4 -Newtons Laws of Motion

Force is the action (push or

pull) that tends to change
the state of motion of an
object.
An object at rest needs a
force to get it moving; a
moving object needs a
force to change its
velocity

 When several forces act on an object the

object accelerates only if the net force
(resultant of all forces) acting on it is not equal
to zero. That is:
If the net force acting on an object is zero the
acceleration is zero and the velocity of the object
remains constant.

This occurs when the body is at rest or moving

in a straight line with uniform velocity

Force Classes
(I) Contact force
When a force acts on an object it
may be one of two classes:
Contact force which is due to
physical contact with another
object.
Examples of these forces are:
1. The force one exerts when he
pulls on a coiled spring
2. The force exerted by a football
player to kick the ball,

(II) Field force

Field force which do not involve
physical contact between two
objects but acts through
empty space.
Examples of field forces are:
(1) The gravitational force
between masses
(2) The electric force between
electric charges.
(3) The magnetic forces exerted
by a magnet on a an iron bar

Resultant of a force system

The effect of any number of
forces acting at the same
point on a body is the same
as the effect of a single
force that equal to the
vector sum of the forces.
This single force is called
the resultant or the net
force of all these forces.
When two forces F1 and F2
acts at the same time on
the same point of a body as
in figure, the effect of these
two forces equal the vector
sum or the resultant F
which is given by

F = F1 + F2,.

Resultant of a group of forces

If F1, F2, F3 and so on are the forces,
then the net force or resultant is
given by the vector sum of these
forces
Fnet =F1 + F2 + F3 + ......= Fi
How To calculate Fnet

1. resolve the forces F1, F2, F3 and so

on in its x and y- components
2. calculate the x and y-components of
the net force as

3

2

1

(Fy)net =F1y + F2y + F3y + ...= Fiy

(Fx)net =F1x + F2x + F3x + ...... = Fix
3. Calculate Fnet using

F2net =(Fix )2 + ( Fiy )2

F1x =F1 cos

, F2x =F2 cos

F1y =F1 sin

, F2y =F2y sin

2,
2,

and F3x =F3 cos

and F3y =F3 sin

3
3

Force and inertia

When you push on a bowling ball and an automobile the change in
the state of motion of the automobile is much less than that of the
bowling ball. This is because the mass of the automobile is much
greater than that of the bowling ball. From this we see that
When the same force acts for the same time on two objects having
different masses the change in motion of the smaller mass will be
greater than the change in motion of the larger mass.
Inertia
The tendency of an object to resist the change in its state of motion is
called inertia. The body mass is a measure of its inertia.
The relation between force, mass and the change in the state of
motion is given by Newton's laws of motion.

Newtons first Law

A body remains in its state of rest or uniform
motion in a straight line unless acted by
unbalanced external force.
That is if the net force (Fnet) acting on a
body is zero the acceleration a of the body
is zero and the body is in equilibrium.
If Fnet = 0 then a = 0.
This simple equation means that if a number

Equation for static and dynamic equilibrium

Since the equation

Fnet = F = 0

is a vector equation in three dimensional

space, then it has three components. That
is

Fx = 0

Fy = 0

Fz = 0

If the net force Fnet on an object is zero, then

the sum of the components of the forces in

Example 1
A ball with a mass m = 5 kg is suspended
from a ceiling by means of a cord. when a
horizontal force F is applied to the ball as
in fig the ball hangs in equilibrium with the
cord making an angle of 35o with respect
to the vertical. What is the magnitude of
the force F and what is the tension T.

Solution
Fx = F

- T sin 35 = 0

Fx = T cos 35 mg = 0

T sin 35 = F
T cos 35 = mg

Tan 35 = F/mg F= mg Tan 35 = 5x9.8tan 35 = 34.3 N

350
F

mg

Example II
A block with a mass m =10 kg rests on an inclined
plane as shown in the following diagram. What
mass M must be attached to the cord in order to
prevent the block from sliding down
y.
Solution
For the mass m resolve the weight
x
mg into two components one in x- axis
mg sin 30 and one in y-axis. mg cos 30
Then applying = 0,
T -mg sin 30 = 0
T = mg sin 30
(1)
and applying
S Fy =0 for the y- components we get
N = mg cos 30.
For the second mass M we have
T - Mg = 0
T =Mg
(2)
From 1 and 2 we get
Mg = mg sin 30
M = 10 sin 30 = 5 kg

Newtons second law

Whenever a net force acts on a body it produces an acceleration in the
direction of the force which is proportional to the magnitude of the
force and inversely proportional to the mass of the body. this means
that
F1

m
F

F2

Fnet
a

F=ma
F is the net force acting on the object.
To Study the motion of the object we need to know the forces acting on
the object not the forces the body exerts on other objects.
.

