IM 04 Physics For Engineers

Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY

Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.: IM 04-Physics 1-2ndSEM-2020-2021
x College : ENGINEERING
Campus : BAMBANG
DEGREE PROGRAM BSME, BSECE COURSE NO. Physics 1

SPECIALIZATION COURSE TITLE Physics for Engineers
YEAR LEVEL I TIME FRAME 12 h WK NO. 5 & 6 IM NO. 4
I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE
Dynamics
II. LESSON TITLE
Newton’s Laws of Motion

Friction
III. LESSON OVERVIEW
In this chapter we will use two new concepts, 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 and 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠, to analyze the principles of dynamics.
These principles can be wrapped up in just three statements that were clearly stated for the first time by
Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727), who published them in1687 in his Mathematical Principles of Natural
Philosophy. These three statements are called Newton’s laws of motion. The first law states that when
the net force on a body is zero, its motion doesn’t change. The second law relates force to acceleration
when the net force is 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑧𝑒𝑟𝑜. The third law is a relationship between the forces that two interacting
bodies exert on each other.
The nature of the different types of friction forces – static friction, kinetic friction, rolling friction – and how
to solve problems that involve these forces are also introduced.
IV. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. illustrate force and the three Newton’s Laws;

2. solve problems on forces;
3. illustrate static and kinetic friction;
4. diagram and solve problems applying the coefficients of friction.
V. LESSON CONTENT
FIRST LAW OF MOTION
𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡.
• Imagine a ball on a level floor.
- Left alone, it stays where it is.

- If we give it a push, the ball rolls for a while and then comes to a stop.
- The smoother the ball and the floor, the farther the ball rolls before stopping.
• With a perfectly smooth and level floor, and with no air to impede the motion, would the ball ever
stop?
- There will never be a perfect ball and a perfect floor, of course. But we can come close.
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- The result is that, as the resistance to its motion decreases, the ball does indeed go farther
and farther for the same push.
- We can reasonably conclude that, under ideal conditions, the ball would keep rolling forever.
- This conclusion was first reached by Galileo. Later it was stated by Newton, who was born in
the year of Galileo’s death, as his first law of motion:
An object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will continue in motion at
constant velocity (constant speed in a straight line) in the absence of any interaction with
something else.
• The reluctance of an object to change its state of rest or of uniform motion is a property of matter
known as inertia.
- When a car suddenly starts to move, its passengers feel themselves pushed backward.
(a) When a car suddenly starts to move, the inertia of the passenger tends to keep them at rest
relative to the earth, and so their heads move backward relative to the car.
(b) When the car suddenly stops, inertia tends to keep the passengers moving, and so their
- What is actually happening is that inertia tends to keep their bodies where they initially were
while the car begins to move.
- When the car suddenly stops, on the other hand, the passengers feel themselves pushed
forward.
- What is actually happening is that inertia tends to keep their bodies moving while the car
comes to a halt.
Mass
𝐴 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑎.
• A measure of the inertia of an object at rest is its mass.
• The more something resists being set in motion (assuming it is able to move freely), the greater
its mass.
- The inertia of a bowling ball exceeds that of the basketball, as we can tell by kicking them in
turn, so the mass of the bowling ball exceeds that of the basketball.

The mass of an object determines its inertia.
Force
𝐴𝑛𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡.
• According to the first law of motion, the velocity of an object (which may be 0) remains constant
as long as it does not interact with something else.
- When the object interacts with something else, its velocity changes.
• We can interact with a football by kicking it, and the result is a change in the football’s velocity
from v1 = 0 to some value v2.
Three examples of how an interaction may give rise to a change in the velocity of an object.

- Or the interaction can take the form of catching a moving football, in which case again the
football’s velocity changes. An interaction can lead to a change in the 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 of v as well
as to a change in its magnitude, as, for instance, when a football bounces off a tree.
• The concept of force can be used to put all this on a precise basis.
- In general :
A force is any influence that can change the velocity of an object.
• This definition is in accord with the notion of a force as a “push” or a “pull,” but it goes further since
no direct contact is implied.
- No hand reaches up from the earth to pull a dropped stone downward, yet the increasing
downward velocity of the falling stone testifies to the action of a force on it.
A downward force exerted by the earth causes dropped objects to fall.
• Two or more forces may act on an object without affecting its state of motion if the forces cancel
one another.
- What is needed for a velocity change is a net force, also called an unbalanced force.
• When an object is acted on by a set of forces whose resultant is zero, the forces cancel, and the
object is then in equilibrium.
When several forces act on an object, they may cancel out one another to leave no net force.
- But each of the forces acting by itself would accelerate the object.
• In terms of the net force the first law of motion becomes:

