Chapter 2

Force and motion

2.1 Newton’s first law

Newton's first law Every object remains in a state of rest or of uniform motion in
a straight line unless forces act on it to change that state.
 2.2 Force and acceleration

Newton's second law When a force of F newton’s acts on an object of mass m kg,
it produces an acceleration, 𝒂𝒂 𝒎𝒎 𝒔𝒔−𝟏𝟏 given by 𝑭𝑭 = 𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎.
 EXAMPLE 2.2.1

A car of mass 1200 kg is pushed with a force of 150 N. Calculate the acceleration
1
of the car, and find how long it will take to reach a speed of 1 𝑚𝑚−1 from rest.
2

EXAMPLE 2.2.2

In the sport of curling, a stone of mass 18 kg is placed on ice and given a push. If
this produces a speed of 2 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 , and the stone goes 30 meters before coming to
rest, calculate the deceleration, and find the frictional force between the stone
and the ice.
In Fig. 2.4 the friction is shown as R newton’s opposite to the direction of motion.
1
So the equation 𝐹𝐹 = 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 takes the form −𝑅𝑅 = 18 𝑥𝑥 (− ), which gives 𝑅𝑅 =
15
1.2.
2.3 Some other types of force
 EXAMPLE 2.3.1

The World's Strongest Man has a cable attached to a harness round his shoulders.
The cable is horizontal, and the other end is attached to a 20 tonne truck. The
man starts to pull so that the tension in the cable is 800 N. How long will it take
for the truck to move 1 meter from rest?
Exercise 2A

1. The engine of a car of mass 800 kg which is travelling along a straight

horizontal road, is producing a driving force of 1200 N. Assuming that there
are no forces resisting the motion, calculate the acceleration of the car.

2. A van is pulling a broken-down car of mass 1200 kg along a straight

horizontal road. The only force acting on the car which affects the motion
of the car is the tension in the horizontal tow bar. Calculate the
acceleration of the car when the tension is 750 N.
3. For the first stage of its motion on the runway, before take-off, an aircraft
of mass 2200 kg has a constant acceleration of 4.2 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −2 . Calculate the
magnitude of the force necessary to provide this acceleration.

4. A water-skier is being towed by a motor-boat. Given that her acceleration

of 0.8 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −2 is provided by a force of 52 N, calculate her mass.
5. A wooden block of mass 𝑚𝑚 kg is at rest on a table, 1.6 meters from an edge.
The block is pulled directly towards the edge by a horizontal string. The
tension in the string has magnitude 0.2𝑚𝑚 N. Calculate the time taken for
the block to reach the edge of the table.

6. Two children are sliding a box to each other on a frozen lake. The box, of
mass 0.4 kg, leaves one child with speed 5 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 and reaches the other,
who is 8 m away, after 2.5 s. Calculate the deceleration of the box, and find
the frictional force resisting the motion of the box.
7. A particle P of mass m kg is moving in a straight line with constant
deceleration. It passes point A with speed 6 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 and point B with speed
3.6 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 ,. Given that the distance between ***e-book converter DEMO
Watermarks** 𝐴𝐴 and 𝐵𝐵 is 12 𝑚𝑚, calculate, in terms of m, the magnitude of
the force resisting the motion of P.

8. A man pushes a car with a force of 127.5 N along a straight horizontal road.
He manages to increase the speed of the car from 1 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 to 2.8 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 in
12 s. Find the mass of the car.
9. A runaway sledge of mass 10 kg travelling at 15 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 reaches a horizontal
snow field. It travels in a straight line before it comes to rest. Given that the
force of friction slowing the sledge down has magnitude 60 N, calculate
how far the sledge travels in the snow field.

10. A hockey player hits a stationary ball of mass 0.2 kg. The contact time
between the stick and the ball is 0.15 s and the force exerted on the ball by
the stick is 60 N. Find the speed with which the ball leaves the stick.
11. A boy slides a box of mass 2 kg across a wooden floor. The initial speed of
the box is 8 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 and it comes to rest in 5 m. Calculate the deceleration of
the box and find the frictional force between the box and the floor.

12. A boat of mass 3000 kg. travelling at a Sneed of 𝑢𝑢 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 . is brought to rest

in 20 by water A boat of mass 3000 kg, travelling at a speed of 𝑢𝑢 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 ., is
brought to rest in 20s by water resistance of 370 N. Find the value of u.
13. A car of mass of 1000 kg runs out of petrol and comes to rest just 30 m
from a garage. The car is pushed, with a force of 120 N, along the horizontal
road towards the garage. Calculate the acceleration of the car and find the
time it takes to reach the garage.

