FORCES

The Relationship between Forces and Motion is called Dynamics.

1.

Newton's Laws of Motion tell us the relationship between Forces and Motion.

2.

In Dynamics, we address Questions such as (i) Why do things Move the way they
do ? (ii) What causes an object at Rest to Start Moving ? (iii) What causes
Moving objects to Stop ?

3.

Definition of Force - A force is defined as a PUSH or a PULL on an object.

4.

In 1687 (323 years ago),Sir Issac Newton, an English Physicist and

Mathematician, published The Principia, in which he detailed Newton's Laws of
Motion.

5.

Newton's First Law of Motion states that "Every body Continues in its State of
Rest or of Uniform Speed in a Straight Line Unless acted on by a Non Zero Net
Force.

6.

This means that a stationary crate will remain stationary unless a net force acts on
it.

7.

It also means that a moving object remains in motion unless a net force acts on it.

8.
 INERTIA is the Natural Tendency of objects to Resist Changes to their State of
Motion.

9.

MASS is a measure of intertia.

10.

The greater the mass, the greater the force needed to move it.

11.

DISTINCTION between MASS & WEIGHT - Mass is a property of an object

whereas weight is a force.

12.

In the Real World, objects often slow down and stop without any apparent forces
acting on them.

13.

Why do you think this happens ?

14.

FRICTIONAL force causes Moving Objects to Slow Down.

15.

The crate sliding on the ground is slowed down by friction which is a force acting
against the motion of the crate.

END of LECTURE on Newton's First Law of Motion.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newton's Second Law of Motion
The Relationship between Force and Acceleration

1.

A FORCE causes an object to SPEED UP or SLOW DOWN, which we know

from KINEMATICS, means that the object is ACCELERATING.

2.
 What is the relationship between FORCE and ACCELERATION ?

3.

Newton's Second Law of Motion gives us the answer.

4.

Newton's Second Law of Motion states that the TOTAL NET FORCE acting on
an object = its MASS x ACCELERATION. That is F = ma where F is the net
force, m is the mass and a is the acceleration. Note that both the net force and
acceleration are VECTOR quantities.

5.

What does Net Force mean ? It is the vector sum of all the forces acting on an
object.

6.

Newton's Second Law of Motion is probably the most important law in

Mechanics.

7.

What is the SI unit of force ? Answer newtons, N

8.

What is 1 N of force ? 1 N = 1kg metre per second squared. When a 1 N force is

applied to 1 kg mass, it causes the 1 kg mass to accelerate at 1 metre per second
squared.

9.

Example 1: According to Newton's Second Law of Motion, how much force is

needed to accelerate an object of mass 10 kilogrammes at a rate of 5 metres per
second squared ? Solution : F = ma = 10 x 5 = 50 N

10.

Example 2 : If we exeert a constant force of 100N on a 5 kg object, how fast will

it accelerate ? Solution- : F = ma, 100 = 5xa , a = 100/5 = 20 metre per second
squared

11.
 Often forces in nature are not confined to 1 dimension. To evaluate the net force
and the net acceleration, we need to treat the forces as vectors.

12.

Please view the video to find out how to calculate the resultant of 2 forces each of
magnitude100 N acting on the same object but perpendicularly to one another in
direction

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newton's Third Law of Motion

1.

Newton's Third Law of Motion states that for every ACTION, there is an EQUAL
& OPPOSITE REACTION.

2.

When we push against a heavy object, it often feels like the object is pushing back
and resisting our effort.

3.

This is in essence, Newton's Third Law of Motion. In other words, if you push
against a crate with a force of 100 N, the crate pushes back with an equal and
opposite force of 100 N.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question
For a jet taking off, which of Newton's Laws of Motion
can explain the motion of the jet ?
1. All of Newton's Laws come into play.
2. Firstly, thye jet is not moving and will not move until a force acts on it. This is
Newton's First Law of Motion.
3. Then the Thrust of Jet Engine starts exerting a force. By Newton's Third Law
of Motion, for every FORCE, there is AN EQUAL & OPPOSITE FORCE,
called the REACTION, which causes the jet to move forward.
4. The JET then ACCELERATES due to this force according to Newton's Second
Law of Motion that states that net force = mass x acceleration.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Different Types of Forces we experience in our
everyday lives
1. Force of Gravity. When the famous apple hit Newton on the head, he
realized that the same force that keeps the moon in orbit around the Earth is
responsible for objects falling on Earth. That force is the force of gravity. Gravity
is one of the most basic forces & affects all objects that have mass.
2. The Acceleration due to gravity on the surface of the Earth is denoted by g, which
points towards the centre of the earth.
3. Using Newton's Second Law we can define the weight of an object as the force
due to gravity on that object which = mass x acceleration due to gravity.
4. Since weight is a force, its SI unit is newton, N.
5. In SI units, g = 9.8 metres per second squared.
6. W = mg
7. For a 10 kg mass, its Weight = 10x 9.8 = 98 N.
8. On the surface of the moon, the gravity = one sixth that of earth's gravity = 10/6 =
1.7 metres per second squared.
9. Weight of a 10 kg mass on the moon = 10 x 1.7 = 17 N, about one sixth of its
weight on earth.
10. Gravity exerts a force on all objects, giving them their 'weight'.

Contact Force, Normal Force

1. We learned from Newton's Third Law of Motion, that objects in contact with
each other exert Equal and Opposite Forces on each other. So if the crate is
being pushed against the ground with a force equal to its weight, does that mean
that the ground is pushing back ? The answer is YES.
2. We call this Contact force the Normal force.
3. In the case of an object resting on the ground, the magnitude of the Normal force
is= the Weight of the object.
4. In fact, scales that measure the weight are actually measuring the Normal Force
exerted by the scale on the object.
5. What would happen to the normal force, if we pulled upward on the object (of
weight 100 N
) with a force of 50 N without lifting the object off the floor. Since the crate is
stationary, its acceleration must be zero, which means that all the forces acting on
the crate are in balance.
6. We will choose the upward force as positive. What are the forces acting on the
crate ?
7. To help us solve this and other Newton's Laws of Motion problems, we use what
are called FORCE DIAGRAMS.
8. To construct a force diagram, we begin by marking all the forces acting on the
object, in our case, the crate.
 9. There are 3 forces acting on the crate. The force of gravity W, the Normal force
N, and the rope force, T.
10. To construct the FORCE Diagram or free-body diagram, we start with a circle
representing our object (the crate) as a point mass.
11. Then move the forces from the crate to the circle so that they are all acting
through the centre of the mass.
12. To solve for the Normal force, we use Newton's Second Law of Motion. As the
net force = mass x acceleration, since acceleration is zero, the net force is zero.
13. Net force = Normal force + Tension - Weight = 0.
14. Hence , the Normal force = W-T = 100 N - 50 N = 50 N. Thus pulling upward
on the crate, has reduced the contact force between the crate and the ground.
15. If we exert a 50 N force vertically downwards on the box, then the Normal force
will now be more. It will be more. Net force = Normal force - Downward
force - Weight = 0. So Normal force =Downward force + Weight = 50 N + 100
N = 150 N.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Challenging Problem on Newton's Laws of Motion