Newton’s

Laws of
Motion
Sir Isaac Newton
 The motion of an aircraft through the air
can be explained and described by
physical principals discovered over 300
years ago by Sir Isaac Newton. Newton
worked in many areas of mathematics
and physics. He developed the theories
of gravitation in 1666, when he was only
23 years old. Some twenty years later, in
1686, he presented his three laws of
motion in the "Principia Mathematica
Philosophiae Naturalis."
 Newton’s Laws of Motion
 1st Law
An object at rest will stay at rest, and
an object in motion will stay in motion at
constant velocity, unless acted upon by an
unbalanced force.
 2nd Law
Force equals mass times acceleration.
 3rd Law
For every action there is an equal and
opposite reaction.
 1st Law of Motion
(Law of Inertia)

An object at rest will stay

at rest, and an object in
motion will stay in motion at
constant velocity, unless
acted upon by an
unbalanced force.
 Inertia is the
tendency of an
object to resist
changes in its
velocity:
whether in
motion or
motionless.

These pumpkins will not move unless

acted on by an unbalanced force.
 Once airborne,
unless acted on
by an
unbalanced
force (gravity
and air – fluid
friction)
…. it would never
stop!
 Unless acted
upon by an
unbalanced
force, this golf
ball would sit on
the tee forever.
 Why then, do we observe
every day objects in motion
slowing down and becoming
motionless seemingly
without an outside force?
It’s a force we sometimes cannot see
– friction.
 Objects on earth, unlike the
frictionless space the moon
travels through, are under the
influence of friction.
What is this unbalanced force that acts on an object in motion?
There are four main types of friction:
– Sliding friction: ice skating
– Rolling friction: bowling
– Fluid friction (air or liquid): air or
water resistance
– Static friction: initial friction when
moving an object
 Slide a book
across a table and
watch it slide to a
rest position. The
book comes to a rest
because of the
presence of a force -
that force being the
force of friction -
which brings the book
to a rest position.

In the absence of a force of friction, the book would

continue in motion with the same speed and direction -
forever! (Or at least to the end of the table top.)
 The Factors Affecting Amount of
Friction

1. the normal force (N)

2. the materials from which the two

surfaces are made / relative roughness of
the surfaces in contact (coefficient of
friction, )

Note: The frictional force is independent of the contact

area between the objects.
 Force that acts
oppose the
relative motion
of two surfaces

 High for dry

and rough
surfaces

 Low for smooth

and wet
surfaces
 Static & Kinetic Friction Coefficients

Material Coefficient of Coefficient

Static Friction of Kinetic
S Friction K
Rubber on Glass 2.0+ 2.0
Rubber on Concrete 1.0 0.8
Steel on Steel 0.74 0.57
Wood on Wood 0.25 – 0.5 0.2
Metal on Metal 0.15 0.06
Ice on Ice 0.1 0.03
Synovial Joints in 0.01 0.003
Humans
 The table below summarizes the main
characteristics of the frictional force.

Static Friction Kinetic Friction

Symbol fs fk

opposite direction
opposite direction of
Direction of applied force or
object's motion
impending motion

Magnitude   sN kN
 Normal
Force FN
Applied
Force F
Friction
Force ff

Gravity
Force Fg

Fg = mg

FN = F g

ff = F
Once the Force of Static
Friction is overcome, the
Force of Kinetic Friction
is what slows down a
moving object! Motion
FN

F
fk

Fg

f k  FN   k
 k  coefficient of kinetic friction
The Force of Static
Friction keeps a
stationary object at
rest!
FN

F
fs

Fg

f s  FN   s
 s  coefficient of static friction
 Exercise on Friction

A 25.0-kg chair initially at rest on a

horizontal floor requires a 365-N
horizontal force to set in motion. Once the
chair is in motion, a 327-N horizontal
force keeps it moving at a constant
velocity. Find the coefficient of (a) static
and (b) kinetic friction between the chair
and the floor.
Newtons’s 1st Law and You

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 m/hour.
2nd Law of Motion
 The net force of an object is
equal to the product of its mass
and acceleration, or F=ma.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/N2st.html#c1
 When mass is in kilograms and
acceleration is in m/s/s, the unit of force
is in newton (N).
 One newton is equal to the force
required to accelerate one kilogram of
mass at one meter/second/second.
 1 N = 1kg*m/s2
 2nd Law (F = ma)
 How much force is needed to accelerate a 1400
kilogram car 2 m/s2?
 Write the formula
 F = ma
 Fill in given numbers and units
 F = (1400 kg)(2 m/s2)
 Solve for the unknown
 2800 kg-m/s2 or 2800 N
If mass remains constant, doubling the acceleration, doubles the force. If
force remains constant, doubling the mass, halves the acceleration.
Newton’s 2nd Law proves that different
masses accelerate to the earth at the same
rate, but with different forces.

