Kinetics of Particles:

Newtons 2nd Law of Motion

Kinetics is a branch of dynamics that deals with the relationship
between the change in motion of a body and the forces that cause this
change. The basis for kinetics is Newton's second law, which states
that when an unbalanced force acts on a particle, the particle will
accelerate in the direction of the force with a magnitude that is
proportional to the force. This law can be verified experimentally by
applying a known unbalanced force F to a particle, and then measuring
the acceleration a. Since the force and acceleration are directly
proportional, the constant of proportionality, m, may be determined

from the ratio m =

F
a . This positive scalar m is called the mass of

the particle. Being constant during any acceleration, m provides a

quantitative measure of the resistance of the particle to a change in its
velocity, which is its inertia.
Newton's second law of motion may be written in mathematical form
as

F = ma
Where,
F = force acts on a particle
m = mass of the particle

a = acceleration of the particle

SAMPLE PROBLEM
1. A 75-kg man stands on a spring scale in an elevator. The
tension T in the hoisting cable is 8300 N. Find the reading R of the
scale in newtons and the velocity of the elevator after 3 seconds. The
total mass of the elevator, man, and scale is 750kg.
Solution:

Fy = may ]
T m1g = m1y

8300 7360 =
750ay
ay = 1.257 m/s2

Fy = may ]

R m2g = m2y
R 736 =
75(1.257)

[ = a dt ]

R = 830 N

0=

1.257 dt
0

= 3.77 m/s

SAMPLE
PROBLEM

2. The 10-kg sphere is suspended from the 15-kg frame sliding

down the 20 incline. If the coefficient of kinetic friction between the

frame and incline is 0.15, compute each tension of wires A and B.

Solution:

Frame and sphere as a unit:

Fy = N mgcos = 0

Fx = N mgcos N = max

N 25(9.81)cos20 = 0

25(9.81)sin20 - 0.15(230) =
25a

N = 230 N

a = 1.973 m/s2

Sphere alone:
Fy = 0

TA - TB = -19.56 N

(TA + TB)cos45 - 10(9.81)cos20

=0

Answers:

TA + TB = 130.4 N

TA = 75 N
TB = 55.4 N

Fx = max
(TA + TB)sin45 + 9.81sin20 =
10(1.973)

SAMPLE PROBLEMS
Engineers at the Johnson Space Center must determine the net
force needed for a rocket to achieve an acceleration of 70 m/s2 . If the
mass of the rocket is 45,000 kg, how much net force must the rocket
develop?
Solution :
Using Newton's second law,
F=ma
F=(45,000 kg)(70 m/s2 ) = 3,150,000 kg m/s2
F=3,150,000 N

Exercises on Newtons 2nd Law of Motion

Exercise 1
A horizontal force of 10-N is applied to a 4-kg block that is at
rest on a perfectly smooth level surface. Find the speed of the block
and how far it has gone after 6s.

Exercise 2
The 50-kg crate shown rests on a horizontal plane for which the
coefficient of friction is = 0.30, If the crate is subjected to a 400-N
towing force, determine the velocity of the crate is 3s starting from
rest.

Exercise 3
A loaded elevator whose total mass is 800 kg is suspended by a
cable whose maximum permissible tension is 20,000 N. What is the
greatest upward acceleration possible for the elevator under these
circumstances?

Exercise 4
The figure shows a 12-kg block, A, which hangs from a string that
passes over a pulley and is connected at its other end to a 30 kg block,
B, which rest in a table with coefficient of friction of =0.30 . Find the
accelerations of the two blocks under the assumption that the string is
massless and the pulley is massless and frictionless. What is the
tension in the string?

Exercise 5
The figure shows the same two blocks, A and B, suspended by a
string on either side of a massless, frictionless pulley. Find the
accelerations of the two blocks and the tension in the string. Mass A =
12kg and mass B = 30 kg.

Problem Set on Newtons 2nd Law of Motion

Problem 1
A shell is fired with a horizontal velocity in the positive X
direction from the top of an 800m high cliff. The shell strikes the
ground 1330m from the base of the cliff.
a. Determine the initial speed Vi of the shell
b. What is the speed of the shell as it hits the ground?
c. What is the magnitude of the acceleration of the shell just before
it strikes the ground?

Problem 2
A water balloon is launched with a horizontal velocity in the
positive x direction from the top of a 10m high bluff above the beach.
The balloon strikes the beach 30m from the base of the bluff.
a. Determine the initial speed Vi of the balloon
b. What is the magnitude of the acceleration of the balloon just
before it strikes the beach?

Problem 3
A quarterback throws a pass at an angle of 35 o above the
m
horizontal with an initial speed of 25 s
. The ball is caught by the
receiver 2.55 seconds later. Determine the distance the ball was
thrown.

Problem 4
A horizontal force F is gradually increased
until 40 kg block
begins moving to the right. The 10 kg block cannot move because of
the cord attaching it to wall at left. The static friction coefficient
between two blocks is 0.2 and the static friction coefficient between
the 40-kg block and the supporting horizontal plane is 0.5.
a. Find the friction forces between two blocks f1 and between the
supporting plane and the 40kg block f2
b. For the magnitude of the force F does the lower block just start
to move?

Problem 5
A 10-kg block is connected to a 40-kg block as shown in the
figure. The surface on which the blocks slide is frictionless. A force of
50 N pulls the blocks to the right.
a. What is the magnitude of the acceleration of the 40-kg block?
b. What is the magnitude of the tension T in the rope that connects
the two blocks?