14. A bullet of mass 0.12 kg is travelling horizontally at 150 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 when it

enters a fixed block of wood. Assuming that the bullet's motion remains
horizontal and that the force resisting motion has constant magnitude 10
000 N, calculate how far the bullet penetrates the block.
15. A jet plane of mass 30 tonnes touches down with a speed of 55 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 and
comes to rest after moving for 560 m in a straight line on the runway.
Assuming that the only forces stopping the plane are provided by the
reverse thrust of its two engines, and that these forces are equal and
directed opposite to the direction of motion, calculate the magnitude of
the thrust in each engine.
 2.4 Forcing acting together

If several forces act on an object parallel to a given direction, then the

net force is the sum of the forces in that direction minus the sum of the
forces in the opposite direction If the net force is zero, the forces on the
object are said to be in equilibrium. The object then remains at rest, or
moves with constant velocity. (Newton's first law) The net force is equal
to the product of the mass of the object and its acceleration in the given
direction. (Newton's second law)
 EXAMPLE 2.4.1

A heavy box of mass 32 kg has a handle on one side. Two children try to move it
across the floor. One pulls horizontally on the handle with a force of 20 N, the
other pushes from the other side of the box with a force of 25 N, but the box does
not move. Find the frictional force resisting the motion.

EXAMPLE 2.4.2

Two builders push a rubbish skip of mass 300 kg across the ground. They both
push horizontally, one with a force of 200 N, the other with 240 N. Motion is
resisted by a frictional force of 380 N. Find the acceleration of the skip.
 EXAMPLE 2.4.3

A wagon of mass 250 kg is pulled by a horizontal cable along a straight level track
against a resisting force of 150 N. The wagon starts from rest. After 10 seconds it
has covered a distance of 60 m. Find the tension in the cable.
 EXAMPLE 2.4.4

A small boat of mass 90 kg is moved across a horizontal beach at a steady speed

of 2 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 One of the crew pulls with a force of 𝑃𝑃 newton’s, the other pushes
with a force of (𝑃𝑃 + 15) newton’s. The frictional force resisting the motion is
105 newton’s’. Find P.
2.5 The particle model
Exercise 2B

1. Three men are trying to move a skip. Two of the men are pushing
horizontally with forces of magnitude 120 N and 150 N and one man is
pulling with a horizontal force of magnitude X N. The frictional force
resisting the motion is 385 N. Given that the skip does not move, find the
value of X.
2. A boy is pushing one side of a box, of mass m kg, with a force of 25 N. His
sister is pushing from the opposite side of the box with a force of 13 N. The
box does not move. Given that the frictional force resisting the motion has
magnitude 3m N, calculate the value of m. The boy now pushes with an
increased force of 35 N. Assuming that the frictional force remains as
before, show that the box accelerates at 2.5 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −2 .

3. A motorcyclist moves with an acceleration of 5 m s along a horizontal road

against a total resistance of 120 N. The total mass of the rider and the
motorcycle is 400 kg. Find the driving force provided by the engine.
4. A car of mass 1200 kg is moving with a constant speed of 20𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 in a
horizontal straight line, against a resisting force of 300 N. What driving
force is being provided to sustain this motion? The driver speeds up
uniformly over the next 30 s to reach a speed of 30 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 , assuming that
the resisting force remains at 300 N, calculate the extra driving force
produced.

5. student is dragging a luggage trunk of mass 85 kg along a corridor with an

acceleration of 0.18𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −2 , the horizontal force the student exerts is 180 N.
Find the frictional force between the floor and the trunk.
6. A boy is pushing, horizontally, a box of old newspapers of mass 8 kg along a
straight path, against a frictional force of 16 N. Calculate the force with
which the boy is pushing when he is moving

a. with constant speed,

b. with a constant acceleration of 1.2 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −2

7. A particle of mass 5 kg is pulled, with constant speed, along a rough surface
by a horizontal force of magnitude 45 N. Calculate the magnitude of the
frictional force. Assuming that this force remains constant, calculate the
acceleration of the particle when the magnitude of the horizontal force is
increased to 55 N.

8. A water-skier of mass 80 kg is towed over a straight 100-metre run of

water. The tension in the horizontal towline is constant and of magnitude
300 N. The resistance to motion of the skier has magnitude 140 N. Given
that the skier takes 6.8 seconds to complete the run, calculate her speed at
the start of the run.
9. A railway engine of mass 5000 kg is moving at 0.25 m s when it strikes the
buffers in a siding. Given that the engine is brought to rest in 0.4 s, find the
force, assumed constant, exerted on the engine by the buffers.

10. A barge of mass 2 𝑥𝑥 105 kg is being towed, with a force of 2.5 𝑥𝑥 104 N, in a
straight line with an acceleration of 0.06 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −2 . Calculate the magnitude of
the resisting force provided by the water.
11. A particle of mass 2.5 kg is pulled along a horizontal surface by a string
parallel to the surface with an acceleration of 2.7 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −2 .. Given that the
frictional force resisting motion has magnitude 4 𝑁𝑁, calculate the tension in
the string. At the instant that the particle is moving with speed 3 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 .,
the string breaks. Calculate how much further the particle moves before
coming to rest.
12. At a particular instant a river boat, which is driven by a force of magnitude
5400 𝑁𝑁, is accelerating at 1.6 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −2 .. against a resistance of 1200 𝑁𝑁.
Calculate the mass of the boat.

