1.5.1 Newton Laws of Motion (Effects of Forces)

Topic 1.
3: Mass &
Weight
Topic 1.5.1: Effects of Forces
1 of 28 © Boardworks Ltd 2009
Main Sections of this Unit

Contents
Sr. Learning Outcome Rating
1. Recognize that a force may produce a change in size and shape of a body
2. Describe the ways in which a force may change the motion of a body
3. Find the resultant of two or more forces acting along the same line (2nd Law)
4. Recognize that if there is no resultant force on a body it either remains at rest
or continues at constant speed in a straight line (1st Law).
5. Understand friction as the force between two surfaces which impedes motion
and results in heating.
6. Recall and use the relationship between force, mass and acceleration
(including the direction), F = ma
7. Recognize air resistance as a form of friction.
8. Show familiarity with the idea of the mass of a body
9.Rate yourselfanout
Demonstrate of 5 at we
understanding haveis finished
that mass learning
a property that this topic
‘resists’ change in to
check your understanding.
motion
10. State that weight is a gravitational force. Recall and use the equation W = mg
Contents
Sr. Learning Outcome Rating
11. Describe, and use the concept of, weight as the effect of a gravitational field on
a mass.
12. Demonstrate understanding that weights (and hence masses) may be compared
usingthat
13. State a balance.
weight is a gravitational force. Recall and use the equation W = mg
Rate yourself out of 5 at we have finished learning this topic to

check your understanding.

Force
• A force is push or pull that an object exerts on another

• Force is a vector quantity.
• SI Unit (derived unit): Newton (N)
• Measuring Device: Spring Balance or Newton Meter.

Effects of Forces
Force can have following effects on the motion of an

object.
1.A stationary object can start moving.
2.A moving object can gain/lose speed.
3.A moving object can change direction.

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Types of Force
• Contact Force is a force that requires a physical contact

to be enforced.
• Non Contact (Field Force) is a force that does not
required any physical contact be enforced.
Types of Forces
• Gravitational force
All objects experience a force that pulls them
downwards; we call this force the weight.
• Normal force N
This force acts at right angles to the
surface so is called the normal force.
• Tension
If you attach a rope to a body and pull it, the
rope is in tension. This is also the name of
the force exerted on the body.

Types of Forces - Friction
• Force that resists motion between two touching surfaces

• Acts in the opposite direction to the object’s motion
• Produces heat
• Friction can be reduced by adding lubricants
Application of Friction in Daily Life

• Prevents objects from sliding down a slope
• Allows nails to hold things

Types of Forces

Balanced and Unbalanced Forces
• When all the forces acting on an object balance each

other.
• Balanced forces do not cause a change in motion.
• When forces in either horizontal or vertical direction
are not equal.
• Resultant Force is the sum of all the individual forces
acting on an object (taking directions into account).

Balanced forces
When considering the forces that cause acceleration, they
must all act on the same object. These forces can be
considered individually and can be of different kinds.
For instance the pulling

force on this box is not
equal to the frictional
force acting against it,
so the box will start to
move to the right.
Free body diagrams only include the forces that act on one
object. This makes it easy to work out whether the forces on it
are balanced or not, and whether the object will accelerate.

Balanced forces
Force is a vector. The vector sum of all the forces on an
object gives a net or resultant force.
Look at the forces on this To see the vector sum of the

object: forces, add the vectors together
4N nose-to-tail.
3N
4N 4N
3N 3N 3N
There is no ‘net’ or resultant
force on the mass: the forces
are balanced.
4N
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Unbalanced forces
The forces on this mass are unbalanced:
What is the resultant force? Add the
vectors together again, nose-to-tail.
8N
3N
F
4N 4N
3N θ
8N
3N
F = √32 + 42 = 5 N
4N
θ = tan-1(4/3) = 53°
There is a resultant force of 5 N at a direction of 53° from
the horizontal.

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Mass
• Definition: Mass is a measure of substance in a body.

