POGIL: Newtons Second Law Newton's First Law of Motion explained why things move at constant velocity.

Newton's Second Law of motion explains why objects accelerate. In this POGIL we will investigate this explanation. Newtons Second Law and Net Force Newtons Second Law of Motion states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force on an object and inversely proportional to the mass of the object. We can write this in the form of an equation: F , a= m where a is the acceleration vector of the object, F is the net force vector acting on it, and m is the objects mass. The following diagrams show the magnitude and direction of several forces acting on some boxes with masses of 5 kg. The resulting net force and acceleration of each box is calculated using Newtons Second Law. 10 N 15 N 10 N 15 N 15 N

F = 10 N, 0 a = 10 N/5 kg = 2 m/s2, 0

F = 5 N, 180 a = 5 N/5 kg = 1 m/s2, 180

F = 0 N a = 0 m/s2

1. Both net force and acceleration are vectors. How do their directions compare?

2. The following diagrams show the magnitude and direction of several forces acting on some boxes with different masses. For each one, find the magnitude (with the correct units) and direction of both the net force and acceleration. (a) F = 5N 5N 20 kg a= (b) 8N 10 kg 2N (c) 15 N 7N 20 kg 5N 10 N F = a= 20 N F = a=

(d) 8N

12 N 0.4 kg 20 N 30

20 N F = a=

3. Which of the boxes in question 2 could be at rest and remaining at rest? Justify your answer.

4. Which of the boxes in question 2 could be moving with a constant velocity? Justify your answer.

5. Is it possible for the box in question 2(b) to be moving to the right? If so, is the boxs speed increasing, decreasing, or staying the same? If not, explain why not.

6. Is it possible for the box in question 2(b) to be moving to the left? If so, is the boxs speed increasing, decreasing, or staying the same? If not, explain why not.

7. Suppose the box in question 2(b) is moving with an initial velocity of 5 m/s, 180. Assume the forces on the box are constant. (a) On the axes below, plot graphs of the box's position vs. time and velocity vs. time. Put an appropriate scale on the vertical axes.

x (m)
0

0.5

1.5

2.5

3.5

4.5

time (s)

v (m/s)
0

0.5

1.5

2.5

3.5

4.5

time (s)

(b) Does the speed of the box increase, decrease, or remain the same? Justify your answer.