The force F produces an

acceleration
a = F/m
to the mass m in the same
direction as F
The sum of the two applied
forces is zero and the
acceleration is zero

The v vector sum of F1 and F2

produces a resultant force Fnet
which is different from either F1 and
F2 .

m
-F

F ne

F1
a

m
F2

Newtons third law

Newtons third law of dynamics tells us that single
forces cannot occur; Forces always occur in pairs .
We usually call one of them the force and the other the
reaction. The third law states that:

For every action force there is an equal

but opposite reaction
This means that if object 1 exerts force on object
2, then object 2 exerts an equal but opposite in
direction on object 1. That is a force always
paired with an equal reaction force. In equation
form,
F12 = - F21

One example of action reaction pair is a block on a horizontal plane.

The block exerts a force equal to its weight mg on the plane , the
plane exerts an equal but opposite force on the block. Thus, two
forces are acting on the block mg downward and N upward. These
two forces are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. therefore,
the net force acting on the block is zero and it has no acceleration

It is always important to distinguish

between those forces acting on
the body and those forces that
the body exerts on other object.
A body moves under the effect of
the force acting on it and not the
force that the body exerts.

Fig. 5.9, p.124

Solving Problems with Newtons Laws

Free-Body Diagrams
1. Draw a sketch.
2. For one object, draw a free-body
diagram, showing all the forces acting
on the object. Make the magnitudes
and directions as accurate as you
can. Label each force. If there are
multiple objects, draw a separate
diagram for each one.
3. Resolve vectors into components.
4. Apply Newtons second law to each
component.
5. Solve.

Solving Problems with Newtons Laws

Free-Body Diagrams

When a cord or rope pulls on

an object, it is said to be under
tension, and the force it exerts
is called a tension force.

Applications Involving Friction, Inclines

On a microscopic scale, most
surfaces are rough. The exact
details are not yet known, but
the force can be modeled in a
simple way.
For kinetic sliding
friction, we write:

is the coefficient
of kinetic friction, and
is different for every
pair of surfaces.

Applications Involving Friction, Inclines

Applications Involving Friction, Inclines

Static friction is the frictional force between two

surfaces that are not moving along each other.
Static friction keeps objects on inclines from
sliding, and keeps objects from moving when a
force is first applied.

Applications Involving Friction, Inclines

The static frictional force increases as the applied
force increases, until it reaches its maximum.
Then the object starts to move, and the kinetic
frictional force takes over.

Applications Involving Friction, Inclines

An object sliding down an incline has three forces acting
on it: the normal force, gravity, and the frictional force.
The normal force is always perpendicular to the surface.
The friction force is parallel to it.
The gravitational force points down.
If the object is at rest,
the forces are the same
except that we use the
static frictional force,
and the sum of the
forces is zero.

The normal force N= mg cos ,

The forces parallel to the plane is mg sin .
The frictional force f is parallel to the plane.
If the block is in equilibrium, then
f = mg sin . .
Using

Fmax = s N

we get

s N = mg sin
s mg cos = mg sin

s = tan

Problem Solving A General Approach

1. Read the problem carefully; then read it again.
2. Draw a sketch, and then a free-body diagram.
3. Choose a convenient coordinate system.
4. List the known and unknown quantities; find
relationships between the knowns and the
unknowns.
5. Estimate the answer.
6. Solve the problem without putting in any numbers
(algebraically); once you are satisfied, put the
numbers in.
7. Keep track of dimensions.
8. Make sure your answer is reasonable.

Kinematics of Uniform Circular Motion

Uniform circular motion: motion in a circle of
constant radius at constant speed
Instantaneous velocity is always tangent to
circle.