• Property: Mass of the body will remain same everywhere.
• Symbol: M or m
• SI unit : Kilogram (kg)
• Alternative Units: gram (g), milligram (mg) and tonne.
• Measuring Device: Beam balance and electronic balance.

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Mass (Inertia)
• Mass of a body resists change
from its state of rest or motion,
this is called inertia.
• Moving objects tend to continue
moving unless acted upon by
an unbalanced force.
• Objects at rest tend to stay at
rest unless acted upon by an
unbalanced force.
• The more mass an object has, the more inertia it has:
❑ More massive objects are harder to start moving and stop
moving.
❑ Smaller objects are easier to start and stop moving

Example of Inertia

Gravitational Field Strength
• Gravitational field is a region in which a mass

experiences a force due to gravitational attraction.
• Definition: Gravitational Force per unit mass
• Symbol: g
• Formula: Gravitational Force per unit mass ( F/m)
• Unit: N/kg or Nkg-1
• Property: Gravitational field on the surface of the
Earth is 10N/kg. This means that a gravitational force
of 10N is exerted on an object of mass 1kg. Near to
the surface of the moon is 1.6 N/kg.

Weight
• Definition: Weight of a body is the force exerted

on a body due to earth’s gravitational pull.
• Symbol: W
• Formula: Weight = mass × gravitational field
strength
• Unit: Newton (N)
• Property: Weight of a body varies in different
places. It depends on gravitational field strength.
• Measuring Device: Spring balance(newton
meter).
• W = mg

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Relationship between mass, weight and g
• Relationship between mass, weight and gravitational field

Weight
Weight = mass × gravitational field strength.

W = mg

Mass vs Weight- Example Questions
Example Question 1
•The mass of an object on the Earth is 25Kg. Calculate
the weight of the object?
Example Question 2
•On the Earth, the gravitational field strength is 10 N/kg.
On the Moon, the gravitational field strength is 1.6 N/kg.
If an object has a weight of 50 N on Earth, what is its
weight on the Moon?

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Forces and motion
If there is no resultant force on an object, can it be
moving?
Aristotle thought that all objects tend to
move towards their natural place in the
universe, and that their velocity was
determined by the strength of this force.
For instance, heavier objects would

move towards the ground more
quickly than lighter ones.
Galileo later realised that the acceleration of an object, not

its velocity, is proportional to the size of the total force
acting on it, and in 1687, Sir Isaac Newton published his
first law of motion, which confirmed this.

Newton’s first law
A body continue its state of rest or motion

unless acted upon by some external force
This is Newton’s first law, also known as the law of inertia.

For instance, a space shuttle requires large forces from its
engines during launch, but can move through space with little
or no propulsion if far enough away from gravitational
influences.

Applying Newton’s first Law
• It is inertia which accounts for the way in which passengers

are “thrown” forward when a car brakes.
• While the car has a resultant force applied to it to change
its motion, the passengers do not, and so they continue on
with their previous motion, due to their inertia. It thus
appears that the passengers are “thrown” forward.

Applying Newton’s first law
In everyday life, most things don’t move unless a force is
applied. Why is this?
What forces act on this car as it travels at a steady speed?
Air resistance acts against
the direction of motion.
Friction from the road
pushes the car forward.
This force is a reaction to
the backwards push of the
wheels on the road.
The car is travelling at a steady speed, so these two forces
must be equal.

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Example of Intertia

Relative motion

Newton’s first law: true or false?

What is Newton’s second law?
If there is a resultant force on an object, it accelerates in the
direction of that force. Its acceleration is directly proportional
to the force, and inversely proportional to the object’s mass.
(Do not use definition in exams)
This can be stated in a vector equation:
F = ma
For example, the downward force on an object due to gravity

(weight) at the Earth’s surface is:
weight = mg
Where g = 9.81 ms-2 (standard acceleration due to gravity).

Background of Momentum
• Any moving object has momentum.