If no net force acts on it, an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will
remain in motion at constant velocity.
SECOND LAW OF MOTION
𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 ′ 𝑠 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑡.
• Newton’s second law of motion gives us a quantitative definition of force:
The net force acting on an object equals the product of the mass and the acceleration of
the object. The direction of the force is the same as that of the acceleration.
In equation form,
F = 𝑚a 𝑆𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑎𝑤 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
Net force = (mass) (acceleration)
• According to the second law, a net force that gives an object twice the acceleration another force
does must be twice as great as the other one.
The acceleration of an object is proportional to the net force applied to it. Successive positions of a block
are shown at 1-s intervals while forces of 𝐹, 2𝐹, and 3𝐹.
• The acceleration of an object is proportional to the net force.
- An object moving to the right but going slower and slower is accelerated to the left.
- Hence there must be a force toward the left acting on it.
A force and the acceleration it produces are always in the same direction.
• The first law of motion is a special case of the second:
When the net force on something is zero, its acceleration is also zero.
• The definition of mass given earlier also fits nicely into the second law.
- The greater the mass of an object acted on by a given force, the smaller its acceleration and
hence the smaller its final speed starting from rest.

When the same force is applied to objects of different masses, the resulting accelerations are inversely
proportional to the masses. Successive positions of blocks of mass 𝑚, 2𝑚, and 3𝑚 are shown at 1-s
intervals while identical forces of 𝐹 are applied.
• The relationship between force and acceleration means that the less acceleration an object has,
the smaller the net force on it.
- If you drop to the ground from a height, you can reduce the force of the impact by bending
your knees as you strike the ground so you come to a stop gradually instead of suddenly.
- The same reasoning can be applied to make cars safer.
- If a car’s body is built to crumple progressively in a crash, the forces acting on the passengers
will be smaller than if the car were rigid.
The farther something moves while being stopped, the less the force it experiences. This graph shows
how the force on a 70-kg person in a car that crashes at 50 km/h (31 mi/h) varies with the distance the
person moves during the impact. (10 kN = 10 4 N = 2248 lb)
• In the SI system the unit of force is the newton (N):
A newton is that net force which, when applied to a 1-kg mass, gives it an
acceleration of 1 m/s2.
𝑭 = 𝒎𝒂
1 N = (1 kg) (1 m/s2)
• A newton is about 0.225 lb, a little less than ¼ lb. A pound is nearly 4 ½ N.
• The second law of motion is a powerful tool for analyzing problems that involve force and motion.
Sample Problem
A 60-g tennis ball approaches a racket at 30 m/s, is in contact with the racket’s strings for 5.0 ms
(1 ms = 1 millisecond = 10 -3 s), and then rebounds at 30 m/s. what was the average force the
racket exerted on the ball?

Solution
The tennis ball experienced a change in velocity of
𝛥𝑣 = 𝑣𝑓 − 𝑣𝑜 = (-30 m/s) - (30 m/s) = -60 m/s
so its acceleration was
𝛥𝑣 − 60 𝑚/𝑠
𝑎 = = = - 1.2 x 104 m/s2
𝛥𝑡 5.0 𝑥 10−3 𝑠
The corresponding force is, since 60 g = 0.060 kg,
𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎 = (0.060 kg) (- 1.2 x 104 m/s2) = -720 N = - 0.72 kN
The minus sign means that the force was in the opposite direction to that of the ball when it
approached the racket.
Sample Problem
During the performance of the Bouglione Circus in 1976, John Tailor was fired from a
compressed-air cannon whose barrel was 20 m long. Tailor emerged from the cannon (twice daily,
three times on Saturdays and Sundays) at 40 m/s. If Tailor’s mass was 70 kg, find the average
force on him during the firing of the cannon.
Solution
We start by finding Tailor’s acceleration with the help of the equation
𝑣 = 𝑣𝑜2 + 2𝑎 (𝑥 − 𝑥𝑜 )
𝑚
Here 𝑣𝑜 = 0, 𝑣 = 40 , 𝑥𝑜 = 0, 𝑥 = 20 𝑚, so
𝑠

