AP Physics 1

Chapter 2 Newtons Laws

I. Newtons First Law The Law of Inertia
Newtons First Law says an object will continue in its state of motion unless compelled to change by a force
impressed upon it. Unless an unbalanced force acts on an object, the objects velocity will not change. If an
object is at rest, then it will stay at rest. If it is moving, it will continue to move in a straight line at a constant
speed. This concept is inertia.
II. Newtons Second Law Net Force
Predicts what will happen when an unbalanced force does act on an object. The objects velocity will change -the object will accelerate. Acceleration (a) is directly proportional to the strength of the total or net force.
Acceleration is inversely proportional to the objects mass (m).
=

The mass of an object is the quantitative measure of its inertia. Mass measures how much matter is contained in
an object. Two identical boxes, one empty and one full, have different masses. The box thats full has the greater
mass, because it contains more stuff. More stuff contained = more mass. Mass is measured in kilograms. 1
kilogram is roughly equivalent to 2.2 pounds. Mass is the measure of an objects inertia inertia is an objects
resistance to acceleration.
Forces are vectors they have both magnitude and direction. If multiple forces act on an object simultaneously,
then the net force, , is the vector sum of all of the forces involved. Note: resultant force and net force are the
same thing. Since = , m is a positive scalar, and acceleration and force match in direction (and thus
sign). The units used for forces are kg x m/s2. 1 kg x m/s2 equals 1 newton (N).
III. Newtons Third Law Every action has an equal and opposite reaction
If object 1 exerts a force on object 2, then object 2 exerts the same force back on object 1, but in the opposite
direction.
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Example 1: What net force is required to maintain a 500 kg object moving at a constant velocity with a
magnitude of 7500 m/s?

Example 2: How much force is required to cause an object of mass 2 kg to have an acceleration of 4 m/s2?

Example 3: An object feels two forces; one of strength 8 N pulling to the left and one of strength 20 N pulling
to the right. If the objects mass if 4 kg, what is its acceleration?

IV. Weight
Mass and weight are not the same thing. The weight of an object is the gravitational force exerted on it by the
Earth (or any other body the object happens to be on). Mass is an intrinsic property of an object that measures
its inertia. An objects mass does not change with location weight can. Since weight is a force we can use the
equation from Newtons Second Law to compute it.
=

The second equation listed above is used most often.

Example 4: What is the mass of an object that weighs 500 N on Earth?

Example 5: A person weighs 150 pounds. Given that a pound is a unit of weight equal to 4.45 N, what is this
persons mass?

Example 6: A block whose mass is 2kg rests on a table. Find the magnitude of the force exerted by the table
on the book.

V. Normal Force
When an object is in contact with a surface, the surface exerts a contact force on the object. The component of
contact force that is perpendicular to the surface is known as the normal force on the object. In physics,
normal means perpendicular. Normal force is what prevents objects from falling through the tabletops (etc.).
= =
Normal force can be represented with the notation above, or it can simply be notated as N.
Do not confuse the N, used for normal force, with N, the abbreviation for the newton.
Example 7: A book whose mass is 3 kg rests on a table. Find the magnitude of the normal force exerted by the
table on the book.

Example 8: An object whose mass is 200 lbs. rests on a table. Find the magnitude of the normal force exerted
by the table on the book.

VI. Strategy for Utilizing Newtons Laws Free Body Diagrams

1. Visualize what is going on make a sketch if needed. Make a free-body diagram by doing the following:
A. Draw a dot to represent the object. Draw arrows going away from the dot to represent all forces
acting on the object.
a. Anything that touches the object exerts a force
i. If the thing touching the object is a rope, ropes can only pull draw the force
accordingly.
ii. If the thing touching the object is a table, ramp, floor, or some other flat surface, a
surface can exert to forces.
(1). The surface exerts a force perpendicular to itself toward the object. The
force is always present if two things are in contact this is normal force.
(2). If there is kinetic friction present, then the surface exerts a force on the
object that is parallel to the surface and opposite to the direction of motion.
b. Some things can exert forces without touching an object Example: the Earth pulls down
on everything via the mystery of gravity. Electricity and magnetism also exert forces without
touching. Unless stated otherwise, gravity points down.
c. If you know one force is bigger than another, you should draw that arrow longer than a
smaller forces arrow.
d. Do not draw a velocity and mistake it for a force. Velocities do not belong on free-body
diagrams. Also, there is no such thing known as the force of inertia.
2. Clearly define an appropriate coordinate system. Be sure to break up each force that does not lie on an axis
into its x and y components.
3. Write out Newtons Second Law as one of (or both of) the following:
=

