Isaac Newton's Second Law of Motion

Newton's second law of motion explains how an object will change velocity if it is pushed or pulled
upon.
Firstly, this law states that if you do place a force on an object, it will accelerate (change its velocity), and
it will change its velocity in the direction of the force. So, a force aimed in a positive direction will create
a positive change in velocity (a positive acceleration). And a force aimed in a negative direction will
create a negative change in velocity (a negative acceleration).
Secondly, this acceleration is directly proportional to the force. For example, if you are pushing on an
object, causing it to accelerate, and then you push, say, three times harder, the acceleration will be three
times greater.
Thirdly, this acceleration is inversely proportional to the mass of the object. For example, if you are
pushing equally on two objects, and one of the objects has five times more mass than the other, it will
accelerate at one fifth the acceleration of the other.
A Closer Look At The Proportions
Acceleration is directly proportional to the applied net force.
Below is an animation that illustrates the direct proportion between force and acceleration. There are
some notes about this under the animation.
What to look for:
The applied net forces are the red arrows. I n each case the force is the same. There is no
consideration for changes in force in this demonstration. The applied net force is constant.
The yellow boxes are the masses. Although all the yellow boxes have the same size, they do not
all represent the same mass. The mass is different in each case. Note the labels. The one at the
top is the smallest mass, m. The one at the bottom is the largest, 3m, or three times the top mass.
The one in the middle is twice as massive as the one at the top.
All of the objects accelerate. The velocity in each case gets greater and greater. That is, the speed
increases. However, the three accelerations are not all the same. All the objects are speeding up;
it's the way they are speeding up that is different.
The acceleration at the top is the largest acceleration. The velocity changes by the greatest
amount per second here. Note that here we have the smallest mass. So the smallest mass has the
largest acceleration.
The acceleration at the bottom is the smallest acceleration. Here the velocity changes by the
least amount per second. Also, here we have the biggest mass. So the biggest mass has the
smallest acceleration.
And the medium sized mass, in the middle, has the medium sized acceleration.
The middle mass has twice, or two times, the mass of the top object. The middle acceleration has
one half the size of the top acceleration. The demonstration is programed that way, although this
may not be apparent without measurement. So the mass changes by a factor of two (2) and the
acceleration changes by a factor of one half (1/2). Those factor changes are reciprocals, or
inverses, and there is demonstrated an inverse proportion between acceleration and mass.
At the bottom we have three (3) times the force and one third (1/3) the acceleration. Again, this is
an inverse proportion between acceleration and mass, since these factor changes are reciprocals,
or inverses.
The Mighty F=ma
Newton's Second Law of Motion is often summarized with the equation:
F = ma
This equation is interpreted as:
The applied net force on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by the acceleration
of the object.
A box of mass 2.75 kg sits on a table. Neglect friction. You pull on a string tied to the right side of the
box, exerting a force of 20.0 N at an angle of 35.0 degrees above the horizontal. Your friend exerts a
horizontal force of 12.0 N by pulling on a string on the other side of the box.
Apply Newton's second law twice, once for the x-direction and once for the y-direction.
In the x direction, summing the forces gives:
S F
x
= m a
x

T
1
cos(35) - T
2
= m a
x

a
x
=
T
1
cos(35) - T
2


m
=
16.38 N - 12 N

2.75 kg
= 1.6 m/s
2

The fact that it's positive means the box does accelerate to the right.
In the y direction, there is no acceleration, which means the forces have to balance.
S F
y
= m a
y
= 0
N + T
1
sin(35) - mg = 0
N = mg - T
1
sin(35)
N = 26.95 - 11.47 = 15.5 N
Note that in this case the normal force is not equal in magnitude to the force of gravity.
Newton's Third Law
Newton's Third Law
Identifying Action and Reaction Force Pairs
A force is a push or a pull that acts upon an object as a results of its interaction with another object.
Forces result from interactions! As discussed in Lesson 2, some forces result from contact
interactions (normal, frictional, tensional, and applied forces are examples of contact forces) and other
forces are the result of action-at-a-distance interactions (gravitational, electrical, and magnetic forces).
According to Newton, whenever objects A and B interact with each other, they exert forces upon each
other. When you sit in your chair, your body exerts a downward force on the chair and the chair exerts an
upward force on your body. There are two forces resulting from this interaction - a force on the chair and
a force on your body. These two forces are called action andreaction forces and are the subject of
Newton's third law of motion. Formally stated, Newton's third law is:
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
The statement means that in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting
objects. The size of the forces on the first object equals the size of the force on the second object. The
direction of the force on the first object is opposite to the direction of the force on the second object.
Forces always come in pairs - equal and opposite action-reaction force pairs.


Examples of Interaction Force Pairs
A variety of action-reaction force pairs are evident in nature. Consider the propulsion of a fish through the
water. A fish uses its fins to push water backwards. But a push on the water will only serve to accelerate
the water. Since forces result from mutual interactions, the water must also be pushing the fish forwards,
propelling the fish through the water. The size of the force on the water equals the size of the force on the
fish; the direction of the force on the water (backwards) is opposite the direction of the force on the fish
(forwards). For every action, there is an equal (in size) and opposite (in direction) reaction force. Action-
reaction force pairs make it possible for fish to swim.
Consider the flying motion of birds. A bird flies by use of its wings. The wings of a bird push air
downwards. Since forces result from mutual interactions, the air must also be pushing the bird upwards.
The size of the force on the air equals the size of the force on the bird; the direction of the force on the air
(downwards) is opposite the direction of the force on the bird (upwards). For every action, there is an
equal (in size) and opposite (in direction) reaction. Action-reaction force pairs make it possible for birds
to fly.
Consider the motion of a car on the way to school. A car is equipped with wheels that spin. As the wheels
spin, they grip the road and push the road backwards. Since forces result from mutual interactions, the
road must also be pushing the wheels forward. The size of the force on the road equals the size of the
force on the wheels (or car); the direction of the force on the road (backwards) is opposite the direction of
the force on the wheels (forwards). For every action, there is an equal (in size) and opposite (in direction)
reaction. Action-reaction force pairs make it possible for cars to move along a roadway surface.