Content: Forces and Newton’s Laws

Legend had it that the eminent scientist Sir Isaac Newton was hit on his
head by an apple that fell from a tree, which eventually enlightened him to
formulate the law of gravity. This was far from true, however, and no written
evidence has been published to support such an event. Historical accounts state
that upon Newton’s return to Cambridge to escape the bubonic plague in 1667,
he witnessed an apple fall from a tree while in an orchard—and this prompted
him to contemplate about the true nature of force and how it causes motion.
This begins the long yet rewarding journey to explore the marvelous physics
behind force and motion.

1 Force

Learning Objectives:
 Define force.
 Distinguish the difference between contact and non-contact force.
 Enumerate the steps in creating free-body diagrams.
 Solve for the net force.

In everyday language, a force is a push or a pull. A better definition is that a force is

an interaction between two bodies or between body and its environment. That’s why
we always refer to the force that one body exerts on a second body. Force 𝐹⃑ is a
vector quantity; you can push or pull a body in different directions.

When a force involves direct contact, we call it a contact force, and if not, we call it a
non-contact force.

1.1 Contact Forces

Contact forces are forces that involves direct contact between two or more bodies.
 Normal force, 𝒏 ⃑⃑ is the force exerted on an object by any surface with which it is in
contact. This force always acts perpendicular to the surface of contact, regardless
of the inclination of the surface.
Example:

 Friction force, ⃑⃑𝒇 is the force that resists motion. By contrast, this force acts
parallel to the surface, in the direction that opposes sliding.

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 Example:

 Tension force, 𝑻 ⃑⃑ is the pulling force exerted by a stretched rope or cord on an

object to which it’s attached.
Example:

TRY THIS!

Instruction: State whether the following is an example of normal force, frictional force,
or tensional force.

___________1. A man walking

___________2. A cradle tied on the rope at two ends

___________3. Eggs on the nest

___________4. A girl sliding to slides

___________5. A box placed on the floor

1.2 Non-contact Force

Non-contact forces are forces that acts on an object without physical contact. The four
fundamental forces of nature listed (in order of increasing strength) are all non-
contact forces.

 Gravitational force includes the familiar force of weight, 𝒘⃑⃑⃑⃑ which results from
the earth’s gravitational attraction acting on an object.
Example: ball dropped to the floor, a girl standing in top of a hill
 Weak nuclear force is the force responsible for a common form of radioactivity
called beta decay, in which a neutron in a radioactive nucleus is transformed
into a proton while ejecting an electron and nearly massless particle called an
antineutrino.

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  Electromagnetic force includes electric force (for stationary particles) and
magnetic force (for particles in motion) which acts between all charged
particles.
 Strong nuclear force is the force responsible for holding the nucleus of an
atom together. It counteracts the repulsive force between the protons inside a
nuclei and makes the nuclei stable.

To describe a force vector 𝐹⃑ , we need to describe the direction in which it acts as

well as its magnitude (the quantity that describes “how much” or “how hard” the
force pushes or pulls.

SI unit of the magnitude of force is the newton, abbreviates N.

1.3 Free-Body Diagram

A free-body diagram is a vector diagram that illustrates the overall picture

of the magnitude and direction of the forces that influence an object in
a given scenario.

Every arrow is labeled according to the type of force that it

represents. The arrow’s size signifies the force’s magnitude, while the
arrow’s direction signifies which way the force is acting.

Steps in Constructing Free-Body Diagrams

1. Read and ensure that you understood the problem at hand.
2. Take one object at a time and draw a free-body diagram for it that illustrates all the
external forces including the unknown, that act upon that object.
3. Draw the arrow that corresponds to each force vector according to its magnitude
and direction. Do not forget to label each accordingly.

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 1.4 Superposition of Forces

The principle of superposition of forces states that any number of forces applied
at a point on a body have the same effect as single force equal to the vector sum
of the forces. The principle also implies that any force can be replaced by its
component vectors, acting at the same point.
Net force, ∑ 𝑭⃑⃑ is the vector sum of all the forces acting on a body.

𝑅⃑⃑ = ∑ 𝐹⃑ = 𝐹⃑1 + 𝐹⃑2 + 𝐹⃑3 + ⋯

The components of the net force are,

𝑅𝑥 = ∑ 𝐹𝑥 , 𝑅𝑦 = ∑ 𝐹𝑦

For the magnitude of the net force,

2
𝑅 = √(𝑅𝑥 )2 + (𝑅𝑦 )

In three-dimensional problems, forces may also have z-components; then we add

the equation 𝑅𝑧 = ∑ 𝐹𝑧 in the above equation. The magnitude of the net force is
then
2
𝑅 = √(𝑅𝑥 )2 + (𝑅𝑦 ) + (𝑅𝑧 )2

2 Newton’s First Law of Motion

Learning Objectives:
 Define Newton’s First Law.
 Apply the law of inertia to describe the forces exerted on an object in equilibrium,
 Solve problems related to the law of inertia.

Commonly known as Law of Inertia, Newton’s first law of motion states that…
Every object continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion (constant
velocity) in a straight line, unless it is compelled to change that state by forces
impressed upon it.

In simpler terms…
A body acted on by no net force moves with constant velocity (which may be
zero) and zero acceleration.

The first law revolves around the following concepts:

 Inertia is the tendency of a body to resist changes in motion.

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  Equilibrium is attained when a body is either at rest or moving with constant
velocity. Also, for a body to attain equilibrium, it must NOT be acted by any
forces, or by several forces such that the net force of the forces equals zero.
 Inertial reference frame is a reference frame where Newton’s first law holds.
Specifically, it is a reference frame which is not accelerated.