𝑣 = 𝑣𝑜2 + 2𝑎 (𝑥 − 𝑥𝑜 )
𝑚
𝑣2 (40 𝑠 )2
𝑎 = = (2)(20 𝑚)
= 40 m/s2
2𝑥
The corresponding average force is
𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎 = (70 kg) (40 m/s2) = 2800 N = 2.8 kN
Weight
𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒.
• The force with which the earth attracts an object is called its weight.
• If you weigh 700 N (157 lb), that means the earth is pulling you down with a force of 700 N.
• Weight (a vector quantity) is different from mass (a scalar quantity), which is a measure of inertia.
• Weight and mass, however, are closely related.
• The weight of a stone is the force that gives it the acceleration of gravity g when it is dropped.
If the stone’s mass is 𝑚, then the magnitude of the downward force on it, which is its weight
𝑤, can be found from the second law of motion, 𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎.
- Since 𝐹 = 𝑤 and 𝑎 = 𝘨.
𝑤 = 𝑚𝘨 𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡
Weight = (mass) (acceleration of gravity)
• The mass of an object is a more basic property than its weight because the pull of gravity on it is
not the same everywhere.
- This pull is less on a mountaintop than at sea level, and less at the equator than near the
poles because the earth bulges slightly at the equator.
- A person who weighs 700 N in Lima, Peru, would weigh about 703 N in Oslo, Norway.
- On the surface of Mars the same person would weigh only 266 N, so he or she would be able
to jump much higher there than on the earth’s surface.
- However, a ball could not be thrown any faster on Mars because 𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎 and the ball’s mass
𝑚 is the same.
• In working out problems that concern the second law of motion, it is usually best to begin by
sketching the forces that act on the object involved. This is called free-body diagram.
- Forces that the object exerts on anything else should not be shown, because such forces do
not affect the object’s motion.
Sample Problem
A loaded elevator whose total mass is 800 kg is suspended by a cable whose maximum
permissible tension is 20,000 N. What is the greatest upward acceleration possible for the elevator
under these circumstances? What is the maximum possible downward acceleration?

The tension 𝑇 in a cable is the magnitude of the force any part of the cable exerts on the adjoining
part. The tension is the same in both directions in the cable, and, if the cable has no mass, it is
the same along the entire cable. Since only cables of negligible mass will be considered here, we
can think of 𝑇 as the magnitude of the force either end of the cable exerts on whatever it is
attached to.
Solution
A free-body diagram showing that the net upward force on an elevator of mass 800 kg is 12,160 N when
the tension in its supporting cable is 20,000 N.
When the elevator is at rest or moving at constant velocity, the tension in the cable is just its
weight of
𝑤 = 𝑚𝘨 = (800 kg)(9.8 m/s2) = 7840 N
To accelerate the elevator upward, an additional tension 𝐹 is required in order to provide a net
upward force. Since the total tension 𝑇 cannot exceed 20,000 N, the greatest accelerating force
available is
𝐹 = 𝑇 − 𝑤 = 20,000 N - 7840 N = 12,160 N
The elevator’s acceleration when this net force is applied is
𝐹 12,160 𝑁 12,160 𝑘𝑔 . 𝑚/𝑠 2

𝑎 = = = = 15.2 m/s2
𝑚 800 𝑘𝑔 800 𝑘𝑔
For the elevator to exceed the downward acceleration of gravity 𝗀 = 9.8 m/s2 , a downward force
besides its own weight is needed. Since this cannot be provided by a supporting cable, the
maximum acceleration is 9.8 m/s2.
Sample Problem
A rope whose working strength is 2000 N is used to tow a 1000-kg car up a 10° incline. Find the
maximum acceleration that can be given to the car.

Solution
The component of the weight 𝑚𝑔 of the car that is parallel to the incline has the magnitude
𝑚𝑔 sin 10°. If 𝑇 is the maximum tension in the rope, the maximum net force along the incline that
can be applied to the car is
𝐹 = 𝑇 − 𝑚𝘨 sin 10°
From the second law of motion,
𝑇 − 𝑚𝑔 sin 10° = 𝑚𝑎
𝑇 2000 𝑁 𝑚
𝑎 = − 𝑔 sin 10° = − (9.8 2 )(sin 10°)
𝑚 1000 𝑘𝑔 𝑠
𝑎 = 0.30 𝑚⁄𝑠2
On a level road, 𝜃 = 0 and sin 𝜃 = 0, and the maximum acceleration would be 2.0 m/s 2.
Customary Units of Mass and Force
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑙𝑢𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑.
• In the U.S. Customary System the unit of mass is the slug and the unit of force is the pound (lb).
• An object whose mass is 1 slug experiences an acceleration of 1 ft/s 2 when a net force of 1 lb
acts on it.
• The slug is an unfamiliar unit because in everyday life weights rather than masses are specified
in the customary system
Units of mass and weight
System of Unit of Unit of Accelera To find mass 𝑚 given To find weight 𝑤 given mass 𝑚
units mass weight tion of weight 𝑤
gravity 𝘨
SI kilogram newton 9.80 𝑤 (𝑁) 𝑤 (𝑁) = 𝑚 (𝑘𝑔)𝑥 9.80 m/s2
𝑚 (kg) =
(kg) (N) m/s 2 9.80 m/s2
Customary slug pound 32.2 ft/s2 𝑤(𝑙𝑏) 𝑤 (𝑙𝑏) = 𝑚(𝑠𝑙𝑢𝑔𝑠)𝑥 32.2 𝑓𝑡/𝑠2
𝑚 (𝑠𝑙𝑢𝑔𝑠) =
(lb) 32.2 𝑓𝑡/𝑠2

