Newton's First Law of Motion Is Often Stated As

Newton's First Law
In a previous chapter of study, the variety of ways by which motion can be described (words,
diagrams, numbers, etc.) was discussed. In this unit (Newton's Laws of Motion), the ways in which
motion can be explained will be discussed. Isaac Newton (a 17th century scientist) put forth a variety
of laws that explain why objects move (or don't move) as they do. These three laws have become
known as Newton's three laws of motion. The focus of Lesson 1 is Newton's first law of motion -
sometimes referred to as the law of inertia.
Newton's first law of motion is often stated as
An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the
same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Two Clauses and a Condition
There are two clauses or parts to this statement - one that predicts the behavior of stationary objects
and the other that predicts the behavior of moving objects. The two parts are summarized in the
following diagram
The behavior of all objects can be described by saying that objects tend to "keep on doing what
they're doing" (unless acted upon by an unbalanced force). If at rest, they will continue in this same
state of rest. If in motion with an eastward velocity of 5 m/s, they will continue in this same state of
motion (5 m/s, East). If in motion with a leftward velocity of 2 m/s, they will continue in this same state
of motion (2 m/s, left). The state of motion of an object is maintained as long as the object is not acted
upon by an unbalanced force. All objects resist changes in their state of motion - they tend to "keep
on doing what they're doing."
There are many more applications of Newton's first law of motion. Several applications are listed
below. Perhaps you could think about the law of inertia and provide explanations for each application.
 Blood rushes from your head to your feet while quickly stopping when riding on a descending
elevator.
 The head of a hammer can be tightened onto the wooden handle by banging the bottom of the
handle against a hard surface.
 A brick is painlessly broken over the hand of a physics teacher by slamming it with a hammer.
(CAUTION: do not attempt this at home!)
 To dislodge ketchup from the bottom of a ketchup bottle, it is often turned upside down and
thrusted downward at high speeds and then abruptly halted.
 Headrests are placed in cars to prevent whiplash injuries during rear-end collisions.
 While riding a skateboard (or wagon or bicycle), you fly forward off the board when hitting a
curb or rock or other object that abruptly halts the motion of the skateboard.
Newton's Second Law

Newton's second law of motion pertains to the behavior of objects for which all existing forces
are not balanced. The second law states that the acceleration of an object is dependent upon two
variables - the net force acting upon the object and the mass of the object. The acceleration of an
object depends directly upon the net force acting upon the object, and inversely upon the mass of the
object. As the force acting upon an object is increased, the acceleration of the object is increased. As
the mass of an object is increased, the acceleration of the object is decreased.
Newton's second law of motion can be formally stated as follows:

The acceleration of an object as produced by a net force is directly proportional to the magnitude of
the net force, in the same direction as the net force, and inversely proportional to the mass of the
object.
This verbal statement can be expressed in equation form as follows:
a = Fnet / m
The above equation is often rearranged to a more familiar form as shown below. The net force is
equated to the product of the mass times the acceleration.
Fnet = m • a
In this entire discussion, the emphasis has been on the net force. The acceleration is
directly proportional to the net force; the net force equals mass times acceleration; the
acceleration in the same direction as the net force; an acceleration is produced by
a net force. The NET FORCE. It is important to remember this distinction. Do not use
the value of merely "any 'ole force" in the above equation. It is the net force that is
related to acceleration. As discussed in an earlier lesson, the net force is the vector
sum of all the forces. If all the individual forces acting upon an object are known, then the net force
can be determined
Consistent with the above equation, a unit of force is equal to a unit of mass times a unit of
acceleration. By substituting standard metric units for force, mass, and acceleration into the above
equation, the following unit equivalency can be written.
1 Newton = 1 kg • m/s2
The definition of the standard metric unit of force is stated by the above equation. One Newton is
defined as the amount of force required to give a 1-kg mass an acceleration of 1 m/s/s.
ACTIVITY #_________
1. Determine the accelerations that result when a 12-N net force is applied to a 3-kg object and then
to a 6-kg object.

