chapter5 The Laws of Motion

ChapterOutline

5.1 The Concept of Force

5.2 Newton’s First Law and Inertial Frames The Spirit of Akron is an airship that is more than 60 m long.
When it is parked at an airport, one person can easily support
5.3 Mass
it overhead using a single hand. Nonetheless, it is impossible
5.4 Newton’s Second Law for even a very strong adult to move the ship abruptly. What
5.5 The Force of Gravity and Weight property of this huge airship makes it very difficult to cause
5.6 Newton’s Third Law any sudden changes in its motion?
5.7 Some Applications of Newton’s Laws
5.8 Forces of Friction
We discuss the three basic laws of motion, which Two types of forces
deal with forces and masses and were formulated 1- Contact forces
more than three centuries ago by Isaac Newton. 2- Field forces
Once we understand these laws, we can answer
such questions as “What mechanism changes
motion?” and “Why do some objects accelerate
more than others?”
5.1 THE CONCEPT OF FORCE
The net force acting on an object is defined as the vector
sum of all forces acting on the object.

If the net force exerted on an object is zero, then the

acceleration of the object is zero and its velocity remains
constant. That is, if the net force acting on the object is
zero, then the object either remains at rest or continues to
move with constant velocity. When the velocity of an
object is constant (including the case in which the object
remains at rest), the object is said to be in equilibrium.

Force is the effect that stops a moving object or

makes a stationary object move. That is the effect
changes the velocity of the object. It can also be
described as an effect that can cause an object to
change its shape.
Measuring the Strength of a Force

We use the deformation of a spring to

measure force. Suppose we apply a
vertical force to a spring scale that has a
fixed upper end, as shown in Figure.
The spring elongates when the force is
applied, and a pointer on the scale
reads the value of the applied force.

Dynamometer

Figure The vector nature of a force is tested with a spring scale. (a) A
downward force F1 elongates the spring 1 cm. (b) A downward force F2
elongates the spring 2 cm. (c) When F1 and F2 are applied
simultaneously, the spring elongates by 3 cm. (d) When F1 is downward
and F2 is horizontal, the combination of the two forces elongates the
spring cm 12 + 22 𝑐𝑚 = 5𝑐𝑚 = 2.23cm.
5.2 NEWTON’S FIRST LAW AND INERTIAL FRAMES

Newton’s first law of motion:

In the absence of external forces, an object at rest remains at
rest and an object in motion continues in motion with a
constant velocity (that is, with a constant speed in a straight
line)

when no force acts on an object, the acceleration of the

object is zero.

The tendency of an object to resist any attempt to change

its velocity is called the inertia of the object. Figure Unless a net external force
acts on it, an object at rest remains
at rest and an object in motion
𝐹𝑖 = 0 𝑣=0 continues in motion with constant
velocity. In this case, the wall of the
𝑖 𝑣 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡 building did not exert a force on the
moving train that was large enough
Finally, consider a spaceship traveling in space and far removed to stop it.
from any planets or other matter. The spaceship requires some
propulsion system to change its velocity. However, if the propulsion
system is turned off when the spaceship reaches a velocity v, the
ship coasts at that constant velocity and the astronauts get a free
ride (that is, no propulsion system is required to keep them moving
at the velocity v).
Inertial Frames
Newton’s first law, sometimes called the law of
inertia, defines a special set of reference frames
called inertial frames. An inertial frame of
reference is one that is not accelerating.
𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑜𝑡 = 0
Newton’s laws of motion are valid only in a 𝑣=0
coordinate system at rest with respect to the
“fixed” stars. Such a system is known as a
Newtonian, or inertial reference, frame.

𝑎
→
5.3 MASS

Mass is that property of an object that specifies how

much inertia the object has, and as we learned in
Section 1.1, the SI unit of mass is the kilogram. The
greater the mass of an object, the less that object
accelerates under the action of an applied force.

Mass is the measure of Inertia.

Mass is the measure of counter acting the
change in Motion or state. The more mass the
object have the more inertia it has.

Mass is an inherent property of an object and is

independent of the object’s surroundings and
of the method used to measure it. Also, mass is
a scalar quantity and thus obeys the rules of
ordinary arithmetic.

Mass should not be confused with

weight. Mass and weight are two
different quantities.
5.4 NEWTON’S SECOND LAW
𝑎≅ 𝐹
Imagine pushing a block of ice across a
frictionless horizontal surface. When you exert 𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎
some horizontal force F, the block moves with
1
𝑎≅
some acceleration a. If you apply a force twice 𝑚
as great, the acceleration doubles. If you
increase the applied force to 3F, the
acceleration triples, and so on. From such These observations are summarized in Newton’s
observations, we conclude that the second law: The acceleration of an object is directly
acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely
proportional to the resultant force acting on proportional to its mass.
it.