Kinematics of Uniform Circular Motion

Looking at the change in velocity in the limit that
the time interval becomes infinitesimally small,
we see that

Kinematics of Uniform Circular Motion

This acceleration is called the centripetal, or
radial, acceleration, and it points towards the
center of the circle.

Dynamics of Uniform Circular Motion

For an object to be in uniform circular motion,
there must be a net force acting on it.
We already know the
acceleration, so can
immediately write the
force:

(5-1)

Dynamics of Uniform Circular Motion

We can see that the force must be inward by
thinking about a ball on a string:

Dynamics of Uniform Circular Motion

There is no centrifugal force pointing outward;
what happens is that the natural tendency of the
object to move in a straight line must be
overcome.
If the centripetal force vanishes, the object flies
off tangent to the circle.

Highway Curves, Banked and Unbanked

When a car goes around a curve, there must be
a net force towards the center of the circle of
which the curve is an arc. If the road is flat, that
force is supplied by friction.

Highway Curves, Banked and Unbanked

If the frictional force is

insufficient, the car will
tend to move more
nearly in a straight line,
as the skid marks show.

Highway Curves, Banked and Unbanked

As long as the tires do not slip, the friction is
static. If the tires do start to slip, the friction is
kinetic, which is bad in two ways:
1. The kinetic frictional force is smaller than the
static.
2. The static frictional force can point towards
the center of the circle, but the kinetic frictional
force opposes the direction of motion, making
it very difficult to regain control of the car and
continue around the curve.

Highway Curves, Banked and Unbanked

Banking the curve can help keep
cars from skidding. In fact, for
every banked curve, there is one
speed where the entire centripetal
force is supplied by the
horizontal component of
the normal force, and no
friction is required. This
occurs when:

Nonuniform Circular Motion

If an object is moving in a circular

path but at varying speeds, it
must have a tangential
component to its acceleration as
well as the radial one.

Nonuniform Circular Motion

This concept can be used for an object moving
along any curved path, as a small segment of the
path will be approximately circular.

Centrifugation
A centrifuge works by
spinning very fast. This
means there must be a
very large centripetal
force. The object at A
would go in a straight
line but for this force; as
it is, it winds up at B.

Newtons Law of Universal Gravitation

If the force of gravity is being exerted on
objects on Earth, what is the origin of that
force?
Newtons realization was
that the force must come
from the Earth.
He further realized that
this force must be what
keeps the Moon in its
orbit.

Newtons Law of Universal Gravitation

The gravitational force on you is one-half of a
Third Law pair: the Earth exerts a downward force
on you, and you exert an upward force on the
Earth.
When there is such a disparity in masses, the
reaction force is undetectable, but for bodies
more equal in mass it can be significant.

Newtons Law of Universal Gravitation

Therefore, the gravitational force must be
proportional to both masses.
By observing planetary orbits, Newton also
concluded that the gravitational force must decrease
as the inverse of the square of the distance between
the masses.
In its final form, the Law of Universal Gravitation
reads:
(5-4)
where

Newtons Law of Universal Gravitation

The magnitude of the
gravitational constant G
can be measured in the
laboratory.
This is the Cavendish
experiment.

Gravity Near the Earths Surface;

Geophysical Applications
Now we can relate the gravitational constant to the
local acceleration of gravity. We know that, on the
surface of the Earth:
Solving for g gives:

(5-5)

Now, knowing g and the radius of the Earth, the

mass of the Earth can be calculated:

Gravity Near the Earths Surface;

Geophysical Applications
The acceleration due to
gravity varies over the
Earths surface due to
altitude, local geology,
and the shape of the
Earth, which is not quite
spherical.

Satellites and Weightlessness

Satellites are routinely put into orbit around the
Earth. The tangential speed must be high
enough so that the satellite does not return to
Earth, but not so high that it escapes Earths
gravity altogether.

Satellites and Weightlessness

The satellite is kept in orbit by its speed it is
continually falling, but the Earth curves from
underneath it.

Satellites and Weightlessness

Objects in orbit are said to experience
weightlessness. They do have a gravitational
force acting on them, though!
The satellite and all its contents are in free fall, so
there is no normal force. This is what leads to the
experience of weightlessness.

Satellites and Weightlessness

More properly, this effect is called apparent
weightlessness, because the gravitational force
still exists. It can be experienced on Earth as
well, but only briefly: