LAWS OF MOTION

Chapter 5 LAWS OF MOTION

Motion of the object needs the concept of Velocity and acceleration. In earlier chapter we have
studied the motion but not what causes the motion? In this chapter we study about what causes
the motion?
In early days it was known that some influence was needed to keep the body in motion and
it was also known that rest is the natural state of an object.

Aristotle’s Law and its Fallacy:

Law: An external force is required to keep a body in motion.

Fallacy in the law: A moving object comes to rest because; the external force of friction on the
object by the floor opposes its motion. If there is no friction no force is required to keep the object
in motion.

Law of Inertia: If the net external force is zero, a body at rest continues to be at rest and a body in
motion continues to be in uniform motion.

Note: Aristotle’s view point about the motion of the body was rejected by Galileo and gave the law
of Inertia.

Inertia: The property of a body to change its state of rest or uniform motion unless some external
force acts on it. Mass of a body is measure of inertia.

Types of inertia:
(i) Inertia of rest: The property of a body to remain at rest.
(ii) Inertia of motion: The property of a body to oppose the change in its motion.

Newton’s laws of motion: Based on the Galileo’s idea, the intimate relationship between force
acting on a body and its motion executed by the body was first understood by Isaac Newton.

Newton’s first law of motion: Everybody continues to be in its state of rest or of uniform motion
in a straight line unless compelled by some external force to act otherwise.

Alternate statement of Newton’s first law: The first law can be stated in terms of acceleration as
“If the net external force on a body is zero, its acceleration is zero. Acceleration can non zero only if
there is a net external force on the body”.

Ex: A passenger in a bus is pushed back when the bus suddenly starts moving.
A person in a moving vehicle tends to fall forward when the vehicle suddenly stops.

Significance: Newton’s first law of motion gives the definition for force and reveals Inertia, a
fundamental property of all matter. Force is a vector quantity and dimensions are [ ]

Force: The external agency which changes or tends to change the state of rest or state of uniform
motion of a body in a straight line.

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Momentum: Momentum of a body is defined as the product of its mass and velocity.
Momentum = mass velocity
⃗ ⃗
Momentum is a vector quantity and its SI unit is . Dimensions of momentum are [ ]

Note: The concept of momentum was introduced by Newton. It is a measure of the ability of a
body to impart motion to another.

Newton’s Second law of motion: The rate of change of momentum of a body is directly
proportional to the applied force and takes place in the direction in which the force acts.

⃗⃗⃗

Derivation of using Newton’s second law of motion:

Consider a body of mass , moving with a velocity ⃗⃗⃗⃗ and having momentum ⃗⃗⃗⃗ .
Let a force acts on it for time .
Then velocity changes to ⃗⃗⃗⃗ and momentum to ⃗⃗⃗⃗ .
Then change momentum is, ⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗⃗
(⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗⃗ )
⃗⃗⃗

For simplicity, we choose

Then, ⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗

Significance: Newton’s second law of motion signifies momentum and gives a formula to measure
the force.

Unit of Force: SI unit of force is or and

newton(N): One newton is that force which causes an acceleration of to a body of mass .

Some applications of Newton’s second law:

 A cricket player lowers his hands while catching a ball
 A person falling on a cemented floor gets injured but a person falling on heap of sand is not.
 The vehicles are fitted with shockers (springs).
 Glass wares and china wares are wrapped with straw pieces before transportation.

Components of force:
We have, ̂ ̂ ̂ and ̂ ̂ ̂
Then, ̂ ̂ ̂ ( ̂ ̂ ̂)

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On comparing the co-efficient of ̂ ̂ ̂
We have, , and

Impulsive force: Large force acting on a body for a short time is called an impulsive force.
Ex: A ball hit by bat, kicking a football, hammering a nail etc.

Impulse: It is the product of the force and time interval for which the force acts. It is denoted by .
( )
It is a vector. SI unit of Impulse is ( ). Dimensions are [ ]

Note: Impulse and momentum have same dimensions.

Impulse-Momentum theorem: Impulse is equal to change in momentum.

Proof: Impulse,
But we have

( ) ( )
⃗⃗⃗⃗

Newton’s third law of motion: To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.
( )
⃗ ⃗

Note: The term action and reaction means the force and the force on the object A by the object B
and the force on object B by A act at the same instant. Action and reaction forces act on different
bodies, not on the same body. So they do not cancel each other.

Significance: Newton’s third law signifies that forces never occur singly in nature, but they
always occur in pairs. Launching of rocket is based on this law.

Illustrations of Newton’s third law:

 When a person jumps from a boat, he pushes the boat in the backward direction while the
boat pushes him in the forward direction.
 A swimmer pushes the water in the backward direction and the water pushes the swimmer in
the forward direction.
 A person walking on the floor.

Law of conservation of momentum: The total momentum of an isolated system of interacting

particle is conserved.
Ex: Recoil of gun, the motion of rocket is based on this principle.

