Phys101 Lectures 4 & 5

Dynamics: Newton’s Laws of Motion

Key points:
• Newton’s second law is a vector equation
• Action and reaction are acting on different objects
• Free-Body Diagrams
• Friction
• Inclines

Ref: 4-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9.
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 Force

A force is a push or pull. An object

at rest needs a force to get it
moving; a moving object needs a
force to change its velocity.
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 Force is a vector

Force is a vector, having both

magnitude and direction. The
magnitude of a force can be
measured using a spring
scale.
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 Newton’s First Law of Motion
This is Newton’s first law, which is often
called the law of inertia:
Every object continues in its state of rest, or of
uniform velocity in a straight line, as long as no net
force acts on it.

Demo: Driving without a seat belt.

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Inertial Reference Frames:
Newton’s first law does not hold in every reference frame, such as
a reference frame that is accelerating or rotating.
An inertial reference frame is one in which Newton’s first law is
valid. This excludes rotating and accelerating frames.
How can we tell if we are in an inertial reference frame? By
checking to see if Newton’s first law holds!
The earth is approximately an inertial reference frame.

i-clicker question:
The greater the net force acting on an object, the faster the
object is moving.
A) True
B) False

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 Newton’s Second Law of Motion
Newton’s second law is the relation
between acceleration and the net force.

Note:
If we know the mass of an object and the
net force acting on it, we will know its
acceleration, but not the velocity (we
don’t know how fast the object moves
unless we have additional information).

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 Newton’s Third Law of Motion
Newton’s third law:
Whenever one object exerts a force on a second object,
the second exerts an equal force in the opposite
direction on the first.

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Newton’s Third Law of Motion

A key to the correct

application of the third
law is that the forces
are exerted on different
objects. Make sure you
don’t use them as if
they were acting on the
same object.

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 The Normal Force

The force exerted perpendicular to a surface is

called the normal force.

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i-clicker question 4-1
A block of mass m rests on the floor of an elevator that
is moving upward at constant speed. What is the
relationship between the force due to gravity and the
normal force on the block?

A. 1) N > mg
B. 2) N = mg
C. 3) N < mg (but not zero) v
D. 4) N = 0
E. 5) depends on the size of
the elevator m

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i-clicker question 4-2 Case 1

Here you see two

cases: a physics
Case 2
student pulling or
pushing a sled with
a force F that is
applied at an angle
A) case 1
q. In which case is
B) case 2
the normal force C) it’s the same for both
greater? D) depends on the magnitude of
the force F
E) depends on the ice surface
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 Free-Body Diagram
A diagram showing all forces acting on an object.
What does “free-body” mean? Isolate the object.
Example: Draw a FBD for object mB (assume no friction)
y

N

  x
FBC mB FBA Set up your coordinate system
for components.

There are two kinds of forces:

 1. Contact forces
 mB g 2. Field forces (gravity, electric, etc)
Where is F ? Page 12
i-clicker question 4-3 and 4-4

A B C
Conceptual Example: The hockey puck.
A hockey puck is sliding at constant velocity across
a flat horizontal ice surface that is assumed to be
frictionless. Which of these sketches is the correct
free-body diagram for this puck? What would your
answer be if the puck slowed down?
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Example:
Tim pulls a 10-kg box by an attached cord on q
the smooth surface of a table. The
magnitude of the force exerted by Tim is
FP = 40.0 N, and it is exerted at a 30.0°
angle as shown. Calculate the
acceleration of the box.
Free-body diagram:
contact forces: Pull by Tim; q
Normal force.
Field forces: Gravity
 
Newton's Law : F  ma
x - component : Fp cos q  max
y - component : FN  FP sin q  mg  0
Fp cos q (40.0)(cos 30)
Solve for a x : ax    3.46m / s 2
m 10.0
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Example: Box slides down an incline.
A box of mass m is placed on a smooth
incline that makes an angle θ with the
horizontal. (a) Determine the normal force
on the box. (b) Determine the box’s
acceleration. (c) Evaluate for a mass m =
10 kg and an incline of θ = 30°.
y
[Solution] 
First, FBD and x-y coordinates.
FN
Then, Newton’s law in component form:
  θ
F  ma ?
x - comp : mg sin q  max θ x

y - comp : FN  mg cos q  0 mg
(a) FN  mg cos q
Again, two kinds of forces:
(b) a  a x  g sin q 1. Contact forces
(c) FN  85 N , a  4.9m / s 2 . 2. Gravity.
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Example: Elevator and counterweight (Atwood’s
machine).
The mass of the counterweight is 1000 kg. The total mass
of the elevator with passengers is 1150 kg. Calculate (a)
the acceleration of the elevator and (b) the tension in the
cable. Ignore the mass of cable and friction.
[Solution] For each object, we need to draw a FBD and
apply Newton’s law.
Ignoring friction and cable massmeans
?
the same tensionin cables on both sidesof pulley.
Kinematicsrelation : aCy  aEy  a

