FORCES & NEWTONS

LAW OF MOTION

FORCE
Force is a push or pull.
Types of force:
1.

Contact force - force present when objects are in

contact

2.

Action-at-a distance force - force present despite

the objects are not in contact

NET FORCE (RESULTANT

FORCE; R)
The combination of all forces acting on an object is called

net OR resultant force (R)

Net (Resultant) Force = (F + F + F + + Fn)

The net force is the one which changes the motion of an

object.

The net force depends on the magnitudes and directions

of the applied forces.

SUPPORT FORCE
For an object at rest on a horizontal surface, the support

force must equal the objects weight.

A support force is the upward force that balances the

weight of an object on a surface.

A support force is often called the normal force (N)

An upward support force is positive and a downward

weight is negative

 The weight of a book sitting on a table is a negative force

that squeezes downward on the atoms of the table.

The atoms squeeze upward on the book.

The compressed atoms produce the positive support

force.

MECHANICAL EQUILIBRIUM
Mechanical equilibrium is a state wherein no physical

changes occur; it is a state of steadiness

An object in mechanical equilibrium is stable, without

changes in motion

Equilibrium for Moving Objects:

Static equilibrium- objects at rest
Dynamic equilibrium- objects moving at a constant speed in a

straight line

PARALLELOGRAM RULE
The Parallelogram Rule: To find the resultant of two

nonparallel vectors, construct a parallelogram wherein

the two vectors are adjacent sides. The diagonal of the
parallelogram shows the resultant.

HISTORY OF MOTION
Aristotle divided motion into 2: natural (straight up and

down) and dynamic (imposed; result of push or pull)

Nicolaus Copernicus stated that the Earth moved around

the Sun

Galileo Galilei said that when friction is present, a force is

needed to keep the object moving.

NEWTONS LAW OF INERTIA

(1ST LAW OF MOTION)
Newtons first law states that every object continues in a

state of rest, or of uniform speed in a straight line, unless

acted on by a nonzero net force

More mass, more inertia

Mass- quantity of matter in an object
Weight- force of gravity on an object

NEWTONS 2ND LAW OF

MOTION
Newtons 2nd law of motion states that acceleration is

produced when force is acted on an object

WEIGHT AND GRAVITY

The weight of an object is the force of gravity acting on

an object which gives it an acceleration g when its falling

freely near the surface of the Earth

W=mg

FRICTION
Friction is the force that resists motion whenever two

materials are in contact with each other.

The force of friction between the surfaces depends on the

kinds of material in contact and how much the surfaces

are pressed together.

PRESSURE-APPLYING FORCE
Pressure is the force per unit area
Pressure is measured in pascals (Pa)

FREE FALL EXPLAINED

Free fall occurs when only the force of gravity acts-no air

resistance. All freely falling objects fall with the same

acceleration because the net force on an object is only its
weight, and the ratio of weight to mass is the same for all
objects.

FALLING AND AIR

RESISTANCE
The air resistance forces an object experiences depends

on the objects speed and area

SPEED AND AREA

Air resistance force ~ speed frontal area
The expression shows that the air resistance force is

directly proportional to the speed and

frontal area of an object

TERMINAL SPEED
Terminal speed is the speed at which the acceleration

of a falling object is zero because friction balances the

weight

Terminal velocity is terminal

together with the

speed
direction of motion.

CENTRIPETAL FORCE
Centripetal force -the force directed toward a fixed

center that causes an object to follow a circular path

Any object moving in a circle undergoes an acceleration

that is directed to the center of the circlea centripetal

acceleration

NEWTONS 3RD LAW OF

MOTION
Newtons third law states that to every force (action)

there is an equal and opposite force (reaction)

ACTION & REACTION OF

DIFFERENT MASSES
A given force exerted on a small mass produces a greater

acceleration than the same force exerted on a large mass

TENSION FORCE
Tension force is the force that is transmitted through a

string, rope, cable or wire when it is pulled tight by

forces acting from opposite ends

LOAD & EXTENSION

(ELASTICITY)
A bodys elasticity describes how much it changes shape

when a deforming force acts on it, and how well it returns

to its original shape when the deforming force is removed

Hookes Law states that the elasticity of an elastic object,

such as a spring, is directly proportional to the weight

hanged on it provided the object does not exceed the
limit of elasticity

MOMENTS
The moment of the force about a pivot or fulcrum is

defined as the product of the force and the perpendicular

distance of its line of action from the pivot. Moment is the
turning effect of a force about a certain point

Moment=Fd
Torque is the tendency of a force to rotate an object

about an axis

PRINCIPLE OF MOMENT
When an object is in equilibrium the sum of the

anticlockwise moments about a turning point must be

equal to the sum of the clockwise moments