Conversion of units: 1 slug = 14.6 kg 1 N = 0.225 lb

1 kg = 0.0685 slug 1 lb = 4.45 N
Example
A net force of 15 lb acts on an 8.0-lb object. Find the object’s acceleration.
Solution
First we calculate the mass of the object, which is
𝑤 8.0 𝑙𝑏
𝑚 = = = 0.25 slug
𝘨 32.2 𝑓𝑡/𝑠 2
From the second law of motion 𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎 we find that the acceleration is

𝑓𝑡
𝐹 15 𝑙𝑏 15 ( 𝑠𝑙𝑢𝑔)( 2 )
𝑠
𝑎 = = = = 60 ft/s2
𝑚 0.25 𝑠𝑙𝑢𝑔 0.25 𝑠𝑙𝑢𝑔
Example
A 3000-lb car has an initial velocity of 10 mi/h. how much force is required to accelerate the car to a
velocity of 50 mi/h in 9.0 s?
Solution
We begin by converting the velocities from mi/h to ft/s.
𝑚𝑖 5280 𝑓𝑡 1ℎ
𝑣𝑜 = 10 x x = 14.67 ft/s
ℎ 1 𝑚𝑖 3600 𝑠
𝑣 = 73.33 ft/s
The car’s acceleration is
𝑣 − 𝑣𝑜 (73.33 − 14.67) 𝑓𝑡/𝑠

𝑎 = = = 6.52 ft/s2
𝑡 9.0 𝑠
The force that must act on the car is therefore
𝑤 3000 𝑙𝑏 𝑓𝑡
𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎 = ( ) 𝑎 = ( 𝑓𝑡 )(6.52 2 ) = 607.45 lb
𝘨 32.2 2 𝑠
𝑠
THIRD LAW OF MOTION
𝐴𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛.
• We push against a heavy table and it does not move.
- Evidently the table is pushing back just as hard as we push against it.
- The table stays in place because our force on it is matched by the opposing force of friction
between its base and the floor.
- We ourselves do not move because the force of the table on us is matched by a similar
opposing force between our shoes and the floor.
• Suppose now that we and the table are on a frozen lake whose surface is so slippery on a warm
day that there is no friction.

- Again we push on the table, which this time moves away from us as a result.
Pushing a table on a frozen lake results in person and table moving apart in opposite directions. There
is no way to exert a force without an equal and opposite force coming into being. The two forces act on
different objects.
- But we can stick to the ice no better than the table can, and we find ourselves sliding
backward.
- No matter what we do, pushing on the table always means that the table pushes back on us.
• Considerations of this kind led Newton to his third law of motion:
When an object exerts a force on another object, the second object exerts on the
first a force of the same magnitude but in the opposite direction.
• If we call one of the interacting objects 𝐴 and the other 𝐵, then according to the third law of motion
FAB = - FBA. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑑 𝑙𝑎𝑤 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
- Here FAB is the force 𝐴 exerts on 𝐵 and FBA is the force 𝐵 exerts on 𝐴.
Action and Reaction
• The third law of motion always applies to two different forces on two different bodies – the action
force that one body exerts on another, and the equal but opposite reaction force that the second
exerts on the first.
The action-reaction forces between a book and a table and between the table and the floor.
- The book weighs about 20 N. when it rests on a table, it presses down on the table with a
force of 20 N.
- The table pushes upward on the book with a reaction force of 20 N.
- Why doesn’t the book fly upward into the air? The answer is that the upward force of 20 N on
the book merely balances its weight of 20 N, which acts downward.
- If the table were not there to cancel out the latter 20-N force, the book would, of course, be
accelerated downward.
• The process of walking is another example of the third law at work.
- We push backward with one foot, and the ground pushes forward on us.
- The forward reaction force exerted by the ground causes us to move forward.
- At the same time, the backward force of our foot causes the earth to move backward.
When we push backward on the earth with one foot, the opposite reaction force of the earth
pushes forward on us. The latter force causes us to move forward.
- Owing to the earth’s enormously greater mass, its motion is too small to be detected.
• Suppose we find ourselves on a frozen lake with a melted surface.
- Now we cannot walk because the lack of friction prevents us from exerting a backward force
on the ice that would produce a forward force on us.
- But what we can do is exert a force on some object we may have with us, say a snowball.
- We throw the snowball forward by applying a force to it. At the same time, the snowball is
pressing back on us with the identical force but in the opposite direction, and in consequence
we find ourselves moving backward.
If we throw a snowball while standing on a frozen lake, the reaction force pushes us backward.
• It is sometimes arbitrary which force of an action-reaction pair to consider action and which
reaction.
- For instance, we cannot really say that the gravitational pull of the earth on an apple is the
action force and that the pull of the apple on the earth is the reaction force, or the other way
around.
- When we push on the ground while walking, however, it is legitimate to call this force the
action force and the force with which the ground pushes back on us the reaction force.
Example
A 1.0-kg block 𝐴 and a 3.0-kg block 𝐵 are in contact on a frictionless horizontal surface.
(a) A horizontal force of 𝐹 = 10 N is applied to block 𝐴. Find the force this block exerts on block
𝐵.
(b) The same force is now applied to block 𝐵. Find the force block 𝐴 exerts on block 𝐵 in this
case.
Solution
(a) Because the blocks stick together, they have the same acceleration, which is
𝐹 10 𝑁
𝑎 = = = 2.5 m/s2
𝑚𝐴 + 𝑚𝐵 4.0 𝑘𝑔
To give block 𝐵 this acceleration, the force block 𝐴 exerts on it must be
𝐹𝐴𝐵 = 𝑚𝐵 𝑎 = (3.0 kg)( 2.5 m/s2) = 2.5 N
(b) The force block 𝐵 exerts on block 𝐴 has the magnitude
𝐹𝐵𝐴 = 𝑚𝐴 𝑎 = (1.0 kg)( 2.5 m/s2) = 2.5 N
The reaction force of block 𝐴 on block 𝐵 must have the same magnitude but the opposite direction.
As a check, we note that the net force to the left on block 𝐵 is 10 N – 2.5 N which is what is
needed to give this block the acceleration 𝑎.
FRICTION
𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙, 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡.
• Frictional forces act to impede relative motion between two surfaces in contact.
• Friction is quite different from inertia.
- Inertia refers to the tendency of an object to maintain its state of rest or motion at constant
velocity when no net force acts on it.
- Even the smallest net force, however, can accelerate an object despite its inertia.
• Friction, on the other hand, refers to an actual force that arises to oppose relative motion between
contacting surfaces.
• Often friction is desirable.
- The fastening action of nails, screws, and bolts and the resistive action of brakes depend on
it.
- Walking would be impossible without friction.

