Starter

• Draw a see-saw (or teeter-

totter)
• Describe (using the words
we have already learnt)
what happens if two people
of equal mass place
themselves on the seats on
opposite ends of the see-
saw.
Objectives.
• Recall what forces are and that they are measured in Newtons
• Show how a force is mathematically related to mass and acceleration.
• Construct Free body diagrams (FBD)
• Calculate net force on an object using FBD
Newton’s Second Law: The Law of Motion

• The main idea to Newton’s theories is that forces cause accelerations (as opposed to
velocities)
• Also neglecting forces like friction and air resistance no force is needed to keep an
object moving at a constant velocity.
Think of an object. A bigger force on that object would cause a greater acceleration
than a smaller force would.

Also, the bigger the object is, the less acceleration a given force will impart on it.
We describe the relationships between acceleration
and force and mass in the following way.

Write Write

“Acceleration is
Read
proportional to net force.”
If one is increased, the
This means other will increase by the
same factor.
“Acceleration is inversely
Read
proportional to mass.”
This means that if one is
increased; the other will
This means
decrease by the same
factor.
If we put these two proportionalities together we find an object’s
acceleration is proportional to the force exerted upon it divided by its
mass.

+ =
• If the mass is given in kg and the acceleration in m/s2, the proportionality can be
written as an equality:

• But you’ll usually see this as:

• The unit of force is appropriately called a newton, abbreviated N, where:

 Newton’s Second Law: The Law of Motion
An object’s acceleration is determined by the net force exerted on it by its
environment and by the object’s mass. The direction of acceleration is the
same as the direction of the net force.
Newton’s Second Law: The Law of Motion
Draw diagrams to help you remember this law

𝑀
⃑𝐹 1 ⃑𝐹
𝑚 𝑎⃑
𝑎⃑

⃑𝐹 2 ⃑𝐹
𝑚 𝑚 𝑎⃑
𝑎⃑
Newton’s Second Law: The Law of Motion
Example 1:
A wooden crate experiences a net force of . Determine the crate’s acceleration.

𝑚=5.7 𝑘𝑔
⃑ ⃑
𝐹 𝑛𝑒𝑡 =6.1 𝑁 [𝑊 ]
𝐹 𝑛𝑒𝑡 =6.1 𝑁 [𝑊 ]

𝑎⃑ =?

Solve for
𝑚=5.7 𝑘𝑔
⃑
𝐹 𝑛𝑒𝑡
⃑
𝐹 𝑛𝑒𝑡 =6.1 𝑁 [𝑊 ] 𝑎
⃑=
𝑚
𝑎⃑ =? 6.1 𝑁 [𝑊 ]
𝑎
⃑=
5.7 𝑘𝑔

𝑚
𝑎
⃑ =1.07 2
[𝑊 ]
𝑠

Therefore, the crate’s acceleration is .

Net Force
When multiple forces act on the same object at the same time, the forces
are combined to form the net force.

• We use free body diagrams (FBD) to help us keep track

of net forces.
• The object can be represented as a simple shape
(square, circle, etc.)
• Forces are represented by Arrows. Greater forces are
represented arrow length or thickness.
We then draw all forces acting upon the object using vectors pointing in the
appropriate directions (for most questions this will be up, down, left and right).
***Force vectors always point away from the object.
We generally choose to use the standard reference system, where up/North and
right/East are positive while left/West and down/South are negative.
Notes:
• Only draw the forces that are acting upon the object. We do not include any
forces the object is exerting on other objects (more on this later).
• Multiple forces in the same direction are drawn next to each other.
• If a force is acting down on an object we draw this force below the shape.

• The length of force vectors are

relative to their strength, that is
larger forces have longer vectors.
• To find we use the equation:

• That is, the net force is the (vector) sum of all the forces acting on the object.
Consider the horizontal and vertical components separately first, then add
them using vector addition if needed.
Practice: Problem 1
A book is at rest on a table top. Diagram the forces acting on the book.
Problem 1
In this diagram, there are normal and gravitational forces on the book.

***The forces are balanced (they cancel each other out)

***no acceleration
Problem 2
An egg is free-falling from a nest in a tree. Neglect air resistance. Draw a
free-body diagram showing the forces involved.
Problem 2
Neglecting air resistance, Gravity is the only force acting on the
egg and it falls.

***even with air resistance, the egg would fall because the force of gravity would
be bigger and there would be an imbalanced force
Problem 3
A rightward force is applied to a book at rest, in order to move it
across a desk. Consider frictional forces. Neglect air resistance.
Construct a free-body diagram for the book.
Note the applied force arrow pointing to the right. Notice how
friction force points in the opposite direction. Finally, there are
still gravity and normal forces involved.
 Problem 4
A skydiver is falling with a constant velocity. Consider air
resistance. Draw a free-body diagram for the skydiver.
Gravity pulls
down on the
skydiver, while
air resistance
pushes up as
she falls.
Problem 5
A man drags a sled across loosely packed
snow with a rightward acceleration. Draw a
free-body diagram of the forces acting on
the sled.
The rightward force arrow points to the right. Friction slows his progress
and pulls in the opposite direction. Normal forces and gravitational
force still apply since we are on planet Earth.
• In pairs complete the Free Body Diagrams and One-Dimensional Net Force handout.

• Diagrams 1 to 12 : Identify the forces in the following diagrams. Draw them and label them as F T, FN, Ff, Fspring or
Fg
• Diagrams 13 to 24 : Calculate the net force acting on each object below
Identify the forces in the following diagrams. Draw them and
label them as F , F , F , F or F
T N f spring g

Fnorm
Ffric

Fgrav
 Identify the forces in the following diagrams. Draw them and
label them as F , F , F , F or F
T N f spring g

Fnorm

Ffric Fapp

Fgrav
Ften

Fg
Identify the forces in the following diagrams. Draw them and
label them as F , F , F , F or F
T N f spring g

Fnorm Fnorm Fnorm

Fspring

Fgrav
Fgrav
Identify the forces in the following diagrams. Draw them and
label them as F , F , F , F or F
T N f spring g

Fnorm

Ffric

Fgrav

Ften/spring

Fgrav
Identify the forces in the following diagrams. Draw them and
label them as F , F , F , F or F
T N f spring g

Fnorm
Fnorm
Fapp
Ffric

Fspring

Ffric
Fgrav
Fgrav
Identify the forces in the following diagrams. Draw them and
label them as F , F , F , F or F
T N f spring g

Fnorm
Ften

Fnorm

Fgrav
Fgrav
Calculate the net force acting on each object below

2.8N
18N
Calculate the net force acting on each object below

10N
9N
Calculate the net force acting on each object below

0N 10N
Calculate the net force acting on each object below

2N

11N
Calculate the net force acting on each object below

67N 38N
 Calculate the net force acting on each object below

F = 28 N F = 38 N F =37 N
Objectives.

• Describe a force as a push, pull, twist etc..

• Recall that a force is measured in Newtons
• Outline how a force can change the speed, direction or shape of an object.
• Describe the different types of forces
Plenary
• Inquiry:
• Look at the balance bird/dragonfly. Try to construct a free body diagram that
explains why it does not fall over (you will have to think in more than 2 D)