• Momentum is a vector quantity.
• Definition: Momentum is product of mass and velocity of
an object.
• Symbol: P
• Formula: p = m × v
p is the momentum kg m/s
m is the mass in kilograms, kg
v is the velocity in m/s
• Unit: kg m/s

Calculating Momentum
• what is the momentum of a 5 kg object moving with a

velocity of 2 m/s?
Answer:
p=m×v
p=5×2
p =10 kgm/s
• Momentum of an object also depends on the direction

of travel. This means that the momentum of an object
can change if:
o the object speeds up or slows down
o the object changes direction

Newton’s second law Definition
The second law states that the rate of change of

momentum of a body is equal to the Net force.

Application of Newton’s 2nd law
There is a mathematical relationship between the resultant

force and acceleration.
Resultant force = mass x acceleration
F=ma

Application of Newton’s 2nd law –Example 1
What will be the acceleration?
Friction (60 N)
Pushing force (100 N)
Mass of man and bike = 100 kg

Application of Newton’s 2nd law-Solution
Resultant force = 100 + (- 60) = 40 N left

FR = ma
40 = 100a
a = 0.4 ms-2 left

Using Newton’s second law

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Newton’s second law Example 2
A car and caravan are accelerating at 0.5 ms-2.
1. Find the driving force produced by the engine.
3000 kg 5000 kg
The engine must accelerate both the car and the caravan:
F = ma = (3000 kg + 5000 kg) × 0.5 ms-2 = 4000 N

Newton’s second law Example
2. Find the tension in the tow-bar.
?
4000 N
3000 kg 5000 kg
The tow-bar accelerates the caravan only:
F = ma = 5000 kg × 0.5 ms-2 = 2500 N

Newton’s second law example
3. Find the resultant force on the car.
2500 N
4000 N
3000 kg 5000 kg
resultant force = driving force – tension

= 4000 – 2500 = 1500 N
or F = ma = 3000 kg × 0.5 ms-2 = 1500 N
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Exam Style Question (3)

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IBDP Exam Style Question - Solution

Motion under gravity
•There are two types of Motions under action of gravity:
• Note: Students need to understand both of these motions

for IGCSE Physics.

Acceleration under gravity

Motion under Gravity-Acceleration of freefall
An object that falls to the ground with no forces acting on it
except gravity is said to be in freefall.
This can only occur when the effects

of air resistance are negligible.
Any object in freefall, close to the

Earth’s surface, experiences vertical
acceleration of 9.81 ms-2 downwards.
This is often denoted by the letter g.
‘Freefall’ includes both ‘rising’

and ‘falling’ motion, whether a
projectile follows a parabola or
a simple vertical line.

Motion under Gravity-Acceleration of freefall
• The acceleration of free fall for a body near to the Earth

is constant.
• As we go upwards, leaving the earth’s surface, the value
of (g) acceleration due to gravity decreases, till we reach
away space g=zero.
For Object Falling For Object thrown upwards.

Motion under Gravity –Freefall Summary
• Motion time graph

bellows show
corresponding
displacement and
acceleration time
graphs for objects
going upwards.

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Motion under Gravity- Experiment.
• The experiment shows, when all

the air has been removed from
the tube and both feather and
lead ball dropped from same
height, they both reach bottom
of the tube at the same time.
This is because all the objects
in the absence of air resistance,
accelerates towards the earth at
same rate that is 10m/s2

Motion under Gravity – With Air Resistance
• In Physics term fluid is used for anything which can flow.

Liquids and Gases are both Fluids.
• As an object moves through the fluid it experiences
resistance.
• This resistance is called Drag( Air Resistance).
Air Resistance Force
Gravitational Force

Motion under Gravity – with Air Resistance
Properties of Fluid Resistance:
•Fluid Resistance acts against the motion.
•Fluid Resistance can also be called Air Resistance if object

is moving in air. We can use the term Drag for both air and
liquid.
•As the velocity of the object increases the (Drag)fluid

resistance increases. For example when a person cycles
faster you feel more air pushing against you.