- In many situations, however, friction merely reduces efficiency, and great efforts are made in
industry to minimize it through the use of lubricants – notably grease and oil – and special
devices – notably the wheel.
- About half the power of a typical automobile engine is wasted in overcoming friction in the
engine itself and its drive train.
• Let us consider what happens when we try to move a box across a level floor.
(a) As a force is applied to a box on a level floor, the frictional resistive force increases to a certain
maximum, decreases somewhat as the box begins to move, and then remains constant.
(b) The net force on the box equals the applied force minus the frictional force. The frictional force is
always equal to or less than the applied force.
- As we begin to push, the box stays in place because the floor exerts a force on the bottom of
the box, which opposes the force we apply.
- This opposition force is friction, and it arises from the nature of the contact between the floor
and the box.
- As we push harder, the frictional force also increases to match our efforts, until finally we are
able to exceed the frictional force and begin to move the box.
- The frictional force is parallel to the contacting surfaces of the floor and the box.
• As indicated in figure (a), the force between two stationary surfaces in contact that prevents
motion between them is called static friction.
- In a given case, static friction has a certain maximum value called starting friction.
- When the applied force exceeds starting friction, one surface breaks away and begins to move
relative to the other.
• The kinetic friction (or sliding friction) that occurs after that is less than the starting friction, so
less force is needed to keep the box of the above figure in motion than the force needed to set it
moving in the first place.
- “Kinetic” is a word of Greek origin that implies motion.
• Because starting friction is always greater than kinetic friction, a car’s tires provide more traction
when they are not slipping.
- This holds true whether the intention is to accelerate the car forward (spinning the wheels on
snow or ice is not very effective) or to slow it down (locking the wheels by applying too much
force to the brakes reduces the retarding force on the car).

