POGIL: Newtons First Law of Motion One of the ways we will answer the question Why do things move

the way they do? is to use the concept of force. In this POGIL we will become more familiar with this concept. Net Force Recall that a force is simply a push or a pull on an object. Force is a vector quantity. It has magnitude because you can push or pull with different amounts of effort. It has direction because you can direct a push or pull in a particular direction. The magnitude of a force is commonly measured in pounds (lb.) or Newtons (N); we will usually use Newtons since it is the SI unit. The greater the number of Newtons of force, the greater the magnitude of the push or pull. So a push with 5 N of force is a harder push than one with only 1 N. The net force is the vector sum of the forces on the object, taking into account the magnitude and direction of each individual push or pull. We will write net force algebraically as F; recall that is the summation symbol. The following diagrams show the magnitude and direction of several forces acting on some boxes and the resulting net force on each one. 10 N 15 N 10 N 15 N 15 N

F = 10 N, 0

F = 5 N, 180

F = 0 N

1. Determine the net force (magnitude and direction) on the following objects. (a) 15 N 35 N F =

(b) 7N

2N

9N F =

8N (c) 2N 6N

F =

8N

(d)

2N 5N

9N

F =

(e) 2N 5N (f)

14 N 60

F =

45 N 40 20 30 N Newtons First Law of Motion Newtons First Law of Motion states the following: An object maintains its state of motion unless it is acted upon by a net force. By state of motion, Isaac Newton meant what we now call velocity. 2. Suppose each of the boxes in question 1 is initially at rest. Which ones will remain at rest? Justify your answer. F =

3. Suppose each of the boxes in question 1 is initially moving with a velocity of 20 m/s to the right. Which ones will continue to move at this velocity? Justify your answer.

4. Suppose each of the boxes in question 1 is moving with a velocity of 10 m/s to the left. Which ones will experience zero acceleration? Justify your answer.

5. Each of the following boxes is initially moving to the left. Find the magnitude and direction of the additional force needed to keep the box moving with constant velocity. (a) magnitude = 20 N direction =

(b)

2N

9N

magnitude = direction =

(c)

6N

6N

magnitude = direction =

13 N (d) 7N

magnitude = direction = 13 N