INTRODUCTION

Newton's laws of motion are three physical laws that describe the relationship

between the motion of an object and the forces acting on it. These laws, which

provide the basis for Newtonian mechanics, can be paraphrased as follows:

1. A body remains at rest, or in motion at a constant speed in a straight line,

except insofar as it is acted upon by a force.

2. At any instant of time, the net force on a body is equal to the

body's acceleration multiplied by its mass or, equivalently, the rate at which

the body's momentum is changing with time.

3. If two bodies exert forces on each other, these forces have the same

magnitude but opposite directions.

The three laws of motion were first stated by Isaac Newton in his Philosophiæ

Naturalis Principia Mathematical (Mathematical Principles of Natural

Philosophy), originally published in 1687.[3] Newton used them to investigate and

explain the motion of many physical objects and systems. In the time since

Newton, new insights, especially around the concept of energy, built the field

of classical mechanics on his foundations. Limitations to Newton's laws have also

been discovered; new theories are necessary when objects move at very high

speeds (special relativity), are very massive (general relativity), or are very small

(quantum mechanics).

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Newton’s Second Law of Motion is a fundamental principle in classical mechanics

that describes the relationship between the motion of an object and the forces

acting upon it. Formulated by Sir Isaac Newton in the 17th century, this law

provides a quantitative description of how an object’s velocity changes when

subjected to external forces. It is essential for understanding how forces influence

motion and is widely applicable in various fields such as engineering, physics, and

everyday life.

Newton’s second law of motion, unlike the first law of motion, pertains to the

behaviour of objects for which all existing forces are unbalanced. The second law

of motion is more quantitative and is used extensively to calculate what happens in

situations involving a force.

Defining Newton’s Second Law of Motion

Newton’s second law states that the acceleration of an object depends upon two

variables the net force acting on the object and the mass of the object.

The acceleration of the body is directly proportional to the net force acting on the

body and inversely proportional to the mass of the body. This means that as the

force acting upon an object is increased, the acceleration of the object is increased.

Likewise, as the mass of an object is increased, the acceleration of the object is

decreased.

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Newton’s second law can be formally stated as,

The acceleration of an object as produced by a net force is directly proportional to

the magnitude of the net force, in the same direction as the net force, and inversely

proportional to the mass of the object.

This statement is expressed in equation form as,

a=Fnet/m

The above equation can be rearranged to a familiar form as

F=ma

Since force is a vector, Newton’s second law can be written as

F→=ma→

The equation shows that the direction of the total acceleration vector points in the

same direction as the net force vector.

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For Changing Mass

Let us assume that we have a car at a point (0) defined by location X 0 and time t0.

The car has a mass m0 and travels with a velocity v0. After being subjected to a

force F, the car moves to point 1 which is defined by location X 1 and time t1. The

mass and velocity of the car change during the travel to values m 1 and v1. Newton’s

second law helps us determine the new values of m 1 and v1 if we know the value of

the acting force.

Taking the difference between point 1 and point 0, we get an equation for the force

acting on the car as follows:

F=m1v1−m0v0t1−t0

Let us assume the mass to be constant. This assumption is good for a car because

the only change in mass would be the fuel burned between point “1” and point “0”.

The weight of the fuel is probably small relative to the rest of the car, especially if

we only look at small changes in time. Meanwhile, if we were discussing the flight

of a bottle rocket, then the mass does not remain constant, and we can only look at

changes in momentum.

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For Constant Mass

For a constant mass, Newton’s second law can be equated as follows:

F=mv1−v0t1−t0

We know that acceleration is defined as the change in velocity divided by the

change in time.

The second law then reduces to a more familiar form as follows:

F=ma

The above equation tells us that an object will accelerate if it is subjected to an

external force. The amount of force is directly proportional to the acceleration and

inversely proportional to the object’s mass.

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Newton’s Second Law Solved Examples

Example 1:

If there is a block of mass 2kg, and a force of 20 N is acting on it in the positive

x-direction, and a force of 30 N in the negative x-direction, then what would

be its acceleration?

We first have to calculate the net force acting on it to calculate its acceleration.

Fnet=20N–30N=−10N

Mass = 2kg

Acceleration=−10N2kg=−5m/s2

The negative acceleration indicates that the block is slowing and its acceleration

vector is moving in an opposite direction directed opposite to the direction of

motion.

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Example 2:

How much horizontal net force is required to accelerate a 1000 kg car at 4

m/s2?

Solution:

Newton’s 2nd Law relates an object’s mass, the net force on it, and its

acceleration:

Therefore, we can find the force as follows:

Fnet = ma

Substituting the values, we get

1000 kg × 4 m/s2 = 4000 N

Therefore, the horizontal net force is required to accelerate a 1000 kg car at 4

m/s2 is 4000 N.

Newton’s second law is applied in daily life to a great extent. For instance, in

Formula One racing, the engineers try to keep the mass of cars as low as possible.

Low mass will imply more acceleration, and the more the acceleration, the chances

to win the race are higher.