Law of Inertia mathematically,

∑ 𝐹⃑ = 0

Example: You are driving a Maserati GranTurismo S on a straight testing track at a

constant speed of 250 km/h. You pass a 1971 Volkswagen Beetle doing a constant 75
km/h. On which car is the net force greater?

Solution: The key word in this question is “net”. Both cars are in equilibrium because
their velocities are constant; Newton’s first law therefore says that the net force on
each car is zero.

3 Newton’s Second Law of Motion

Learning Objectives:
 Determine the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration.
 State Newton’s Second Law.
 Solve problems using the second law of motion.
 Differentiate mass and weight.

Commonly known as the Law of Acceleration, Newton’s second law of motion states
that…
If a net external force acts on a body, the body accelerates. The direction of
acceleration is the same as the direction of the net force. The mass of the body
times the acceleration of the body equals the net force vector.

Law of acceleration mathematically or in symbols,

∑ 𝐹⃑ = 𝑚𝑎⃑
Where: 𝐹⃑ is the force (SI: Newton)
m is the mass (SI : kg)
𝑎⃑ is the acceleration (SI: 𝑚⁄𝑠2 )

Recall that weight, 𝑤

⃑⃑⃑ is a force (gravitational force). We can write an expression for
weight using Newton’s second law:

𝑤
⃑⃑⃑ = 𝑚𝑔⃑

Example: A worker applies a constant horizontal force with magnitude 20 N to a box

with mass 40 kg resting on a level floor with negligible friction. What is the acceleration
of the box?

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 Solution: This problem involves force and acceleration, so we’ll use Newton’s second
Law.

∑ 𝐹⃑ = 𝑚𝑎⃑

In the problem, task is to find the acceleration. So by rearranging/equating the eqn.

above,

3.1 Mass and Weight

Mass characterizes the inertial properties of a body. Mass is what keeps the china on
the table when you yank the tablecloth out from under it. The greater the mass, the
greater the force needed to cause a given acceleration; this is reflected in Newton’s
second law, ∑ 𝐹⃑ = 𝑚𝑎⃑.

Weight, on the other hand, is a force exerted on a body by the pull of the earth. But
you can also calculate your weight on the moon and other planets by using the
following acceleration due to gravity values.

Table 1. Planets’ g

Acceleration Due to Gravity,

Planets
g
Earth 9.8 m/s2
Moon 1.6 m/s2
Sun 274.1 m/s2
Mars 3.7 m/s2
Jupiter 24.8 m/s2
Saturn 10.4 m/s2
Uranus 8.9 m/s2
Neptune 14.0 m/s2
Pluto 0.6 m/s2

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 Mercury 3.7 m/s2
Venus 8.9 m/s2

Mass and weight are related: Bodies having large mass also have large weight.

Example: A large stone is hard to throw because of its large mass, and hard to lift off
the ground because of its large weight.

In SI units, weight is measured in newtons, while mass is measured in

kilograms.

Example: A 2.9 × 104 𝑁 Rolls-Royce Phantom travelling in the +x-direction makes

an emergency stop; the x-component of the net force acting on it is −1.83 × 104 𝑁.
What is the acceleration?

Solution:
Notice that the given in the problem is the weight of the car, but what we need to
compute for its acceleration is its mass. Therefore, we must first find the mass of the
car. Recall that in lesson 3, expression of weight is given by

𝑤
⃑⃑⃑ = 𝑚𝑔⃑

Since the motion is on earth, 𝑔⃑ = 9.8 𝑚⁄𝑠2 . Rearranging the eqn. above,

Then, ∑ 𝐹⃑ = 𝑚𝑎⃑ gives,

The negative sign means that the acceleration vector points in the negative x-direction.

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4 Newton’s Third Law

Learning Objectives:
 State Newton’s Third Law of motion.
 Explain the concept of action-and-reaction pairs.

Commonly known as the Law of Action-Reaction, Newton’s third law of motion states
that…
If body A exerts a force on body B (an “action”), then body B exerts a force on
body A (a “reaction). These two forces have the same magnitude but are
opposite in direction. These two forces act on different bodies.

Law of action-reaction mathematically,

𝐹⃑𝐴𝐵 = −𝐹⃑𝐵𝐴

Action-reaction force pairs or simply action-reaction pairs are two opposite forces
that have equal magnitudes and opposite directions.

Conceptual example: Which force is greater?

After your sports car breaks down, you start to push it to the nearest repair shop. While
the car is starting to move, how does the force you exert on the car compare to the car
exerts on you?

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References:

Faughn, Jerry S. and Raymond A. Serway. Serway’s College Physics

(7th ed) . Singapore: Brooks/Cole, 2006.

Giancoli, Douglas C. Physics Principles with Applications (7th ed). USA:

Pearson Education, 2014.

Halliday, David, Robert Resnick and Kenneth Krane. Fundamentals of

Physics (5th ed) . USA: Wiley, 2002.

Knight, Randall D. Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic

Approach (4th ed) . USA: Pearson Education, 2017.

Serway, Raymond A. and John W. Jewett, Jr. Physics for Scientists

and Engineers with Modern Physics (9th ed) . USA: Brooks/Cole, 2014.

Young, Hugh D., Roger A. Freedman, and A. Lewis Ford. Sears and Zemansky’s
University Physics with Modern Physics (13th ed) . USA: Pearson
Education, 2012.

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