FT  mC g  mC aCy  mC a
FT  mE g  mE a Ey   mE a
Solve for a and FT :
mE  mC
a g  0.68m / s 2
mE  mC
FT  mC ( a  g )  10500 N
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i-clicker question 4-5 A
If you push with force F on m1
m2
either the heavy box (m1) or F
the light box (m2), in which
of the two cases is the B
contact force between the
m1 F
two boxes larger? Ignore m2
friction.

A) case A ?
Acceleration is the same
B) case B for both cases a=F/(m1+m2).
C) same in both cases Thus m1a > m2a
 Friction

Friction is always present when two solid

surfaces slide along each other.

The microscopic details

are not yet fully
understood.

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 Kinetic Friction

Sliding friction is called kinetic friction.

Approximation of the frictional force:
Ffr = μkFN .
Here, FN is the normal force, and μk is the
coefficient of kinetic friction, which is
different for each pair of surfaces.

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 Static Friction
Static friction applies when two surfaces
are at rest with respect to each other
(such as a book sitting on a table).
The static frictional force is as big as it
needs to be to prevent slipping, up to a
maximum value.
Ffr ≤ μsFN .
Usually the coefficient of static friction is
greater than the coefficient of kinetic
friction.
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 Static and Kinetic Frictions

Note that, in general, μs > μk.

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Example: Friction: static and kinetic.

Our 10.0-kg mystery box rests on a horizontal floor. The

coefficient of static friction is 0.40 and the coefficient of kinetic
friction is 0.30. Determine the force of friction acting on the box
if a horizontal external applied force is exerted on it of
magnitude:
(a) 0, (b) 10 N, (c) 20 N, (d) 38 N, and (e) 40 N.

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i-clicker question 4-6
To push or to pull a sled?
Your little sister wants a ride
on her sled. If you are on flat
ground, will you exert less
force if you push her or pull
her? Assume the same angle
θ in each case.

A) Push
B) Pull
C) No difference
Ffr = μkFN .
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Example: Pulling against friction.
A 10.0-kg box is pulled along a horizontal
surface by a force of 40.0 N applied at a
30.0°angle above horizontal. The
coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.30.
Calculate the acceleration.
FBD and Coordinates
Newton’s law in x- and y- components

FP cos q   k FN  max ( F fr  FN ) y

FN
FN  FP sin q  mg  0 
FP
Two unknowns,a x and FN . We can solve.
 q
FN  mg  FP sin q  78 N Ffr
x
FP cos q   k FN
ax   1.1m / s 2
m

mg
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Example: A ramp, a pulley, and two boxes.
Box A, of mass 10.0 kg, rests on a surface inclined at 37° to the
horizontal. It is connected by a lightweight cord, which passes
over a massless and frictionless pulley, to a second box B, which
hangs freely as shown. (a) If the coefficient of static friction is
0.40, determine what range of values for mass B will keep the
system at rest. (b) If the coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.30, and
mB = 10.0 kg, determine the acceleration of the system.

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 x

Small mB Large mB
case i : small m B
mA g sinq  mB g  S mA g cos q  0
m A g sin q  FT  F fr  m A a x
mB  mA sin q   S mA cos q
FN  m A g cos q  0 mB  10 sin 37  0.4010cos 37
FT  mB g  mB a x mB  2.8kg
we want a x  0, case ii : large m B
maximum static friction : F fr   S FN mA g sin q  FT  F fr  0
m A g sin q  FT   S FN  0 mB  mA sin q   S mA cos q
FN  m A g cos q mB  10 sin 37  0.4010cos 37
FT  mB g 2.8kg  mB  9.2kg mB  9.2kg Page 26
 Part (b) : Now mB  10kg  9.2kg,

m A g sin q  FT  F fr  mA a x
FN  m A g cos q  0
mA g sin q  mB g   k m A g cos q  m A a x  mB a x
FT  mB g  mB a x
mA g sin q  mB g   k m A g cos q
ax 
Kinetic friction : Ffr  k FN m A  mB
FN  mA g cos q a x  0.78 m / s 2
FT  mB g  mB ax
mA g sinq  mB g  mB ax  k mA g cos q  mAax
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