What is terminal Velocity?
•As Object is falling it’s speed is increasing and so is Drag
force.
•However, downwards gravitational force still constant.
•As object is falling net force is decreasing and so does
acceleration.
•At Terminal Velocity the downward Gravitational force is just
equal to the opposing Drag (frictional Air resistance).
•Therefore Net Force on the object is zero. When net force is
Zero by using F=ma, acceleration is also zero.
•Therefore speed becomes constant and this maximum

constant speed is called Terminal Velocity.

• Graph below is speed time graph for Object falling with air
resistance.
Fnet = Fgravity – Fdrag

resistance.
• Label Terminal Velocity on the graph.

resistance.
• Label Terminal Velocity on the graph.
• Can you draw corresponding Acceleration time graph?

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• Motion time graphs below are representing motion of same

object falling with air resistance .

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Exam Style Question - Solution

Motion under Gravity – Parachutist
• Notice Parachutist reaches terminal velocity twice. Can you

explain why?

Motion under Gravity – Parachutist
• Initially, as an object starts to fall the force due to gravity is greater than
the air resistance (drag). Because the downward force is greater there is
a net force that causes the object to accelerate downwards.
• As the objects speed through the air increases there is greater drag
force between the objects surface and the air particles. Therefore, the
faster the object falls the greater the air resistance (drag).
• Eventually the drag force equals the weight force. The maximum
velocity reached by a falling object is called the terminal velocity.
• Opening a parachute further increases the drag force, causing the sky
diver to decelerate (slow down).
• As the skydiver slows down, the drag force decreases until it balances
the weight force once more and a new, slower terminal velocity is
reached.

Skydiving

Action and reaction
A football rests on flat ground. There are four key forces
acting between the ball and the Earth. What are they?
● The ball presses down

on the ground.
● The ground reacts to

the ball.
● Earth’s gravity acts on

the ball.
● The ball’s gravity acts

on the Earth.

Action and reaction
“If every action has an equal and opposite reaction,

how do unbalanced forces ever occur?”
Newton’s third law applies only to forces between objects.

Pairs of action and reaction forces are of the same kind.
This diagram shows a pair

of frictional forces between
a box and the ground:
friction of the box on the
ground, and friction of the
ground on the box.

Newton’s third law
If a body A exerts a force on body B, body B will exert

an equal but opposite force on body A
Hand (body A) exerts force

on table (body B)
Table (body B) exerts force

on hand (body A)

Newton’s third law
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Forces always come in pairs.
List all the horizontal forces acting here, between the car,
the caravan and the road:
● The car pushes the road backwards.

● The road pushes the car forwards.
● The car pulls the caravan forwards.
● The caravan pulls the car backwards.
Exam Style Question
A 2kg mass rests on a horizontal table. The reaction force

exerted by the table up on the mass is approximately_____
a) 0 N
b) 2 N
c) 5 N
d) 20 N
e) 200N

IBDPExam Style Question


Balanced forces: true or false?

Glossary
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1.5.1 Newton Laws of Motion (Effects of Forces)

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Topic 1.

2 of 28 © Boardworks Ltd 2009

7. Recognize air resistance as a form of friction.

8. Show familiarity with the idea of the mass of a body

Rate yourself out of 5 at we have finished learning this topic to

4 of 28 © Boardworks Ltd 2009

• A force is push or pull that an object exerts on another

• SI Unit (derived unit): Newton (N)

• Measuring Device: Spring Balance or Newton Meter.

5 of 28 © Boardworks Ltd 2009

Force can have following effects on the motion of an

6 of 28 © Boardworks Ltd 2009

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• Contact Force is a force that requires a physical contact

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• Force that resists motion between two touching surfaces

Application of Friction in Daily Life

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• When all the forces acting on an object balance each

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For instance the pulling

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Look at the forces on this To see the vector sum of the

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• Definition: Mass is a measure of substance in a body.

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• Gravitational field is a region in which a mass

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• Definition: Weight of a body is the force exerted

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• Relationship between mass, weight and gravitational field

Weight = mass × gravitational field strength.

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For instance, heavier objects would

Galileo later realised that the acceleration of an object, not

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A body continue its state of rest or motion

This is Newton’s first law, also known as the law of inertia.

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• It is inertia which accounts for the way in which passengers

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