If you apply a force F to a block of ice on a 𝐹𝑖 = 𝑚𝑎

frictionless surface, then the block undergoes 𝑖
some acceleration a. If the mass of the block is
doubled, then the same applied force produces Note that this equation is a vector expression and hence is equivalent
an acceleration a/2. If the mass is tripled, then to three component equations:
the same applied force produces an
acceleration a/3, and so on. According to this
observation, we conclude that the magnitude
of the acceleration of an object is inversely
roportional to its mass.
Unit of Force

1𝑁 = 1𝑘𝑔𝑚/𝑠 2
EXAMPLE 5.1 An Accelerating Hockey Puck
A hockey puck having a mass of 0.30 kg slides on the
horizontal, frictionless surface of an ice rink. Two
forces act on the puck, as shown in Figure 5.5. The
force F1 has a magnitude of 5.0 N, and the force F2
has a magnitude of 8.0 N. Determine both the
magnitude and the direction of the puck’s
acceleration.
5.5 THE FORCE OF GRAVITY AND WEIGHT 5.6 NEWTON’S THIRD LAW
The attractive force exerted by the Earth on an object is
called the force of gravity Fg . This force is directed
toward the center of the Earth and its magnitude is If you press against a corner of this textbook with your fingertip, the
called the weight of the object. book pushes back and makes a small dent in your skin. If you push
harder, the book does the same and the dent in your skin gets a little
𝐹𝑔 = 𝑚𝑔 larger. This simple experiment illustrates a general principle of critical
importance known as Newton’s third law:
If two objects interact, the force 𝐹12 exerted by object 1 on object 2 is
Force of gravity and the weight chages from planet equal in magnitude to and opposite in direction to the force 𝐹21
to planet exerted by object 2 on object 1:

𝐹12 = −𝐹21
𝐹12 = 𝐹21

The two forces in an action–reaction

pair always act on different objects. For
the hammer-and-nail situation shown in
Figure b.
 𝑛 = 𝑚𝑔

When a TV is at rest on a table, the forces acting on the TV are the

normal force n and the force of gravity Fg , as illustrated in part (b). The
reaction to n is the force n exerted by the TV on the table. The reaction
to Fg is the force F g exerted by the TV on the Earth.
5.7 SOME APPLICATIONS OF NEWTON’S LAWS

When we apply Newton’s laws to an object, we are interested only in

external forces that act on the object. Before starting solution it is
advised to draw a free body diagram of the objects of interest

(a) A crate being pulled to the right on a

frictionless surface. (b) The free-body
diagram representing the external
forces acting on the crate.
What is the acceleration of tha crate?
What is the normal force?
What is the velocity of crate as a function
of time?
What is the x-positon of the crate as a
function of time?
EXAMPLE 5.4 A Traffic Light at Rest

A traffic light weighing 125 N hangs from a

cable tied to two Fx T1 cos 37.0° T2 cos 53.0°
0 other cables fastened to a support. The
upper cables make angles of 37.0° and 53.0°
with the horizontal. Find the tension in the
three cables.
EXAMPLE 5.6 Crate on a Frictionless Incline

A crate of mass m is placed on a frictionless

inclined plane of angle.

(a) Determine the acceleration of the crate after

it is released.
(b) Suppose the crate is released from rest at the top of the incline, and
the distance from the front edge of the crate to the bottom is d. How
long does it take the front edge to reach the bottom, and what is its
speed just as it gets there?
 EXAMPLE 5.7 One Block Pushes Another
Two blocks of masses m1 and m2 are placed in contact with
each other on a frictionless horizontal surface. A constant
horizontal force F is applied to the block of mass m1 .
(a) Determine the magnitude of the acceleration of the two-
block system.

(b) Determine the magnitude of the contact force between

the two blocks.
EXAMPLE 5.9 Atwood’s Machine
When two objects of unequal mass are hung vertically
over a frictionless pulley of negligible mass, as shown
in Figure 5.15a, the arrangement is called an Atwood
machine. The device is sometimes used in the
laboratory to measure the freefall acceleration.
Determine the magnitude of the acceleration of the
two objects and the tension in the lightweight cord.
EXAMPLE 5.10 Acceleration of Two Objects
Connected by a Cord

A ball of mass m1 and a block of mass m2 are

attached by a lightweight cord that passes over a
frictionless pulley of negligible mass, as shown in
Figure 5.16a. The block lies on a frictionless incline
of angle . Find the magnitude of the acceleration of
the two objects and the tension in the cord.
 5.8 FORCES OF FRICTION

When a body is in motion either on a surface or in a viscous medium

such as air or water, there is resistance to the motion because the body
interacts with its surroundings. We call such resistance a force of
friction.
we apply an external horizontal force F to the book, acting to the right,
the book remains stationary if F is not too great. The force that
counteracts F and keeps the book from moving acts to the left and is
called the frictional force 𝒇.