Proof: Consider two bodies A and B, with initial momentum ⃗⃗⃗ and ⃗⃗⃗ .
Let the bodies collide and get apart with final momentum ⃗⃗⃗⃗ and ⃗⃗⃗⃗ respectively.
From Newton’s second law,

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⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗

⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗

But from Newton’s third law,

⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗
( )

⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗ (⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗ )

⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗⃗
⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗

Note: Isolated system: It is a system with no external force acts on it.

Equilibrium of a particle:
Resultant force: Resultant force is that single force which produces the same effect on the body as
the net effect of all the forces together.
Equilibrium: A set of forces are said to be in equilibrium if their resultant is zero.
Equilibrant: The equilibrant is that force which when acts together with those forces keep the
body in equilibrium.

Equilibrium of a particle: The particle is said to be in equilibrium if the net external force acting
on the particle is zero.

Equilibrium under two forces: Let two forces, ⃗⃗⃗ and ⃗⃗⃗⃗ act on a particle.
The particle will be in equilibrium, if ⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗⃗
⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗⃗
That is two forces on the particle must be equal and opposite.

Equilibrium under three forces:

Let three forces, ⃗⃗⃗ , ⃗⃗⃗⃗ and ⃗⃗⃗⃗ act on a particle.
The particle will be in equilibrium, if ⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗⃗ ⃗⃗⃗⃗

Equilibrium under several forces: A particle is in equilibrium under the action of several forces, if
the resultants of the resolved components of these forces in each of the X and Y-directions are
independently zero.
∑ and ∑

Note: For a particle to be in equilibrium, minimum number of forces acting on a particle must be
two.

Common forces in mechanics: Common forces in mechanics are

 Gravitational force
 Spring force
 Tension in the string

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Gravitational force: It is the force of attraction between the two bodies due to their masses. Every
object on the earth experiences the force of gravity due to earth and it can act at a distance without
need of material medium.

Weight: The force exerted by the earth on the object is called the weight of the object.
It is given by, . Weight is vector quantity and its unit is .

Differences between Mass and Weight

Mass Weight
It is the amount of matter contained in a body It is the gravitational force of attraction on a body
It is a scalar It is vector
Mass of the body remains same at all places Weight of the body varies from place to place
SI unit is kilogram SI unit is newton

Spring force (F): When a spring is compressed or extended by an external force a restoring force is
generated. This restoring force is called spring force.
For small displacements, the spring force is proportional to the compression or elongation.
The spring force is given by,
where spring constant and Displacement.
The sign denotes that the force is opposite to the displacement.

Tension in a string (T): The restoring force in a string is called tension.

For an inextensible string the force constant is very high.

Contact forces: When two bodies are in contact then they exert force on each other. These forces
are called as contact forces.

Ex: Except the gravitational force all the above forces are contact forces. Buoyant force, Viscous
force and air resistance are examples for contact forces.

When bodies are in contact, there are mutual contact forces. They are in accordance with Newton’s
third law. All the contact forces are electrical in nature. Although macroscopically bodies are
unchanged, at microscopic level all the matter consists of charged particles namely, electrons and
protons. The contact forces between objects in contact arising due to elasticity of bodies, molecular
collisions and impacts etc.

Normal reaction (N): The component of contact force normal to the surface in contact is called
Normal reaction.

Friction(f): The component of contact force parallel to the surface in contact is called Friction.
Friction opposes impending or relative motion between the two surfaces.
There are two types of friction. They are,
 Static friction
 Kinetic friction

Static friction( ): Static friction is the force which balances the applied force when a body is in
the state of rest.

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When there is no applied force, there is no static friction. It comes to play at that moment
when there is an applied force. As the applied force increases, static friction also increases and
remains equal and opposite to applied force up to a certain limit. Hence it is called a self-adjusting
force.

Limiting friction: The maximum static friction that a body can exert on the other body in contact
with it is called limiting friction.
The limiting friction is directly proportional to the normal reaction between the two surfaces.
That is, ( ) .
( )
where co-efficient of static friction and it has no unit.

Kinetic friction: Frictional force that opposes the relative motion between the surfaces in contact is
called kinetic friction.

where co-efficient of kinetic friction and it has no unit.

When the body begins, the force acting on the body is given by,
If velocity is constant then ,

If the applied force is removed, then,

Laws of friction:
(1) The direction of static friction is opposite to the impending motion and the magnitude is given
by,
(2) The direction of kinetic friction is opposite to relative motion of the body and the magnitude is
given by,
(3) The values of and depend on the nature of the surfaces and is generally less than
(4) The coefficients of friction are independent of area of contact, provided normal force is
constant.
(5) Kinetic friction is nearly independent of velocity.

Rolling friction: The force which opposes the rolling motion of a body is called rolling friction.
In principle, a body like ring rolling without slipping over a horizontal plane will suffer no friction.
But in practice some resistance to motion does occur. Rolling friction has a complex origin and
somewhat different from that of static and kinetic friction.
Rolling friction is much smaller than these.