F = ma F = ma
98 N = 10 kg x 9.8 m/s2 9.8 N = 1 kg x 9.8 m/s2
Newton’s
Falling
Apple???
 Check Your Understanding
1. What acceleration will result when a 12 N net force
applied to a 3 kg object?
Answer: 12 N = 3 kg x 4 m/s2
2. A net force of 16 N causes a mass to accelerate at
a rate of 5 m/s2. Determine the mass.
Answer: 16 N = 3.2 kg x 5 m/s2
3. How much force is needed to accelerate a 66 kg
skier 1 m/sec/sec?
Answer: 66 kg-m/s2 or 66 N
4. What is the force on a 1000 kg elevator that is
falling freely at 9.8 m/sec/sec?
Answer: 9800 kg-m/s2 or 9800 N
 TYPES OF FORCES
1. Contact forces - occur when objects touch
each other.
Examples of contact forces include pushing a
crate (applied force), pulling a wagon
(tension force), a frictional force slowing
down your sled, or even the force of air
accelerating a spitward through a straw.
2. Field forces - also known as non-contact
forces, occur at a distance.
Examples of field forces include the
gravitational force, the magnetic force,
and the electrical force between two
charged objects.
 3rd Law of Motion

For every action, there is an

equal and opposite reaction.
 According to
Newton, whenever
objects A and B
interact with each
other, they exert
forces upon each
other.

When you sit in your chair, your body

exerts a downward force on the chair and the chair
exerts an upward force on your body.
 There are two
forces resulting
from this
interaction - a
force on the chair
and a force on
your body.
These two
forces are called
action and
reaction forces.
Newton’s 3rd Law in Nature
Consider the
propulsion of a
fish through the
water. A fish
uses its fins to
push water
backwards. In
turn, the water
reacts by
pushing the fish
forwards,
propelling the
fish through the
water.
Flying gracefully through the air, birds depend on
Newton’s third law of motion. As the birds push
down on the air with their wings, the air pushes
their wings up and gives them lift.
 Consider the flying motion of birds. A bird
flies by use of its wings. The wings of a bird
push air downwards. In turn, the air reacts by
pushing the bird upwards.
 The size of the force on the air equals the size
of the force on the bird; the direction of the
force on the air (downwards) is opposite the
direction of the force on the bird (upwards).
 Action-reaction force pairs make it possible
for birds to fly.
 Consider the
motion of a car on
the way to school. A
car is equipped with
wheels which spin
backwards. As the
wheels spin
backwards, they grip
the road and push
the road backwards.
 The reaction of a rocket is an
application of the third law of
motion. Various fuels are burned in
the engine, producing hot gases.
The hot gases push against the
inside tube of the rocket and escape
out the bottom of the tube. As the
gases move downward, the rocket
moves in the opposite direction.
Exercises:

 1. What acceleration will result when a 12 N net

force applied to a 3 kg object? A 6 kg object?

 2. A net force of 16 N causes a mass to accelerate

at a rate of 5 m/s2. Determine the mass.

 3. How much force is needed to accelerate a 66 kg

skier 1 m/s2?

 4. What is the force on a 1000 kg elevator that is

falling freely at 9.8 m/s2?
READY FOR MORE???
 Problem 1:

 A crate of mass 10kg is moving with a constant

velocity of 5m/s on a horizontal surface. The
coefficient of sliding friction between the crate
and the horizontal surface is 0.20. What
horizontal force is required to maintain its
motion? If the force is removed, how soon will
the body come to rest?
- horizontal force is required to maintain its
motion
FA  F f ( kinetic)   k N
FA  (0.20)(10kg)(9.8m / s 2 )  19.6 N

- time the body will come to rest, after the force

is removed

FA  19.6 N
a   1.96m / s 2
m 10kg

v f  vi 0  5m / s
t   2.55s
a  1.96m / s 2
Problem 2:
 A 12kg box is released from the top of an
incline that is 5m long and makes an angle of
40º to the horizontal. A 60N friction force
impedes the motion of the box. How long will
it take the box to reach the bottom of the
incline?
 Wx  F f  ma

(117.6 N )(sin 40)  60 N  (12kg)a

(117.6 N )(sin 40)  60 N

a  1.3m / s 2
12kg

2d 2(5m)
t  2
 2.8s
a 1.3m / s
Assignment:

 A block, initially at rest, slides down from the

top of an inclined plane 30º above the
horizontal. The plane is 100ft long and
frictionless. What distance will it travel on a
frictionless horizontal surface at the foot of
the plane 6s after it has started from rest?