Class : XI CHAPTER – 4

Subject : Physics LAWS OF MOTION

Force: It is a push or pull on an object that produces acceleration in the body on

which it acts.
S.I. unit of force is Newton.
(a) It can change the speed of a body.
(b) It can change the direction of motion of a body.
(c) It can change the shape of a body.
(d) Force can make the movement
(e) Force can stop the moving objects
Balanced & Unbalanced force
Balanced Forces:
o Equal & Opposite forces
o Do not cause any change in motion

Unbalanced Forces:
o Unequal forces
o Can be in the same or opposite direction
o Causes a change in motion
For example, in Tug of war, If teams 1 & 2 apply equal forces in opposite
directions, there would be no net force. This is Balanced force.

However, if Team 1 exerts more force than Team 2, then there would be a net
movement towards Team 1 and Team 1 would win. This is unbalanced force.
Contact & Non-contact forces
o External force comes into picture when the body starts moving or comes to
rest either by coming in contact with the body or without being in contact.
o Contact force- force applied by coming in contact with the body Example:
hitting of cricket ball with bat in game.
o Non-contact force- force applied without coming in contact with body
Example: coin attracted towards magnet(magnetic force)
A ball dropped at height attracted towards the earth (gravitational force)

Page 1 of 26
Newton’s First law of motion
o Every body continues in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line
unless it is compelled by an external unbalanced force to change that state.
For example, a ball lying on the table at rest will remain at rest until an external
force is applied on it .
Inertia
Inertia is the resistance of a body to change its state of motion. It is the tendency of
an object to remain in the state of rest or in uniform motion .
Have you experienced jerk when brakes are suddenly applied to the vehicle?
This happens because initially the car was in motion; the body was also in motion.
Later, due to the application of brakes, the car came to rest; but the body due to its
inertia still wants to be in motion.
Therefore, the body doesn’t come to rest at once and experiences jerk.
There are three types of inertia : Inertia of rest(tendency to remain in state of
rest) , inertia of motion (tendency to remain in state of uniform motion) inertia of
direction
eg. When the bus starts from rest , the passengers are thrown back due to inertia of
rest .

A man stepping out from a fast moving bus falls forward due to inertia of motion .

Page 2 of 26
Examples of inertia of direction are:-
When a car makes a sharp turn at a high speed, the driver tends to get thrown to
another side due to inertia of direction.
The spark coming out of a grinding stone is tangential to the rotating stone due to
directional inertia.
The mud from the wheels of a moving vehicle flies off tangentially.
It is advised to tie our luggage kept on the roof of a bus with a rope because
luggage can be thrown sideways during a turn due to inertia of direction.
Water is flowing in a particular direction and if you place a rotating wheel
particles of water fly of tangentially due to inertia of direction.
INERTIA OF REST

When a tree is vigorously shaken, some of the leaves fall from the tree: When the
branch of a tree is vigorously shaken, the branch comes in motion as the force is
applied on the branch. But the leaves want to remain at rest due to inertia of rest
Page 3 of 26
 and fall down.

The carpet is beaten with a stick to remove the dust particles: When carpet is
beaten with stick, the carpet comes in motion but the dust particles remain at rest
due to inertia of rest.
INERTIA OF MOTION
The electric fan continues to move for a period after the electricity is turned off.
The blades of the fan were in motion. Hence, they will take time to come to rest
after being switched off.

If you are on a train and the train is moving at a constant speed, a toy tossed into
the air will go straight up and then come down. This is because the toy has inertia
like the train and you.
The mass of an object is a measure of its inertia . The heavier or massive objects offer
larger inertia .
From the first law , we can define force . Force is the physical quantity which
changes or tends to change the state of rest or of uniform motion of a body along a
straight line .

Page 4 of 26
MOMENTUM

o Momentum is the product of mass of a body & its velocity

o It is a Vector quantity
o It is denoted by p = mv
o Unit of momentum is kg m/s.
o Dimensional formula is [MLT-1]
For example, A ball of 1 kg moving with 10m/sec has a momentum 10kg
m/sec.

