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Lecture Notes
I. Changes in Motion
A. Force
1. Defined as the cause of an acceleration, or the change in an objects motion, or
simply a push or pull exerted on some object
2. Forces cause change in motion
a. stopping a moving object
b. starting an object from rest
c. changing direction of an object
3. Unit of force is the newton (N)
a. newton is defined as the amount of force that, when acting on a 1 kg mass,
produces an acceleration of 1 m/s2 (1 N = 1 kg 1 m/s2)
b. weight is actually a unit of force---why??
c. 1 lb = 4.448 N = 0.4536 kg; 1 N = 0.225 lb = 0.102 kg
4. Forces can act through contact or at a distance
a. contact forces-forces that arise from the physical contact of two objects
b. field forces-forces that can exist between objects, even in the absence of
physical contact between the objects
B. Force Diagrams
1. The effects of forces depend on their magnitude and direction, so force is a vector
quantity
2. Free body diagrams (see example, pg. 127)
a. vectors are used to show all the forces important in a situation
b. forces are drawn as if they act on a particular point
c. good idea to use simple shapes to illustrate different objects in the diagram
II. Newtons First Law---Inertia
A. Stated---An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion continues in motion
with constant velocity unless it experiences a net external force
1. Inertia is defined as the tendency of an object not to accelerate
2. Newtons first law is often referred to as the law of inertia since his law says that
when the net external force on an object is zero, its acceleration is zero
a. external force-a single force that acts on an object as a result of the interaction
between the object and its environment
b. net external force-the vector sum of all the forces acting on a body (the
resultant of multiple force vectors)
3. An objects inertia is directly proportional to its mass; the greater the mass of an
object, the less it accelerates when a force is applied to it
B. Equilibrium is a term associated with Newtons first law which describes things that
are either at rest, or in motion with a constant velocity. The net external force acting
on an object must be zero for it to be in equilibrium.
III. Newtons Second and Third Laws
A. Newtons Second Law---F = m a
1. Stated---The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net external
force acting on the object and inversely proportional to the mass of the object
2. Equationally, net external force = mass x acceleration, F = m a
3. Often, in problem solving, forces are broken into x and y components
B. Newtons Third Law