QUEZON MEMORIAL ACADEMY

Progreso St. Poblacion West Umingan, Pangasinan

General Physics 1
Quarter 1
Week 7 (1st Semester)
I. TOPIC
NEWTON’S LAWS OF MOTION
II. OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, the learners should be able to:
a. State Newton's Second Law.
b. Apply Newton’s second law of motion and kinematics to obtain quantitative and qualitative
conclusions about the velocity and acceleration of one or more bodies, and the contact
and noncontact forces acting on one or more bodies.
c. Solve problems using Newton’s laws of motion
III. ANTICIPATORY GUIDE
Jumping the Great Wall of China
If you observe Danny Way's jump over the Great Wall of China, you will be able to identify at
least five different segments along his path where his motion is clearly different: speeding up on
the downhill curve, a horizontal stretch, coming up a short hill, flying over the wall and finally,
traveling along a straight downhill ramp. All of this motion is viewed with respect to the fixed
ground. In the design of the ramps, applying Newton's Second law was critical.

IV. LEARNING CONTENT

Newton’s Second Law of Motion
Newton's first law of motion predicts the behavior of objects for which all existing forces are
balanced. The first law - sometimes referred to as the law of inertia - states that if the forces
acting upon an object are balanced, then the acceleration of that object will be 0 m/s/s. Objects
at equilibrium (the condition in which all forces balance) will not accelerate. According to
Newton, an object will only accelerate if there is a net or unbalanced force acting upon it. The
presence of an unbalanced force will accelerate an object - changing its speed, its direction, or
both its speed and direction.
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.

THE BIG EQUATION

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.

The Fnet = m • a equation is often used in algebraic problem solving. The table below can be
filled by substituting into the equation and solving for the unknown quantity. Try it yourself and
then use the click on the buttons to view the answers.

Net Force Mass Acceleration

(N) (kg) (m/s/s)
1. 10 2 _________
2. 20 2 _________
3. 20 4 _________
4. _______ 2 5
5. 10 _______ 10

ANSWER:

Net Force Mass Acceleration

(N) (kg) (m/s/s)
1. 10 2 5
2. 20 2 10
3. 20 4 5
4. 10 2 5
5. 10 1 10

Newton's Second Law as a Guide to Thinking

The numerical information in the table above demonstrates some important qualitative
relationships between force, mass, and acceleration. Comparing the values in rows 1 and 2, it
can be seen that a doubling of the net force results in a doubling of the acceleration (if mass is
held constant). Similarly, comparing the values in rows 2 and 4 demonstrates that a halving of
the net force results in a halving of the acceleration (if mass is held constant). Acceleration is
directly proportional to net force.

Furthermore, the qualitative relationship between mass and acceleration can be seen by a
comparison of the numerical values in the above table. Observe from rows 2 and 3 that a
doubling of the mass results in a halving of the acceleration (if force is held constant). And
similarly, rows 4 and 5 show that a halving of the mass results in a doubling of the acceleration
(if force is held constant). Acceleration is inversely proportional to mass.
The analysis of the table data illustrates that an equation such as F net = m*a can be a guide to
thinking about how a variation in one quantity might affect another quantity. Whatever alteration
is made of the net force, the same change will occur with the acceleration. Double, triple or
quadruple the net force, and the acceleration will do the same. On the other hand, whatever
alteration is made of the mass, the opposite or inverse change will occur with the acceleration.
Double, triple or quadruple the mass, and the acceleration will be one-half, one-third or one-
fourth its original value.

The Direction of the Net Force and Acceleration

As stated above, the direction of the net force is in the same direction as the acceleration. Thus,
if the direction of the acceleration is known, then the direction of the net force is also known.
Consider the two oil drop diagrams below for an acceleration of a car. From the diagram,
determine the direction of the net force that is acting upon the car.

The net force is to the right since the acceleration is to the right. An object which moves to the
right and speeds up has a rightward acceleration.

The net force is to the left since the acceleration is to the left. An object which moves to the right
and slows down has a leftward acceleration.

In conclusion, Newton's second law provides the explanation for the behavior of objects upon
which the forces do not balance. The law states that unbalanced forces cause objects to
accelerate with an acceleration that is directly proportional to the net force and inversely
proportional to the mass.
IV. TASK
Solve the following:
a. Use this method to solve the equations in the rest of this worksheet. Here are
the equations and values you might need:

F=ma a=F/m m=F/a a gravity on earth= 10 m/ s2

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?

5. A truck with a mass of 1500 kg is decelerated at a rate of 5m/s2 . How much force did this
require?

B. Complete the following table. Be sure to include units.

V. ASSIGNMENT:
1. Give 5 examples of Newton’s Law of Motion
2. What are the 3 important things about Newton’s Law of Motion?

*GENERAL DIRECTION: Write all your answers (for activity and assignment) on a sheet of
paper. 

Prepared by:

JANINE B. BACOY

(Subject Teacher)