 Cricketer draws his hands backward while catching the fast moving
cricket ball. In doing so the fielder increases the time during which
velocity of moving ball decreases to zero.
 A bullet fired by a gun can easily pierce human tissue before it stops. The
same bullet fired with moderate speed will not cause much damage .ie The
greater change in the momentum in a given time, the greater is the force that
needs to be applied.

 Rockets and jet engines also work on the law of conservation of

momentum. In these hot gases produced by burning of fuel rush out with
large momentum, Due to this, these machines gain an equal and opposite
momentum. This momentum enables the rockets and jet engines with very
high velocities.

Momentum of a system remains conserved. Therefore,

o Greater force is required to set heavier bodies in motion

o Greater force is required to stop bodies moving with higher
velocities.
Newton’s Second Law
o The rate of change of momentum of a body is directly proportional to the
applied force and takes place in the direction in which the force acts.

Page 5 of 26
F ∝ dp/dt [Greater the change in momentum, greater is force] F = k dp/dt
F = dp/ dt

F = d/ dt (mv)

Let, m: mass of the body be constant F

=mdv/dt
F = ma
SI unit of force is newton (N). One newton is the force which produces an
acceleration of 1m/s2 on a mass of 1 kg .
o Newton’s Second law is consistent with the First law F = ma

If F =0, then a = 0

According to First law, if a = 0, Then F = 0 Thus,

both the laws are in sync.
o Vector form of Newton’s Second law

Fx = dpx/ dt = max
Fy = dpy/ dt = may
Fz = dpz/dt = maz
o Newton’s Second Law was defined for point objects.

APPLICATIONS OF SECOND LAW

Page 6 of 26
Page 7 of 26
Problem 1: A car of mass 2 X 103 kg travelling at 36 km/hr on a horizontal road
is brought to rest in a distance of 50m by the action of brakes and frictional
forces. Calculate: (a) average stopping force
, (b) Time taken to stop the car

Page 8 of 26
Solution.
m = 2 x 103
u = 36 km/hr = 10m/s
s = 50m
v=0

To find: a, F, t

Third equation of motion: v2 = u2 + 2as

0 = 100 + 2a x 50

Or, a = -1 m/s2
Therefore, F = ma = (2 x103 ) x 1 = 2 x 103 N
V = u + at
0 = 10 – t

t = 10 sec

Problem 2: The only force acting on a 5kg object has components Fx = 15N and Fy
= 25N. Find the acceleration of the object.
Solution.
m= 5kg

Fx = 15N, Fy = 25N

F = Fxi + Fyj

= √ 225 + 625 = √850

F = ma

Or, a = F/ m = √850/5 = 5 √34/5 = √34 = 5.83m/s2

Page 9 of 26
Impulse
o Impulse is the product of force and time during which the force acts on the
body .
o Impulse = force x time = Fx ∆t

o Unit is Ns . Dimensional formula [MLT-1] It is a

measure of total effect of the force.
o For example: Tennis racket strikes a ball, an impulse is applied to
the ball. The racket puts a force on the ball for a short time period.
According to II law, F= dp/dt F
dt = dp =Impulse
Impulse= Change in momentum of the body .(final momentum-initial momentum)
Impulsive force : A large force acting for short time to produce a finite change in
momentum .

Newton’s Third Law

To every action, there is always an equal and opposite reaction.
For example, when you hold the ball, a force acts on the ball (Action), and an
equal and opposite force acts on your hand (Reaction).

o Action & Reaction forces always act on different bodies

o FAB =- FBA
o FAB: Force acting on A by B
o FBA: Force acting on B by A
Action & Reaction forces occur at the same instant
Eg. A book lying on a table exerts a force on the table which is equal to weight of
the book (action) .The table in turn exerts an equal reaction on the book which
supports it.

Conservation of Momentum
o In an isolated system, the total momentum is conserved.

Page 10 of 26
Example 1. In a Spinning top, total momentum = 0. For every point, there is
another point on the opposite side that cancels its momentum
Example 2. Bullet fired from a Rifle

During the process, the chemical energy in gunpowder gets converted into heat,
sound and chemical energy.

Before firing the gun, both the gun and the bullet are at rest, so the total
momentum of the system is zero.
As the gun is fired, bullet shoots out of the gun and acquires momentum.
To conserve the momentum of the system, the gun recoils.
According to the law of conservation of momentum, the total momentum of the
gun and the bullet will be zero after the gun is fired.