13. A porter is pushing a heavy crate of mass M kg along a horizontal floor

with a horizontal force of 180 𝑁𝑁. The resistance to motion has magnitude
3𝑀𝑀 newton’s. Given that the acceleration of the crate is 0.45 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −2 , find
the value of 𝑀𝑀.
14. A motor-boat of mass 8 tonnes is travelling along a straight course with a
constant speed of 28 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘 ℎ−1 , the constant force driving the boat forward
has magnitude 780 𝑁𝑁. Find the force resisting motion, assumed constant.
The engine is now shut off. Calculate, to the nearest second, the time it
takes the motor-boat to stop, assuming that the resistance remains the
same as before.
15. One horse pulls, with a force of 𝑋𝑋𝑋𝑋, a cart of mass 800 kg along a
horizontal road at constant speed. Three horses, each pulling with a force
of 𝑋𝑋𝑋𝑋, give the cart an acceleration of 0.8 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −2 , Find the time it would
take two horses to increase the speed of the cart from 2 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 to 5 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 ,
given that each horse pulls with a force of 𝑋𝑋𝑋𝑋, and that the resistance to
motion has the same constant value at all times.
Miscellaneous exercise 2

1. A tram of mass 10 tonnes is moving along straight horizontal tracks.

Its engine produces a driving force of 12 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘 while the resistance to
motion is 1 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘. Find the acceleration of the tram,

2. A toy car of mass m kg is pulled along a horizontal playground by a

horizontal string. The tension in the string has magnitude 4.5𝑚𝑚 N and
the frictional force resisting the motion has magnitude 4𝑚𝑚 N. How
long does it take for the car to move 30 𝑚𝑚 from rest?
3. At a particular instant the engine of a motor-boat of mass 2300 kg is
producing driving force of magnitude 6000 N and the boat is
accelerating at 2 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 , Find the magnitude of the force opposing
the motion of the boat.

4. A child is pulling a toy animal of mass 1.8 kg, with constant speed
0.6 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 , along a horizontal path by means of a horizontal string.
She then increases the pulling force by 0.36 N. Calculate the time
taken for the toy to move 16 m, from the instant that the pulling
force is increased, given that the resistance to motion remains
constant throughout the whole motion.
5. Three men, each providing a horizontal force of 250 N, cannot move
a skip of mass 280 kg. Find the magnitude of the frictional force
opposing the motion. When a fourth man pushes with a horizontal of
force 300 N, the skip moves with acceleration of 0.4 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −2 . Find the
force resisting the motion in this case.

6. A laundry basket, which is initially at rest on a horizontal surface, is

pulled along the surface with a horizontal force of magnitude 6 N for
8 seconds. At the end of the period the speed of the basket is
2.4 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 assuming that the surface may be modelled as frictionless,
find the mass of the basket.
7. A twin-engine aircraft of mass 12000 kg is flying level at a steady
speed of 75 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 , against air resistance of magnitude 9000 N.
Calculate the thrust provided by each engine.

8. A large box, of total mass 45 kg, is being transported on the floor of a

van. The box will begin to slip if a force of more than 90 N is applied
to it. When the van is travelling at 12 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 the driver brakes
uniformly until the van comes to rest in a distance of 35 𝑚𝑚. Does the
box slip?
9. The total mass of a cyclist and his bicycle is 100 kg. He is travelling
along a straight horizontal road with speed 15 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 when he stops
pedaling and freewheels until coming to rest in 1 minute. Calculate
the deceleration of the cyclist and find the force resisting motion
(assuming this to be constant).

10. When a missile launcher of mass 2000 kg fires a missile horizontally,

the launcher recoils horizontally with an initial speed of 3 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 . Find
the minimum force, assumed constant, that needs to be applied to
the launcher to bring it to rest within 2 m.
11. On a particular journey the resistance to motion of a car of mass
1000 kg is proportional to its speed. The car is travelling at a constant
speed of 15 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 with a driving force of 870 N. The driving force is
instantaneously increased to 1200 N.

a. Find the instantaneous acceleration produced.

b. Find the resistance to motion and the acceleration when the car is
moving at 20 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1
12. A van of mass 800 kg, moving in a straight line along a horizontal
road, is brought to rest in 5 seconds from a speed of 12𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 , given
that there is a constant resisting force of magnitude 200 N, find the
braking force, assumed constant.
13. A particle of mass 2 kg is acted upon by a horizontal force of
magnitude 10 N for 8 seconds, in which time it moves from rest until
it is travelling with speed 𝑣𝑣 𝑚𝑚 𝑠𝑠 −1 , Show that 𝑣𝑣 = 40. The particle
continues to move with this speed for the next 10 seconds. It is then
brought to rest by the application of a constant resisting force of
magnitude X newton’s. The total distance travelled is 800 m. Find the
time for which the particle is decelerating, and the value of X.