2. A net force of 15 N is exerted on an encyclopedia to cause it to accelerate at a rate of 5 m/s 2.
Determine the mass of the encyclopedia.

3. Suppose that a sled is accelerating at a rate of 2 m/s 2. If the net force is tripled and the mass is
doubled, then what is the new acceleration of the sled?
4. Suppose that a sled is accelerating at a rate of 2 m/s 2. If the net force is tripled and the mass is
halved, then what is the new acceleration of the sled?
Newton's Third Law
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

The statement means that in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting
objects. The size of the forces on the first object equals the size of the force on the second object.
The direction of the force on the first object is opposite to the direction of the force on the second
object. Forces always come in pairs - equal and opposite action-reaction force pairs.
Examples of Interaction Force Pairs

A variety of action-reaction force pairs are evident in nature. Consider the propulsion of a fish through
the water. A fish uses its fins to push water backwards. But a push on the water will only serve to
accelerate the water. Since forces result from mutual interactions, the water must also be pushing the
fish forwards, propelling the fish through the water. The size of the force on the water equals the size
of the force on the fish; the direction of the force on the water (backwards) is opposite the direction of
the force on the fish (forwards). For every action, there is an equal (in size) and opposite (in direction)
reaction force. Action-reaction force pairs make it possible for fish to swim.
Consider the flying motion of birds. A bird flies by use of its wings. The wings of
a bird push air downwards. Since forces result from mutual interactions, the air
must also be 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). For
every action, there is an equal (in size) and opposite (in direction) reaction.
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 that spin. As the
wheels spin, they grip the road and push the road backwards. Since forces result from mutual
interactions, the road must also be pushing the wheels forward. The size of the force on the road
equals the size of the force on the wheels (or car); the direction of the force on the road (backwards)
is opposite the direction of the force on the wheels (forwards). For every action, there is an equal (in
size) and opposite (in direction) reaction. Action-reaction force pairs make it possible for cars to move
along a roadway surface.
ACTIVITY 7
1. While driving down the road, a firefly strikes the windshield of a bus and
makes a quite obvious mess in front of the face of the driver. This is a
clear case of Newton's third law of motion. The firefly hit the bus and the
bus hits the firefly. Which of the two forces is greater: the force on the
firefly or the force on the bus?
Trick Question! Each force is the same size. For every action, there is an
equal ... (equal!). The fact that the firefly splatters only means that with its smaller mass, it is less able
to withstand the larger acceleration resulting from the interaction. Besides, fireflies have guts and bug
guts have a tendency to be splatterable. Windshields don't have guts. There you have it.

3. Many people are familiar with the fact that a rifle recoils when fired. This recoil
is the result of action-reaction force pairs. A gunpowder explosion creates hot
gases that expand outward allowing the rifle to push forward on the bullet.
Consistent with Newton's third law of motion, the bullet pushes backwards upon
the rifle. The acceleration of the recoiling rifle is...
a. greater than the acceleration of the bullet.

b. smaller than the acceleration of the bullet.
c. the same size as the acceleration of the bullet.

4. In the top picture (below), Kent Budgett is pulling upon a rope that is attached to a wall. In the
bottom picture, Kent is pulling upon a rope that is attached to an elephant. In each case, the force
scale reads 500 Newton. Kent is pulling.
a. with more force when the rope is attached to the wall.

b. with more force when the rope is attached to the elephant.
c. the same force in each case.

Newton's First Law of Motion Is Often Stated As

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Newton's First Law of Motion Is Often Stated As

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Newton's First Law

Newton's Second Law

Newton's second law of motion can be formally stated as follows:

Newton's Third Law

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Examples of Interaction Force Pairs

a. greater than the acceleration of the bullet.

a. with more force when the rope is attached to the wall.

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