Let m be the mass of the bullet and v be the velocity on firing the gun; M be the
mass of the gun and V be the velocity with which it recoils.

Thus the total momentum of the gun and the bullet after the gun is fired will be:
Total momentum of gun and bullet after the gun is fired = M v + m v

According to the conservation of momentum law:

The total momentum of gun and bullet after the gun is fired =Total momentum of
gun and bullet before the gun is fired

Therefore we get:

M V +mv = 0

M V = -m v

Hence recoil velocity V = -mv/M

Page 11 of 26
The negative sign indicates that the velocity of the gun is opposite to the velocity
of the bullet. i .e the gun recoils. Since the mass of the gun is much larger than the
bullet, therefore, the recoil is much smaller than the velocity of the bullet.

Example3. Rocket propulsion

Initially, mass of rocket: M. It just started moving with velocity v Initial

momentum = Mv
Later, gases are ejected continuously in opposite direction with a velocity relative
to rocket in downward direction giving a forward push to the rocket.
Mass of the rocket becomes (M-m) Velocity
of the rocket becomes (v + v’)
Final momentum = (M –m) (v + v’)
Thus, Mass x velocity = constant

Page 12 of 26
LAW OF CONSERVATION OF MOMENTUM
Collision of Bodies

Let the two bodies 1 & 2 have momentum p1 & p2 before they collided with each
other. After collision their momentum are p1’ and p2’ respectively.
By Newton’s Second law
F =dp/dt

For 1: F12 = (p1' – p1) /∆t = m1 (v1- u1) /∆t

For 2: F21 = (p2' – p2) /∆t = m2 (v2- u2 ) /∆t

By Newton’s Third law,

F 12 = - F21

(p1' – p1)/∆t = -(p2' – p2) /∆t

(p1' – p1) = -(p2' – p2)
p1' + p2' = p1 + p2
OR

m1 u1 + m2 u2 = m1 v1 + m2 v2

Conclusion: Final momentum of the system = Initial momentum of the system

Problem: A railway truck A of mass 3 x 104 kg travelling at 0.6 m/s collides
Page 13 of 26
with another truck B of half its mass moving in the opposite direction with a
velocity of 0.4 m/s. If the trucks couple automatically on collision, find the
common velocity with which they move.

Solution.
m1 = 3 x 104 kg
m2 = ½ of mass of A = 1.5 x 104 kg
u1 = 0.6 m/s
u2 = -0.4 m/s
Before collision: m1u1 + m2u2 = 3 x104 x 0.6 + 1.5 x104 x (-0.4)
= 1.2 x104 kg m/s
After collision: (m1 + m2) v = 4.5 x104 v kg m/s
As per conservation of momentum,
1.2 x104 = 4.5 x 104 v
v = 1.2/ 4.5 = 0.27 m/s
Therefore, the common velocity is 0.27m/s
2.Find the recoil velocity of a gun having mass equal to 5 kg, if a bullet of 25gm
acquires the velocity of 500m/s after firing from the gun.
Mass of bullet (m1) = 25 gm = 0.025 kg
Velocity of bullet before firing (u1) = 0
Velocity of bullet after firing (v1) = 500 m/s
Mass of gun (m2) = 5 kg
Velocity of gun before firing, (u2) = 0
Velocity of gun after firing = ?

Page 14 of 26
APPLICATIONS OF LAW OF CONSERVATION OF MOMENTUM

Gun and Bullet Mechanism

The bullet firing mechanism of a gun tends to form a prominent example of
conservation of momentum in real life. When the trigger of the gun is pulled, the
internal mechanism of the gun gets activated and a bullet gets fired in the forwarding
direction. The velocity of the bullet builds up as it advances forward. This
proportionally increases the momentum of the bullet. To balance this increase in
momentum caused by the movement of the bullet in the system, the gun gets pulled
back in the opposite direction with the same magnitude force. As a result, the
momentum gets conserved within the system and the law of conservation of momentum
gets verified.
Releasing inflated balloon

When a balloon that is properly inflated with air is released into the environment, the air
molecules present inside its structure begin to rapidly move outwards into the
surroundings. The rapid movement of the air molecules means an increase in the
velocity possessed by them and the increase in velocity indicates the building up of
momentum value. To balance the increasing momentum value in the system, the
balloon begins to move in the direction opposite to the direction of motion of the air
molecules, thereby conserving the momentum and displaying the law of conservation of
momentum in real life.