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Application of Second Law

Newton’s second law is applied to identify the amount of force needed to make an

object move or make it stop. Following are a few examples that we have listed to

help you understand this point:

1. Vehicle Dynamics In automotive engineering, Newton’s second law is crucial

for designing vehicles. Engineers calculate the forces required to accelerate a

vehicle from rest or to bring it to a stop. For example, when determining how much

force is needed to accelerate a car at a certain rate, engineers use the

formula F=ma, where m is the mass of the car and a is the desired acceleration.

2. Sports Science In sports, understanding how forces affect motion can enhance

performance. For instance, when a soccer player kicks a ball, the force exerted by

their foot determines how fast and far the ball will travel. Coaches and athletes

analyze these dynamics to improve techniques and training regimens.

Kicking a ball:

When we kick a ball, we exert force in a specific direction. The stronger the

ball is kicked, the stronger the force we put on it and the further away it will

travel.

3. Aerospace Engineering In aerospace applications, Newton’s second law helps in

calculating thrust requirements for rockets and aircraft. The thrust produced must

overcome both gravity and drag forces for successful takeoff and maneuvering in

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flight. Engineers apply this law to optimize fuel efficiency and performance during

flight operations.

4. Construction and Heavy Machinery When lifting heavy loads with cranes or

other machinery, operators must consider the mass of the load and the necessary

force required to lift it safely without exceeding equipment limits. This application

ensures safety standards are met while performing construction tasks.

5. Safety Features in Vehicles Safety mechanisms such as airbags and seatbelts are

designed based on Newton’s second law. During a collision, these systems reduce

acceleration forces experienced by passengers by increasing the time over which

they come to rest, thereby minimizing injury.

6. Projectile Motion The principles derived from Newton’s second law are used

extensively in analyzing projectile motion such as throwing a ball or launching a

rocket—where gravitational force acts on an object after it has been propelled into

motion.

7. Robotics In robotics, Newton’s second law assists in programming robots for

movement tasks by calculating necessary forces for acceleration or deceleration

based on their mass and intended speed.

8. Everyday Activities Everyday actions like pushing shopping carts or riding

bicycles also illustrate Newton’s second law; heavier carts require more force to

move at the same acceleration compared to lighter ones.

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Definition of Kinetic Energy

Kinetic energy (KE) is defined as the energy that an object possesses due to its

motion. It is a scalar quantity and is directly proportional to both the mass of the

object and the square of its velocity. The mathematical formula for translational

kinetic energy is given by:

KE=12mv2

where:

m is the mass of the object (measured in kilograms),

v is the velocity of the object (measured in meters per second).

This formula indicates that if either the mass or the velocity of an object increases,

its kinetic energy will also increase. Specifically, since velocity is squared in this

equation, a small increase in speed results in a much larger increase in kinetic

energy.

Kinematics of Points

Kinematics refers to the branch of mechanics that deals with the motion of objects

without considering the forces that cause this motion. When discussing kinematics

specifically for points, we focus on several key concepts:

 Position: The location of a point in space, typically represented by

coordinates (x, y, z) in three-dimensional space.

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  Displacement: A vector quantity that represents the change in position of a

point from one location to another. It has both magnitude and direction.

 Velocity: The rate at which a point changes its position over time. It is also a

vector quantity and can be calculated as:v=ΔxΔt where Δx is displacement

and Δt is the time interval during which this displacement occurs.

 Acceleration: The rate at which velocity changes over time. This can also be

expressed as:a=ΔvΔt where Δv represents change in velocity.

 Trajectory: The path that a moving point follows through space as a function

of time.

Conclusion

Newton’s Second Law of Motion is a fundamental principle in classical mechanics

that describes the relationship between the net force acting on an object, its mass,

and the resulting acceleration. The law can be succinctly expressed with the

equation F=m⋅a, where F represents the net force applied to an object, m is its

mass, and a is the acceleration produced.

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References

1. ^ Thornton, Stephen T.; Marion, Jerry B. (2004). Classical Dynamics of

Particles and Systems (5th ed.). Brooke Cole. p. 49. ISBN 0-534-40896-6.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b Newton, I. (1999). The Principia, The Mathematical
Principles of Natural Philosophy. Translated by Cohen, I.B.; Whitman, A.
Los Angeles: University of California Press.
3. ^ Newton, Isaac; Chittenden, N. W.; Motte, Andrew; Hill, Theodore Preston
(1846). Newton's Principia: The Mathematical Principles of Natural
Philosophy. University of California Libraries. Daniel Adee.
4. ^ Zain, Samya (2019). Techniques of Classical Mechanics: from
Lagrangian to Newtonian mechanics. Institute of Physics. ISBN 978-0-750-
32076-4. OCLC 1084752471.
5. ^ Tong, David (January 2015). "Classical Dynamics: University of
Cambridge Part II Mathematical Tripos" (PDF). University of Cambridge.
Retrieved 12 February 2022.
6. ^ Jump up to:a b Hughes-Hallett, Deborah; McCallum, William G.; Gleason,
Andrew M.; et al. (2013). Calculus: Single and Multivariable (6th ed.).
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. pp. 76–78. ISBN 978-0-470-88861-
2. OCLC 794034942.
7. ^ Jump up to:a b Thompson, Silvanus P.; Gardner, Martin (1998). Calculus
Made Easy. Macmillan. pp. 84–85. ISBN 978-0-312-18548-
0. OCLC 799163595.

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