Newton’s Laws of Motion – Notes

The study of mechanics is based on three laws which were first formulated by Newton:
1. Every body will remain at rest or continue to move with uniform velocity unless an
external force is applied to it.
2. When an external force is applied to a body of constant mass the force produces an
acceleration which is directly proportional to the force.
3. When a body A exerts a force on a body B, B exerts an equal and opposite force on A.
Newton’s First Law
This law in effect defines force: it states that if a body is travelling with uniform velocity
there is no external force acting on the body; conversely if there is an external force acting on
the body its velocity changes: that is, force is the quantity which, when acting on a body,
changes the velocity of that body. There is often more than one external force acting on a
body so, to cause the body to accelerate, there must be a resultant force acting on it.
Conversely there will be no acceleration if the resultant force acting on the body is zero.
Summing up:
1. If a body has an acceleration there is a resultant force acting on that body.
2. If a body has no acceleration the forces acting on the body are in equilibrium.
If a body has zero acceleration it can either be at rest or moving with uniform velocity. This
should dispel the notion that because a body is moving with uniform velocity there is a force
responsible for the maintenance of that velocity: there is not.
Example:
The diagram shows the forces that are acting on a particle. Has the particle an acceleration?

Answer:
Horizontal forces: 4 cos 30−4 cos 30=0
Vertical forces: 4 sin 30+4 sin30−6=−2
We see that there is a resultant force acting on the particle.
Therefore it has an acceleration.
Example:
A particle of weight 4 N is attached to the end of a vertical string. If the particle is moving
upwards with a uniform velocity find the tension in the string.

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Answer:
As the particle is moving with uniform velocity the forces acting on it are in
equilibrium.
So for vertical motion: T −4=0

T =4
Therefore the tension is 4 N.

Newton’s Second Law

This law gives the relationship between force, mass and acceleration. It states the when a
force is applied to a body causing it to accelerate, the acceleration is directly proportional to
the force. Experimental evidence also shows that the acceleration is inversely proportional to
the mass of the body so, if the force is F the mass is m and the acceleration is a,
F=ma
The unit of force is now defined as that force which gives a mass of 1 kg an acceleration
of 1 ms-2. This unit of force is called a newton (N).
The equation F=ma is the basic equation of motion and it is of fundamental importance to
the study of the motion of a body with constant mass. It should be noted that, as force and
acceleration are both vector quantities, the equation F=ma is a vector equation: therefore as
well as the magnitudes of both sides being equal, force and acceleration have the same
direction. If the force is constant the acceleration will also be constant and, conversely, if the
force varies so does the acceleration. There is often more than one force acting on a body
and in this case F represents the resultant force acting on the body.
Summing up:
1. The resultant force acting on a body of constant mass is equal to the mass of the
body multiplied by its acceleration:
2
F newton )=m ( kilogram ) × a(metre /second )
(
2. The resultant force acting on a body and the acceleration of the body are both in
the same direction.
3. A constant force acting on a constant mass produces a constant acceleration.
Weight and Mass
Consider a body of mass m which is falling under the action of its weight only. It has an
acceleration g ms-2 downwards.

Using F=ma gives weight=mgnewton , that is,

a body of mass m kilogram has a weight of mg newton

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Problem Solving
When using Newton’s Laws to solve a problem it is helpful to draw a diagram showing the
forces that are acting on the body under consideration, and the acceleration of the body. It
must also be remembered that:
a. The resultant force and the acceleration are both in the same direction
b. If there is no acceleration the forces are in equilibrium.
In problems which involve a large body (as opposed to a particle) the body is, at present,
treated as a particle of equal mass.
Example:
A particle of mass 5 kg slides down a smooth plane inclined at 30 o to the horizontal. Find the
acceleration of the particle and the reaction between the particle and the plane.
Answer:

As the acceleration is down the plane, the resultant force is also down the plane. (It is the
resultant force that causes the acceleration.)
The resultant force down the plane is 5 g sin30
1
Using F=ma gives 5 g sin30=5 a which gives a= g
2
1
Therefore the acceleration of the particle is g ms-2 down the plane.
2
There is no component of acceleration perpendicular to the plane, so there is no component of
force perpendicular to the plane.
5 g√3
Resolving perpendicular to the plane gives, R−5 g cos 30=0 , which gives N.
2
Example:
A block of mass 2 kg rests on the floor of a lift which has an acceleration of 5 ms -2 upwards.
Find the reaction between the block and the lift.
Answer:

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The resultant upward force on the block is R−2 g
Using F=ma gives R−2 g=2× 5
Hence R=10+2 g=10+2 ( 9.8 )=29.6
Therefore, the reaction between the block and the lift is 29.6 N.
Example:
A particle of mass 5 kg is pulled along a rough horizontal surface by a string which is
1
inclined at 60o to the horizontal. If the acceleration of the particle is g ms-2 and the
3
2
coefficient of friction between the particle and the plane is , find the tension in the string.
3
Answer:

As there is no vertical component of acceleration, the vertical component of the resultant

force is zero.
Resolving vertically gives R+T sin60−5 g=0 (1)
2
The friction is limiting, so F= R (2)
3
5
The resultant horizontal force to the left is T cos 60−F= g (3)
3
Eliminating F and R from equations (1), (2) and (3) gives,
2 5
T cos 60− ( 5 g−T sin 60 )= g
3 3
T =10 g √ 3 (2−√ 3)
Example:

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A car of mass 1000 kg is brought to rest from a speed of 40 ms -1 in a distance of 80 m. Find
the braking force of the car assuming that it is constant and that there is a constant resistance
to motion of 100 N.
Answer:
As the braking force is constant the acceleration of the car is constant. Taking the direction
of motion as positive we have:
u=40, v=0, s=80
Using v 2=u2 +2 as gives 0=1600+160 a
So a=−10
Therefore the car has acceleration of −10 ms-2.

In the diagram F is the braking force and R is the resistance. So the resultant horizontal force
is F+ R .
Using Newton’s Las gives F+ R=1000 ×10
But R=100 so F=10000−100=9900
Therefore the braking force of the car is 9900 N.
Newton’s Third Law
This states that action and reaction are equal and opposite:

If a body A exerts a force on a body B then B exerts an equal and opposite force on A. This
is true whether A and B are in contact with each other or if they are some distance apart; it is
also true whether A and B are moving or are stationary. However, we are mainly concerned
with the forces between two bodies which are in contact. A rigid body may be considered as
a collection of particles that are held together by forces of attraction between the particles.
Newton’s third law states that these forces occur in equal and opposite pairs; thus their net
force on the whole body is zero. This justifies the fact that only the external forces acting on
a body are considered.
Motion of Connected Particles
Consider two particles, of unequal mass, connected by a light string passing over a fixed
pulley as shown in the diagram.

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If the pulley is smooth the tension in the string is the same throughout its length.
If the pulley is rough the tensions in the portions of the string on either side of the pulley are
different.
If the string is inelastic (that is, its length does not alter under tension) the acceleration of the
particles attached to it have the same magnitude. Also, at a given instant of time, the particles
have equal speeds and have covered equal distances.
To analyse the motion of the system the forces acting on each particles must be considered
separately and the equation F=ma applied to each particle in turn.
Example:
Two particles of mass 5 kg and 3 kg are connected by a light inelastic string passing over a
smooth fixed pulley. Find the acceleration of the particles and the tension in the string when
the system is moving freely.
Answer:

For the 3 kg mass the resultant upward force is T −3 g

Applying F=ma to the 3 kg mass gives T −3 g=3 a (1)
For the 5 kg mass the resultant downward force is 5 g−T
Applying F=ma to the 5 kg mass gives 5 g−T =5 a (2)
(1)+(2)⇒ 2 g=8 a
1
a= g
4

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 3 15
Then, from (1), T = g+3 g= g
4 4
1 15
Therefore the acceleration of the system is g ms-2 and the tension in the string is g N.
4 4
Example:
A particle of mass 2 kg rests on the surface of a rough plane which is inclined at 30 o to the
horizontal. It is connected by a light inelastic string passing over a light smooth pulley at the
top of the plane, to a particle of mass 3 kg which is hanging freely. If the coefficient of
1
friction between the 2 kg mass and the plane is find the acceleration of the system when it
3
is released from rest and find the tension in the string. Find also the force exerted by the
string on the pulley.
Answer:
Consider the 2 kg mass.
There is no component of acceleration perpendicular to the plane.
Therefore resolving perpendicular to the plane gives:
N−2 g cos 30=0 ⟹ N =√ 3 g

There is an acceleration a up the plane.