4. Solve
Example 9: Create free-body diagrams for each of the following scenarios:
A ball sits at rest

A persons foot kicks a ball

A ball rolls at a constant velocity across

level ground

A ball rolls through a rough patch and

slows down due to friction

A ball rolls up a ramp with friction

A ball rolls down a ramp with friction

Example 10: A can of paint with a mass of 6 kg hangs from a rope. If the can is to be pulled up to a rooftop
with an acceleration of 1 m/s2, what must the tension in the rope be?

Example 11: A can of paint with a mass of 6 kg hangs from a rope. If the can is to be pulled up to a rooftop
with a constant velocity of 1 m/s, what must the tension in the rope be?

Example 12: How much tension must a rope have to lift a 50 N object with an acceleration of 10 m/s2?

VII. Friction
When an object is in contact with a surface, the surface exerts a contact force on the object. The component of
the contact force thats parallel to the surface is friction force. Friction, like normal force, comes from the
electrical interactions between atoms of which an object is composed and those of which the surface is
composed. Friction can be divided into two separate categories static friction and kinetic friction. Kinetic
friction is also known as sliding friction.
When you push a heavy crate across a floor, at first you are met with resistance. When you push hard enough,
you eventually get the crate to move and slide across the floor. Your initial push is static friction and the force
that acts on the crate as it slides is kinetic friction. Static friction occurs when there is no relative motion
between the object and the surface when there is no sliding; kinetic friction occurs when there is relative
motion when there is sliding.
The strength of a friction force depends on the nature of the surfaces and the strength of the normal force. The
nature of the surface is represented by the coefficient of friction which is denoted by the Greek letter mu ()
and has no units associated with it. The greater the coefficient of friction, the stronger the friction force will be.
For example, the coefficient of friction between rubber-soled shoes and ice is only 0.1 while the coefficient of
friction between the same shoes and a wooden floor is 0.7. The coefficient of friction can be thought of as
traction. Since kinetic friction is generally weaker than static friction (i.e. one an object beings to slide, it is
easy to keep the object sliding), there are two coefficients of friction. One for static friction and one for kinetic

friction. The coefficients are and respectively. For a pair of surfaces, the inequality < is almost
always true. The strengths of these friction forces are given by the following equations:
(max ) =

The direction of is opposite to that of the sliding motion, and the direction of is
usually, but not always, opposite to that of the intended motion.
Example 13: A crate of mass 20 kg is sliding across a wooden floor. The coefficient of kinetic friction
between the crate and the floor is 0.3.
a) Determine the strength of the friction force acting on the crane.
b) If the crate is being pulled by a force of 90 N (parallel to the floor), find the acceleration of the crate.

Example 14: A crate of mass 100 kg rests on the floor. The coefficient of static friction is 0.4. If a force of 250
N (parallel to the floor) is applied to the crate, whats the magnitude of the force of static friction on the crate?
Will the crate slide?

VIII. Pulleys
Pulleys are devices that change the direction of tension force in the cords that slide over them. Pulley systems
multiply the force by however many strings are pulling on the object.

m
pulley

Example 15: In the diagram below, assume that the tabletop is frictionless. Determine the acceleration of the
blocks once theyre released from rest.

Example 16: Using the same diagram as in the previous example, assume that m = 2kg, M = 10kg, and the
coefficient of kinetic friction between the small block and the tabletop is 0.5. Compute the acceleration of the
blocks.

Example 17: In the previous example, calculate the tension in the cord of the pulley.

IX. Inclined Planes

An inclined plane is basically a ramp. If you look at the forces acting on a block that sits on a ramp using a
coordinate system, it initially looks straightforward. Part of the normal force acts in the x direction, part of it
acts in the y direction, and the block has acceleration in both the x and y directions. If friction is present, it also
has components in both the x and y directions. View pages 84 and 85 in the AP Physics 1 Princeton Review
book to view diagrams concerning planes.
Example 18: A block slides down a frictionless, inclined plane that makes a 30 degree angle with the
horizontal. Find the acceleration of this block.

Example 19: A block slides down an inclined plane that makes a 30 degree angle with the horizontal. If the
coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.3, find the acceleration of the block.