• Friction has two chief causes.
- One is the mechanical interlocking of irregularities in the two surfaces which prevents one
surface from sliding evenly past the other.
A lubricant reduces friction by providing a soft material able to flow readily to separate surfaces
in contact.
- The second cause is the tendency for materials in very close contact to stick together because
of attractive forces between their respective atoms.
- The tiny “welds” that occur where projections on the surfaces are pressed together must be
broken in order to move one surface over the other. As the motion continues, new welds form
and must be broken in turn.
• Lubricants reduce friction by separating two contacting surfaces with a layer of softer material.
- Instead of rubbing against each other, the surfaces rub against the lubricant.
- Depending on the specific application, the best lubricant may be a gas, a liquid, or a solid.
- Most lubricants are oils derived from petroleum.
- Grease consists of oil to which a thickening agent has been added to prevent the oil from
running out from between the surfaces involved.
- The joints of the limbs of the human body are lubricated by a substance called synovial fluid,
which resembles blood plasma.
The Wheel
• There is no relative motion between the rim of a wheel and a smooth surface over which it rolls if
wheel and surface are both rigid and thus no frictional resistance must be overcome.
- By reducing friction so drastically, the wheel makes it possible to carry loads from one place
to another without the enormous forces that dragging them would require.
- Most aspects of our technological civilization rely on the wheel in one way or another.
• Neither wheels nor the surfaces on which they travel can ever be perfectly rigid.
- The figure shows the flattening of the wheel and the indentation of the surface, which both
contribute to rolling friction.
- Because the wheel and the surface must be constantly deformed as the wheel rolls, a force
is needed to keep the wheel rolling.
- However, this force is usually many times smaller than that needed to overcome sliding
friction.
- Balls and rollers are widely used to reduce the friction on a rotating shaft by replacing sliding
friction with rolling friction.
- Tire deformation accounts for most of the friction force on a car at speeds of up to 50 to 80
km/h, when air resistance starts to dominate.
Coefficient of Friction
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑖𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑐𝑡.
• It is a matter of experience that the frictional force exerted by one surface on another depends on
two factors:
1. The kinds of surfaces that are in contact;

2. The perpendicular force with which either surface is pressed against the other.
- This perpendicular force is usually referred to as the normal force, symbol 𝐹𝑁 .
• The more tightly two objects are pressed together, the greater the friction between them.
- For this reason an empty box is easier to push across a floor than a similar box loaded with
something heavy.
The greater the normal force with which one surface is pressed against the other, the greater the force
of friction between them.
• Equally familiar is the effect of the nature of the contacting surfaces.
- For instance, we need more than three times as much force to push a wooden box across a
wooden floor as we do to push a steel box of the same weight across a steel floor.
- Interestingly enough, the area in contact between the two surfaces is not important.
- It is just as hard to push a small 50-kg box over a given floor as it is to push a large 50-kg box
of the same material over the same floor.
• To a good degree of approximation, the following formulas relate the normal force 𝐹𝑁 pressing
one surface against another to the frictional force 𝐹𝑓 that results:
𝐹𝑓 ≤ 𝜇𝑠 𝐹𝑁 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝐹𝑓 = 𝜇𝑘 𝐹𝑁 𝐾𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

• The quantity 𝜇 (Greek letter 𝑚𝑢) is called the coefficient of friction and is a constant for a given
pair of surfaces.
• When an object resting on a surface is pushed, the force of static friction increases with the
applied force until the limiting value of 𝜇𝑠 𝐹𝑁 is reached.
- That is, when no motion occurs, 𝜇𝑠 𝐹𝑁 gives the starting frictional force, not the actual frictional
force: The actual frictional force has the same magnitude as the applied force, but is in the
opposite direction.
- When the applied force is greater than the starting frictional force of 𝜇𝑠 𝐹𝑁 , motion begins and
the coefficient of kinetic friction must then be used.
• As mentioned earlier, the normal force between an object and a surface with which it is in contact
can be taken either as the force the object exerts on the surface or as the reaction force the
surface exerts on the object, since both have the same magnitude.
• If we use a free-body diagram to help solve problems, however, we are limited to forces that act
𝑜𝑛 the object.
- When friction is involved, this means we must use the reaction force on the object for the
normal force 𝐹𝑁 .
Approximate coefficients of static and kinetic friction for various materials in contact
Materials in contact Coefficient of static friction, 𝜇𝑠 Coefficient of kinetic friction, 𝜇𝑘

Wood on wood 0.5 0.3
Wood on stone 0.5 0.4
Steel on steel (smooth) 0.15 0.09
Metal on metal (lubricated) 0.03 0.03
Leather on wood 0.5 0.4
Rubber tire on dry concrete 1.0 0.7
Rubber tire on wet concrete 0.7 0.5
Glass on glass 0.94 0.4
Steel on Teflon 0.04 0.04
Bone on bone (dry) 0.3
Bone on bone (lubricated) 0.003
Example
A 100-kg wooden crate is at rest on a level stone floor.

(a) What is the minimum horizontal force needed to start the crate moving?
(b) What is the minimum horizontal force needed to keep the crate in motion at constant speed?
(c) What will happen if a horizontal force of 500 N is applied to the crate?
Solution
or