As long as the book is not moving, 𝒇 = 𝑭. Because the book is stationary,

we call this frictional force the force of static friction 𝒇𝒔 . Experiments
show that this force arises from contacting points that protrude beyond
the general level of the surfaces in contact, even for surfaces that are
apparently very smooth, as shown in the magnified view in Figure 5.17a.

If we increase the magnitude of 𝑭 , as shown in Figure 5.17b, the

magnitude of 𝒇𝒔 increases along with it, keeping the book in place. The
force 𝒇𝒔 cannot increase indefinitely, however. Eventually the surfaces in
contact can no longer supply sufficient frictional force to counteract 𝑭,
and the book accelerates. When it is on the verge of moving, 𝒇𝒔 is a
maximum, as shown in Figure 5.17c. When 𝑭 exceeds 𝒇𝒔,𝒎𝒂𝒙 , the book
accelerates to the right. Once the book is in motion, the retarding
frictional force becomes less than 𝒇𝒔,𝒎𝒂𝒙 (see Fig. 5.17c). When the book
is in motion, we call the retarding force the force of kinetic friction 𝒇𝒌 .
Experimentally, we find that, to a good approximation, both 𝒇𝒔.𝒎𝒂𝒙 and
𝒇𝒌 are proportional to the normal force acting on the book.
• The direction of the force of static friction between any two
surfaces in contact with each other is opposite the direction of
relative motion and can have values
𝒇𝒔 ≤ 𝝁𝒔 𝒏 (5.8)
where the dimensionless constant 𝝁𝒔 is called the coefficient of static
friction and n is the magnitude of the normal force. The equality in
Equation 5.8 holds when one object is on the verge of moving, that is,
when 𝒇𝒔 = 𝒇𝒔.𝒎𝒂𝒙 = 𝝁𝒔 𝒏. The inequality holds when the applied
force 𝑭 is less than 𝝁𝒔 𝒏.

• The direction of the force of kinetic friction acting on an object is

opposite the direction of the object’s sliding motion relative to the
surface applying the frictional force and is given by
𝒇𝒌 ≤ 𝝁𝒌 𝒏 (5.9)
where 𝝁𝒌 is the coefficient of kinetic friction.

• The values of 𝝁𝒌 and 𝝁𝒔 depend on the nature of the surfaces, but

𝝁𝒌 is generally
less than 𝝁𝒔 . Typical values range from around 0.03 to 1.0. Table 5.2
lists some
reported values.
𝒇𝒌 ≤ 𝒇𝒔.𝒎𝒂𝒙
𝝁𝒌 𝒏 ≤ 𝝁𝒔 𝒏
𝝁𝒌 ≤ 𝝁𝒔
The coefficients of friction are nearly independent of
the area of contact between the surfaces. To understand
why, we must examine the difference between the
apparent contact area, which is the area we see with our
eyes, and the real contact area, represented by two
irregular surfaces touching, as shown in the magnified
view in Figure 5.17a. It seems that increasing the
apparent contact area does not increase the real contact
area. When we increase the apparent area (without
changing anything else), there is less force per unit area
driving the jagged points together. This decrease in force
counteracts the effect of having more points involved.

Although the coefficient of kinetic friction can vary with

speed, we shall usually neglect any such variations in
this text.
EXAMPLE 5.12 Experimental Determination of 𝝁𝒔 and 𝝁𝒌

The following is a simple method of measuring coefficients of

friction: Suppose a block is placed on a rough surface inclined
relative to the horizontal, as shown in Figure 5.19. The incline
angle is increased until the block starts to move. Let us show
that by measuring the critical angle 𝜃𝑐 at which this slipping just
occurs, we can obtain 𝝁𝒔 .
EXAMPLE 5.13 The Sliding Hockey Puck

A hockey puck on a frozen pond is given an initial

speed of 20.0 m/s. If the puck always remains on the
ice and slides 115 m before coming to rest, determine
the coefficient of kinetic friction between the puck and
ice.
EXAMPLE 5.14 Acceleration of Two Connected
Objects When Friction Is Present
A block of mass m1 on a rough, horizontal surface is
connected to a ball of mass m2 by a lightweight cord
over a lightweight, frictionless pulley, as shown in
Figure 5.21a. A force of magnitude F at an angle 𝜃
with the horizontal is applied to the block as shown.
The coefficient of kinetic friction between the block
and surface is 𝝁𝒌 . Determine the magnitude of the
acceleration of the two objects.
Free body diagrams of various systems
Free body diagrams of various systems