The resultant force parallel to the plane is
1 1
T − N−2 g sin 30=2a ⟹ T − g ( √ 3+3 )=2 a (1)
3 3
So applying F=ma gives 3 g−T =3 a (2)

Hencea= 1 ( 6−√ 3 ) g
15
1
And, from (2), T = ( 9+ √3 ) g
5
1
Therefore the acceleration of the system is ( 6−√ 3 ) g ms-
15
1
2
and the tension in the string is ( 9+ √ 3 ) g N.
5

The forces acting on the pulley are T acting down and T

acting vertically downward.

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These two forces are equal so their resultant, R. bisects the angle between them, so R acts at
an angle of 30o to the vertical.

Resolving in the direction of R gives: 2 T cos 30=R

3
R=T √ 3= ( 3 √ 3+1 ) g
5
3
So the force acting on the pulley is ( 3 √ 3+1 ) g N acting at 30o to the vertical.
5

Example:

The diagram shows a particle of mass 8 kg connected to a light scale pan by a light
inextensible string which passes over a smooth pulley. The scale pan holds two blocks A and
B of masses 3 kg and 4 kg respectively, with B resting on top of A. Find the acceleration of
the system and the reaction between A and B.
Answer:

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The reaction forces between A and B and between A and the scale pan are internal forces
when considering the scale pan and its contents are one unit.
For the scale pan and its contents the resultant force upwards is T −7 g
F=ma⟹ T −7 g=7 a (1)
For the 8 kg mass the resultant force downward is 8 g−T
F=ma⟹ 8 g−T =8 a (2)
1
From (1) and (2) we get a= g
15
To find the reaction between A and B, let us consider the forces that act on B.
1
The upward acceleration of B is g ms-2 and the
15
upward resultant force is R−4 g
4 64
F=ma⟹ R−4 g= g ⟹ R= g
15 15
64
Therefore the reaction between A and B is g N.
15

Example:
Two particles of masses 5 kg and 8 kg are connected by a light inelastic string passing over a
fixed pulley. The system is released from rest with both portions of the string vertical and
both particles at a height of 3 m above the ground. In the subsequent motion the 8 kg mass
hits the ground and does not rebound. Find the greatest height reached by the 5 kg mass if
the pulley is of such height that the mass never reaches the
pulley.
Answer:
Before the 8 kg mass reaches the ground the two particles
are moving as a connected system, but when the 8 kg mass
hits the ground there is a sudden change in the conditions
of the system. After the 8 kg mass has hit the ground the 5
kg mass is moving on its own with the string slack. These
two conditions must be considered separately.
Using F=ma we have,

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For 5 kg mass: ↑ T −5 g=5 a
For 8 kg mass: ↓ 8 g−T =8 a
3g
So a=
13
As the 8 kg mass moves 3 m down the 5 kg mass moves the same distance up.
Therefore considering the motion of the 5 kg we have:
3g
a= , u=0 , s=3
13
2 18 g
Using v 2=u2 +2 as gives v =
13

So the 5 kg mass has an upward velocity of

the ground.
√ 18 g
13
ms-1 at the instant when the 8 kg mass hits

After that the string goes slack and the 5 kg mass moves
under the action of its weight alone, so it has a downward
acceleration of g. When it reaches its highest position its
velocity is zero so we have

v=0 , u=
√ 18 g
13
, a=−g

18 g
Using v 2=u2 +2 as gives 0= −2 gs
13
9
This means, that the 5 kg mass rises a distance m after
13
the 8 kg mass hits the ground.
9
Therefore it reaches a height of 6 m above the ground.
13

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