Free-body of a box on a level floor. The normal force FN has the magnitude 𝑚𝘨 here. When the
applied force FA exceeds the frictional force Ff , the net force FA - Ff acts to accelerate the box.
(a) The starting frictional force is given by 𝐹𝑓 ≤ 𝜇𝑠 𝐹𝑁 using the coefficient of static friction for
these surfaces from the table:
𝐹𝑓 (starting) = 𝜇𝑠 𝐹𝑁 = 𝜇𝑠 𝑚𝘨 = (0.5)(100 kg)(9.8 m/s2) = 490 N
The crate will begin to move only if a force more than 490 N is applied to it.
(b) When the crate is moving, the coefficient of kinetic friction must be used to find the frictional
force, which is
𝐹𝑓 (kinetic) = 𝜇𝑘 𝑚𝘨 = (0.4)(100 kg)(9.8 m/s2) = 392 N
Although at least 490 N of force must be exerted to set the crate in motion, only 392 N of
force is needed to continue the motion at constant speed.
(c ) Since the applied force of FA = 500 N exceeds the starting force of 490 N, the crate will begin
to move. Since the applied force also exceeds the force of sliding friction 𝐹𝑓 = 392 N, the crate
will be accelerated. The net force on the moving crate is
𝐹 = 𝐹𝐴 − 𝐹𝑓 = 500 N - 392 N = 108 N
The crate’s acceleration is, from the second law of motion 𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎,
𝐹 108 𝑁
𝑎 = = = 1.08 m/s2
𝑚 100 𝑘𝑔
Example
The coefficient of kinetic friction between a rubber tire and a dry concrete road is 0.700. What is the
distance in which a car will skid to a stop on such a road if its brakes are locked when it is moving at 50.0
mi/h?
Solution
The first step is to calculate the acceleration of the car under these circumstances. The normal force 𝐹𝑁
is the car’s weight of 𝑚𝘨, and the frictional force is
𝐹𝑓 = 𝜇𝑘 𝐹𝑁 = 𝜇𝑘 𝑚𝘨
From the second law of motion, 𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎, and
−𝜇𝑘 𝑚𝘨 = 𝑚𝑎

𝑎 = −𝜇𝑘 𝘨 = - (0.700)(32.2 ft/s2) = - 22.54 ft/s2
The car’s weight does not matter. We can find the distance 𝑥 from 𝑣 2 = 𝑣𝑜2 + 2𝑎𝑥.
Here 𝑣 = 0 and
𝑚𝑖 5280 𝑓𝑡 1ℎ
𝑣𝑜 = 50.0 x x = 73.33 ft/s
ℎ 1 𝑚𝑖 3600 𝑠
Therefore, since 𝑎 = - 22.54 ft/s2 (the minus sign is needed because the acceleration is negative),
−𝑣𝑜2 − (73.33 𝑓𝑡/𝑠)2

𝑥 = = ft = 119.28 ft
2𝑎 (2)(−22.54 2 )
𝑠
Example
A wooden chute is being built, along which wooden crates of merchandise are to be slid down into the
basement of a store.
(a) What angle with the horizontal should the chute make if the crates are to slide down at constant
velocity?
(b) With what force must a 100-kg crate be pushed in order to start it sliding down the chute if the angle
of the chute is that found in (a)?
Solution
(a) Since velocity is constant, 𝑎 = 0 and for the 𝑥- component,
𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎
𝐹𝑓 − 𝑚𝘨 sin 𝜃 = 0
No motion for the 𝑦- component so 𝑎 = 0
𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎
𝐹𝑁 − 𝑚𝑔 cos 𝜃 = 0
𝐹𝑁 = 𝑚𝑔 cos 𝜃
Since 𝐹𝑓 = 𝜇𝑘 𝐹𝑁 , then from
𝐹𝑓 − 𝑚𝘨 sin 𝜃 = 0
𝜇𝑘 𝐹𝑁 − 𝑚𝘨 sin 𝜃 = 0
𝜇𝑘 (𝑚𝑔 cos 𝜃) = 𝑚𝘨 sin 𝜃

sin 𝜃
𝜇𝑘 = = tan 𝜃
cos 𝜃
Based on the table, 𝜇𝑘 = 0.3 so,
0.3 = tan 𝜃
𝜃 = 16.70°
(b)
For the 𝑥- component,
𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎
−𝐹 − 𝑚𝘨 sin 𝜃 + 𝐹𝑓 = 0
But 𝐹𝑓 = 𝜇𝑠 𝑚𝘨 cos 𝜃, so
𝐹 = 𝜇𝑠 𝑚𝘨 cos 𝜃 − 𝑚𝘨 sin 𝜃
𝐹 = (0.5)(100 kg)(9.8 m/s2) cos 16.70° - (100 kg)(9.8 m/s2) sin 16.70°
𝐹 = 187.72 N
VI. LEARNINGACTIVITIES
(a) Illustrate and solve the following problems:
1. Two people pushing a stalled car. The mass of the car is 1750 kg. One person applies a force of 265
N to the car, while the other applies a force of 395 N. Both forces act in the same direction. A third
force of 450 N also acts on the car, but in an opposite direction opposite to that in which the pavement
opposes the motion of the tires. If the mass of the car is 1750 kg, find the acceleration of the car.
(5 points)
2. A 100-kg crate slides without friction down a plane inclined at 20° with the horizontal. What is the
acceleration of the crate?
(5 points)
3. A man and his bicycle has a combined mass of 70 kg. Calculate the constant net propulsive force
required to produce a velocity of 11 m/s in 3 s when the bicycle starts from rest.

