
kinetic friction between the player and the ground is 0.61. a) Find the
magnitude of the frictional force. b) If the player comes to rest after 1.2
s, what is his initial speed?
Given: m = 92 kg µ = 0.61

a
b.
F
But calculate the value of a using 2nd law
W = mg = 92 kg(9.8) = 901.6 N
Asked:

Solution:
a.

Note: acceleration is negative (deceleration)

1. A 70-kg man is about to run across an icy pond. The
coefficient of static friction between his shoes and the ice is
0.160. What is his maximum possible acceleration?

2. A horizontal force of 10 N is required to keep a 10-kg body

in uniform motion along a horizontal plane. Find the
coefficient of kinetic friction.
Applications of Newton's Laws to Single-body and Multibody
Dynamics
Newton's Second Law of Motion and Kinematics Applied to Contact and Non-
contact Forces Acting on One or More Bodies

 Fx  0 and  Fy  0
Examples:
1. A body whose mass is 10 kg is accelerated 5 m/s2. What is the net force acting on it?
2. Find the mass of a body which is accelerated 10 m/s2 by a force of 25 N.
3. The two ends of a 20-m rope is fastened at two points on the ceiling, a distance of 12 m from
each other. If a load of 200 kg is placed at the center of the rope, find the tension T on the rope.
4. Find the force necessary to keep the toy car in equilibrium. The mass of the toy car is 5 kg,
and the inclination of the plane is 30o. Friction is neglected.
5. A horizontal cord is attached to a 6.0-kg body on ahorizontal tabletop. The cord passes over a
pulley at the end of the table edge. At the end of this cord is a body of mass 8.0 kg. Find the
distance the two bodies will travel after 2 s after starting from rest.
Find the force necessary to keep the toy car in equilibrium. The
mass of the toy car is 5 kg, and the inclination of the plane is 30o.
Friction is neglected.
Given: m = 5 kg

Applying 2nd law of motion: Object at rest

F

W = mg = 5(9.8) = 49 N
Asked: F
Solution:

W
The two ends of a 20-m rope is fastened at two points on the ceiling, a
distance of 12 m from each other. If a load of 200 kg is placed at the
center of the rope, find the tension T on the rope.
Given:
12 m

10 m 10 m

m = 20 kg
Equation 1

W = mg = 20(9.8) = 196 N

Solution: From Equation 1:

hyp=10 hyp=10

θ θ
adj=6 adj=6
A horizontal cord is attached to a 6.0-kg body on a horizontal tabletop. The cord passes over a pulley at
the end of the table edge. At the end of this cord is a body of mass 8.0 kg. Find the distance the two
bodies will travel after 2 s after starting from rest.
Given: a
Consider the 8-kg object:
6 kg
Since movement is vertical, consider only vertical forces:

W=mg 8 kg
=6(9.8) a
=58.8 N
W=mg
=8(9.8)
=78.4 N
Asked: a. acceleration (a) b. distance (d)
c. Tension (T)

Formula: Since the objects are moving

b. d = ?; t = 2 s

Solution:
a. Consider the 6-kg object:
Since the motion is horizontal, consider only horizontal forces.
c. From Equation 1:
Equation 1

Note: If the force is the same direction as the motion, it will be positive.
Otherwise, it will be negative.
Newton's Laws of Motion in Different Contexts
1. Ropes and Pulleys

Example: A body of mass m is attached to one end of a rigid massless string. A second body of mass M is attached
to the other end. The string passes over a frictionless pulley, and the two masses are hung vertically. The mass M is
greater than mass m. Derive an expression to find the tension on the string and the acceleration of the masses.

2. Transporting Loads

Example: A 10-kg load is pulled by a rope on a horizontal flor. The rope is making an angle of 30 o with the
horizontal. The tension in therope is 20 N. If the body starts from rest, a) find the distance it will move after 5 s,
and b) the velocity after 5s, and c) tthe force exerted by the floor on the body.
3. A Mobile Sculpture or a Hanging Sign

Example: A 200-N sign is supported in a motionless position by two ropes each

making 30o angles with the horizontal. What is the tension in the rope?
Exercises:
1. A box of mass 30 kg is on the surface of a plane inclined at 30o with the horizontal. What force applies
parallel to the plane is necessary to keep the box in equilibrium? Neglect friction.
2. A horizontal cord is attached to a 6.0-kg body on a horizontal table. The cord passes over a pulley at the
end of the table, and to the end of the cord, a body of mass 10 kg is hung. Find the distance the two
bodies will travel after 2 seconds if they start from rest.
3. An object of mass 4.0 kg originally suspended by a vertical cord is pulled by a horizontal force, until the
cord makes an angle of 60o with the vertical. Find a) the tension in the cord and b) the magnitude of the
horizontal force to keep the object in the new position.
4. Using the component method, find the resultant and equilibrant of the following forces: 30 N at 0o with
the x-axis, 40 N at 60o, and 60 N at 110o.