Rocket propulsion

Momentum of rocket = Momentum of ejected gases

Page 15 of 26
3. While playing football match, Kris collided and got entangled with Tom who was
playing for opposite team and running from opposite side. The mass of Kris was 40
kg and the mass of Tom was 60 kg. If Tom was running with a velocity of 3m/s and
Kris was running with a velocity of 4 m/s, find the velocity and direction of both of
the players after collision assuming other forces were negligible. Mass of Kris (m1)
= 40 kg
Initial velocity of Kris (u1) = 4 m/s
Mass of Tom (m2) = 60 kg
Initial velocity of Tom (u2) = 3 m/s
Final velocity and direction of both of the player after collision =?
Let final velocity of both of the players after collision = v
Let Kris was coming from left and Tom was coming from right.
Let the velocity of Kris is positive, therefore velocity of Tom will be negative as
both were running in opposite directions.
Thus, initial velocity of Kris (u1) = 4 m/s
And the initial velocity of Tom (u2) = - 3 m/s

Page 16 of 26
Equilibrium of a Particle
o A particle is said to be in equilibrium when the net external force on it is zero

o In general, F1 + F2 + F3 +------ + Fn = 0
Friction
o Friction is a contact force that opposes relative motion No friction exists till an
external force is applied.

Friction- A boon or Bane against motion

o Friction is a boon because of its advantages like:
o Friction helps in walking
o When we walk, we push the ground backwards with one foot. According to
Newton’s Third law, there is an equal and opposite force exerted by the ground.
This force is exerted on a comparatively smaller mass i.e. our foot. So, acceleration
is increases. Hence the other foot gets accelerated.
o If there is no friction, we will slip and can’t walk.
o Friction helps in movement of automobiles.
Friction is a bane because of its disadvantages:
o A good amount of useful energy is wasted as heat in various machine parts
o Noise produced in machines
o Engines of automobiles consume more fuel.

Page 17 of 26
 There are 3 types of Friction:
o Static friction
o Force that resists initiation of motion of one body over another with
which it is in contact
o Opposes Impending motion
o Denoted by fs

Let the ball be at rest initially

Applied force, Fa = 0; Static friction, fs = 0

Later, applied force, Fa = F, then fs also increases but only up to a certain limit. As
soon as Fa becomes greater than fs, the ball starts to move.

fs acts when a body is at rest. Hence called Static friction.

Page 18 of 26
LAWS OF STATIC FRICTION

Limiting value of fs depends on Normal reaction, and is independent of the area

of contact
max
o Limiting static friction f s is directly proportional to normal reaction N.
fs max ∝ N
fs max = constant x N
fs max = μs N
where μs is the coefficient of static friction
This coefficient depends on the nature of surfaces in contact.
o According to the Law of Static friction, Static friction is always less than or
equal to the limiting value of fs
fs =< fs max
fs max = μs N
fs =< μs N
Kinetic friction
o Force that resists motion of one body over another with which it is in contact.
o Denoted by fk
o As motion starts, fs vanishes and fk appears

o Kinetic friction is Independent of the area of contact and velocity of the body
o It varies with Normal reaction, N
o fk ∝ N
fk = constant x N

Page 19 of 26
 fk = μk N; μk is the coefficient of kinetic friction
Three scenarios can arise in a body’s motion

1. When applied force > fk

F a > fk
(Fa – fk) = ma
a = (Fa – fk)/m

2. When applied force = fk

F a = fk
Therefore, a = 0 i.e. the body moves with uniform velocity

3. When applied force = 0

Fa = 0
a = -fk/m
No motion occurs, the body stops

Relation between Coefficient of Static & Kinetic friction

f k = μk N
fs =< μs N
fs > fk (to keep the body moving)
μs N > μk N
Or, μk < μs
Coefficient of kinetic friction is smaller than the coefficient of static friction.