(5 points)
4. The coefficient of static friction between a tire and a certain road is 0.70.
(a) What is the maximum possible acceleration of a car on this road? (5 points)
(b) What is the minimum distance in which the car can be stopped when it is moving at 100 km/h?
(5 points)
5. A 50 kg block rests on a rough plane inclined 30° with the horizontal. The coefficient of sliding friction
between block and plane is 0.25. What force P parallel to the plane is required to keep the block
moving up the plane at constant velocity? (10 points)
(b) Video Presentation
- Make a short video – a homemade experiment on the First and Third Newton’s Laws of Motion
(10 points each)
VII. ASSIGNMENT
Answer the following questions briefly. (3 points each)
Note: - Please answer the questions in your own words

- No credit if just copied from the internet
1. Is it less dangerous to jump from a high wall on to loose earth than onto a concrete pavement. Why?
2. When a force equal to its weight is applied to a body free to move, what is its acceleration?
3. Can anything ever have a downward acceleration greater than 𝗀? If so, how can this be
accomplished?
4. Can we conclude from the third law of motion that a single force cannot act on a body?
5. A person is pushing a box across a floor. Can the frictional force on the box ever exceed its own
weight? Can the frictional force ever exceed the applied force?
VIII. REFERENCES
Halliday, David, et.al. (2001). Fundamentals of Physics. Singapore: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
Serway, Raymond A, et.al. (2012). Physics Fundamentals I. Pasig City, Philippines: Cengage
Learning Asia Pte. Ltd.
Young, Hugh D. et.al. (2008). University Physics with Modern Physics. Jurong, Singapore: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Disclaimer: This document does not claim any originality and cannot be used as a substitute for
prescribed textbooks. The information presented here is merely a collection by the faculty member for
her respective teaching assignments. Various sources as mentioned at the end of the document as well
as freely available material from internet were consulted for preparing this document. The ownership of
the information lies with the respective authors or institutions. Further, this document is not intended to
be used for commercial purpose and the faculty member is not accountable for any issues, legal or
otherwise, arising out of use of this document. The faculty member makes no representations or
warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this document and specifically
disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.


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Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY

DEGREE PROGRAM BSME, BSECE COURSE NO. Physics 1

I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE

II. LESSON TITLE

Newton’s Laws of Motion

III. LESSON OVERVIEW

IV. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. illustrate force and the three Newton’s Laws;

FIRST LAW OF MOTION

𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡.

• Imagine a ball on a level floor.

- Left alone, it stays where it is.

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 1 of 22

• A measure of the inertia of an object at rest is its mass.

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 2 of 22

The mass of an object determines its inertia.

𝐴𝑛𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡.

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 3 of 22

A force is any influence that can change the velocity of an object.

A downward force exerted by the earth causes dropped objects to fall.

• In terms of the net force the first law of motion becomes:

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 4 of 22

SECOND LAW OF MOTION

• Newton’s second law of motion gives us a quantitative definition of force:

F = 𝑚a 𝑆𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑎𝑤 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

Net force = (mass) (acceleration)

• The acceleration of an object is proportional to the net force.

• The first law of motion is a special case of the second:

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 5 of 22

• In the SI system the unit of force is the newton (N):

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 6 of 22

The tennis ball experienced a change in velocity of

𝛥𝑣 = 𝑣𝑓 − 𝑣𝑜 = (-30 m/s) - (30 m/s) = -60 m/s

so its acceleration was

The corresponding force is, since 60 g = 0.060 kg,

𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎 = (0.060 kg) (- 1.2 x 104 m/s2) = -720 N = - 0.72 kN

We start by finding Tailor’s acceleration with the help of the equation

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 7 of 22

The corresponding average force is

𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎 = (70 kg) (40 m/s2) = 2800 N = 2.8 kN

• Weight and mass, however, are closely related.

Weight = (mass) (acceleration of gravity)

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 8 of 22

𝐹 = 𝑇 − 𝑤 = 20,000 N - 7840 N = 12,160 N

The elevator’s acceleration when this net force is applied is

𝐹 12,160 𝑁 12,160 𝑘𝑔 . 𝑚/𝑠 2

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 9 of 22

From the second law of motion,

Customary Units of Mass and Force

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑙𝑢𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑.

Units of mass and weight

NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 10 of 22

Conversion of units: 1 slug = 14.6 kg 1 N = 0.225 lb

A net force of 15 lb acts on an 8.0-lb object. Find the object’s acceleration.

First we calculate the mass of the object, which is

From the second law of motion 𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎 we find that the acceleration is

We begin by converting the velocities from mi/h to ft/s.

The car’s acceleration is