Advantages of friction:
(1) Friction helps in walking on ground.
(2) Brakes of vehicle work on account of friction.
(3) Writing with chalk on the black board is possible because of friction.
(4) Nails and screws can be fixed an account of friction.
(5) A match stick is lighted due to friction.
(6) Moving belt remains on the rim of wheel because of friction.

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Disadvantages of friction:
(1) Friction causes wear and tear of machine parts.
(2) Efficiency of the machine is reduced on account of friction.
(3) Heat is generated because of friction that may damage the machinery.
(4) Friction restricts the speed of the vehicles.

Methods of reducing friction:

(1) By polishing the surfaces.
(2) Using lubricants like oil, grease etc. in machines.
(3) Using the materials of low co-efficient of friction.
(4) Using ball bearing in wheels, axels and shafts of automobiles.
(5) By providing the streamlined shape to moving vehicles (car, bus, aeroplanes etc.).

Circular motion: Motion of a body in circular path is known as circular motion.

In circular motion, the moving body possess an acceleration which is directed towards the centre
of the circular path is given by,

Centripetal force: The force which is directed towards the centre of the circular path is called
centripetal force.

Expression for centripetal force: Force acting on the body is given by,
where mass of the body executing circular motion and centripetal acceleration

Examples of centripetal force:

(1) When a stone is rotated in a circle by a string, the centripetal force is provided by the
tension in the string.
(2) The centripetal force for the motion of planet around the sun is provided by gravitational
force on the planet due to the sun.
(3) When a car takes turn on a horizontal road, the centripetal force is the force of friction.

Motion of car on level road: Forces acting on the car are,

 The weight of the car,
 Normal reaction,
 Friction,

Expression for Maximum speed on the level road:

There is no acceleration in the vertical direction;

Since the car is moving in circular path, the centripetal force is provided by friction.

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( )

( )

Motion of a car on a banked road:

Banking of road: Rising of outer edge of the road as compared to the inner edge to provide
centripetal for vehicles is called banking of roads.
We can reduce the contribution of friction in circular motion of the car if the road is banked.

Angle of Banking ( ): The angle through which the outer edge of the road is raised as compared
to the inner edge is called angle of banking.

Expression for Maximum speed on the banked road:

As there is no acceleration in the vertical direction,

( )
The centripetal force is provided by
horizontal components of and

( )
Taking equation (2) (1),

Taking as common in LHS,

( )

( )

( )

( )

To obtain maximum speed we put

( )

Divide RHS of numerator and denominator by

( )

( )
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√ ( )

This is the maximum speed, that a car can take turn without slipping in a circular path.

Note: The optimum speed to negotiate a curve can be obtained by putting

√ and banking angle, ( )

Steps in solving problems in mechanics:

(1) Draw the free body diagram showing a given body as a point.
(2) Consider a body of interest in a given problem and mark as a point. If the given problem
has two bodies, then mark then as different points.
(3) Mark the various forces acting on each body.
(4) Write the equation of motion and solve the given unknown parameters.

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Suggested Questions.
One mark.
1. State Aristotle’s law of motion.
2. Define momentum. or Define linier momentum of a body.
3. Define SI unit of force.
4. On what principle does a rocket work?
5. Which law of motion is used to explain rocket propulsion?
6. What is friction?
7. Mention a way of reducing kinetic friction.
8. What is Normal reaction?
9. What is angle of banking?

Two marks.
1. A net force of is acting on a body of mass . What is the acceleration produced?
2. Define impulsive force. Give one example.
3. Calculate Impulse of force when a force of acting for .
4. State Newton’s third law of motion. Give an illustration.
5. What are static friction and limiting friction?
6. Name any two forces acting on a car when it is moving on the level road.

Three marks.
1. State Newton’s first law of motion. Hence define Force and inertia.
2. Distinguish between impulse and impulsive force. Give an example for impulsive force.
3. Show that Impulsive force is equal to change in momentum.
4. Mention the common forces in mechanics.
5. Prove that the total momentum of an isolated system of interacting particle is conserved.
or
Prove law of conservation of linear momentum from Newton’s law of motion.
or
Total momentum of an isolated system of interacting particle is conserved. Prove it in the case
of collision of two bodies.
or
Prove law of conservation of linear momentum in the case of collision of two bodies.
6. Distinguish between mass and weight.
7. Write any three methods to reduce friction.
8. Mention any three advantages of friction.
9. Give any three disadvantages of friction
10. State laws of Friction.
11. Show that √ for the motion of a car on level road.

Five marks.
1. State Newton’s second law of motion and derive, .
2. State and prove law of conservation of linear momentum.
or
State and prove law of conservation of linear momentum from Newton’s third law of motion.
3. Derive an expression for maximum safe speed of a vehicle on a banked road in circular
motion.

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