Rolling friction
o Rolling friction is applicable for bodies whose point of contact keeps changing
o It is the force that opposes the motion of a body which is rolling over the
surface of another
o Bowling balls, rotating wheels are examples illustrating Rolling friction

Page 20 of 26
 o Coefficient of Rolling friction is lesser than that of Kinetic friction. fr < fk
< fs
Problem: Calculate the force required for pushing a 30 kg wooden
bar over a wooden floor at a constant speed. Coefficient of friction of wood over
wood = 0.25
Solution.
M = 30 kg
μ = 0.25
(Fa – f) = ma
For constant speed, a = 0 So,
Fa = f= μ N

From free body diagram, N = mg

Therefore, Fa = f= μN = μ xm xg = 0.25 x 30 x 9.8 = 73.5 N

Methods to reduce Friction:

(i)Use of Lubricants like grease ,oil, graphite etc

(ii)Polishing the surface
(iii)Use of Ball bearing

Ball bearings are kind of rolling elements that use small freely rotating metal
balls which reduce friction

Page 21 of 26
Circular motion

o Motion in a circular path

o Centripetal force plays a crucial role in circular motion.
o It is the Force that makes a body follow a curved path. It acts towards
the centre.
o Generally denoted by Fc

o Fc = mv2 /r

Sine we know that F = ma; therefore v2 /r is termed as Centripetal acceleration

Motion of a car on a level road

N = mg

Static friction provides the centripetal acceleration

fs =< μsN
mv2/r = μsN
v2=μsNr/m = μsmgr/m = μsrg
v = √ μrg
This is the maximum speed of a car in circular motion on a level road

Page 22 of 26
Motion of a car on a banked road

In the vertical direction (Y axis)

Ncosϴ = fsinϴ + mg--------------------------(i)
In horizontal direction (X axis)

Page 23 of 26
fcosϴ + Nsinϴ = mv2/r----------------------(ii)

For maximum velocity, f = μsN

(i)becomes:
Ncosϴ = μsNsinϴ + mg
Ncosϴ - μsNsinϴ = mg
N = mg/(cosϴ- μssinϴ)
Subsitute the value of N in (ii)

μsNcosϴ + Nsinϴ = mv2/r

Divide the Numerator & Denominator by cosϴ, we get

v2 = Rg (tanϴ +μs) /(1- μs tanϴ)

v = √ Rg (tanϴ +μs) /(1- μs tanϴ)
This is the miximum speed of a car on a banked road.

Special case:
When the velocity of the car = v0 ,
o No f is needed to provide the centripetal force. (μs =0)

o Little wear & tear of tyres take place.

vo = √ Rg (tanϴ)
Problem:1
A circular racetrack of radius 300 m is banked at an angle of 15°. If the coefficient
of friction between the wheels of a race-car and the road is 0.2, what is the
(a) optimum speed of the racecar to avoid wear and tear on its tyres, and(b)
maximum permissible speed to avoid slipping ?

R = 300m

ϴ = 15o
μs = 0.2
o vo = √ Rg tanϴ

= √300 x 9.8 x tan 15o

= 28.1 m/s

Page 24 of 26
 o vmax = √ Rg (tanϴ +μs) /(1- μs tanϴ) = √ 300 x9.8 x (0.2 + tan
15o)/(1-0.2tan15o)
= 38.1 m/s
2. A curve in the road is in the form of an arc of a circle of radius 400 m. At what
angle should the surface of the road be laid inclined to the horizontal so that the
resultant reaction of the surface acting on a car running at 120 km/h is normal to the
surface of the road?

Given: speed of the car = v = 120 km/hr = 120 x 5/18 = 33.33 m/s, radius
of curve = r = 400m, g = 9.8 m/s2

To Find: Angle of banking = θ = ?

Ans: Angle of banking = 15° 49’

3. Find the minimum radius of an arc of a circle that can be negotiated by a

motorcycle, riding at 21 m/s if the coefficient of friction between the tyres and the
ground is 0.3. What is the angle made with the vertical by the motorcyclist? g = 9.8
m/s2.

Given: Velocity of motor cycle = v = 21 m/s,

Coefficient of friction = μ = 0.3, g = 9.8 m/s2
To Find: radius of curvature = r =?, Angle with vertical = θ= ?

Page 25 of 26
Page 26 of 26