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Newton's Second Law

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Newton's Second Law
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Newton's
Multimedia Studios(/mmedia) second law of motion pertains to the behavior of objects for which
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Newton's Second Law http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/Lesson-3/Newton-s...
force(http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/newtlaws/u2l2d.cfm) acting
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upon the object and the mass of the object. The acceleration of an object
depends directly upon the net force acting upon the object, and inversely
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upon the mass of the object. As the force acting upon an object is increased,
the acceleration of the object is increased. As the mass of an object is
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increased, the acceleration of the object is decreased.
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The BIG Equation

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Newton's second law of motion can be formally stated as follows:
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The acceleration of an object as produced by a net force
Share The News(/Share) is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force,
in the same direction as the net force, and inversely
proportional to the mass of the object.

This verbal statement can be expressed in equation form as follows:

a = F net / m
The above equation is often rearranged to a more familiar form as shown
below. The net force is equated to the product of the mass times the
acceleration.
F net = ma
In this entire discussion, the emphasis has been on the net
force. The acceleration is directly proportional to the net
force; the net force equals mass times acceleration; the
acceleration in the same direction as the net force; an
acceleration is produced by a net force. The NET FORCE. It
is important to remember this distinction. Do not use the
value of merely "any 'ole force" in the above equation. It is
the net force that is related to acceleration. As discussed in an earlier
lesson(http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/newtlaws/u2l2d.cfm#net),
the net force is the vector sum of all the forces. If all the individual forces
acting upon an object are known, then the net force can be determined. If
necessary, review this principle by returning to the practice questions in
Lesson 2(http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/newtlaws
/u2l2d.cfm#Practice).

Consistent with the above equation, a unit of force is equal to a unit of mass
times a unit of acceleration. By substituting standard metric units for force,
mass, and acceleration into the above equation, the following unit
equivalency can be written.
1 Newton = 1 kg m/s 2
The denition of the standard metric unit of force is stated by the above
equation. One Newton is dened as the amount of force required to give a
1-kg mass an acceleration of 1 m/s/s.

Your Turn to Practice

The Fnet = m a equation is often used in algebraic problem solving.
The table below can be lled by substituting into the equation and solving

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for the unknown quantity. Try it yourself and then use the click on the
buttons to view the answers.

Net Force Mass Acceleration

(N) (kg) (m/s/s)
1. 10 2 See Answer

2. 20 2 See Answer

3. 20 4 See Answer

4. See Answer 2 5

5. 10 See Answer 10

Newton's Second Law as a Guide to Thinking

The numerical information in the table above demonstrates some important
qualitative relationships between force, mass, and acceleration. Comparing
the values in rows 1 and 2, it can be seen that a doubling of the net force
results in a doubling of the acceleration (if mass is held constant). Similarly,
comparing the values in rows 2 and 4 demonstrates that a halving of the net
force results in a halving of the acceleration (if mass is held constant).
Acceleration is directly proportional to net force.
Furthermore, the qualitative relationship between mass and acceleration
can be seen by a comparison of the numerical values in the above table.
Observe from rows 2 and 3 that a doubling of the mass results in a halving of
the acceleration (if force is held constant). And similarly, rows 4 and 5 show
that a halving of the mass results in a doubling of the acceleration (if force is
held constant). Acceleration is inversely proportional to mass.
The analysis of the table data illustrates that an equation such as F net = m*a
can be a guide to thinking about how a variation in one quantity might affect
another quantity. Whatever alteration is made of the net force, the same
change will occur with the acceleration. Double, triple or quadruple the net
force, and the acceleration will do the same. On the other hand, whatever
alteration is made of the mass, the opposite or inverse change will occur
with the acceleration. Double, triple or quadruple the mass, and the
acceleration will be one-half, one-third or one-fourth its original value.

The Direction of the Net Force and Acceleration

As stated above(http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/newtlaws
/u2l3a.cfm#Second), the direction of the net force is in the same direction
as the acceleration. Thus, if the direction of the acceleration is known, then
the direction of the net force is also known. Consider the two oil drop
diagrams(http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/1DKin/U1L2b.cfm)
below for an acceleration of a car. From the diagram, determine the
direction of the net force that is acting upon the car. Then click the buttons
to view the answers. (If necessary, review acceleration from the previous
unit.(http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/1DKin/U1L1e.cfm#dirn))

See Answer

See Answer

In conclusion, Newton's second law provides the explanation for the

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behavior of objects upon which the forces do not balance. The law states
that unbalanced forces cause objects to accelerate with an acceleration that
is directly proportional to the net force and inversely proportional to the
mass.

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Laws/Force)Interactiveallows a learner to explore the effect of variations
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Visit: Force(/Physics-Interactives/Newtons-Laws/Force)

Rocket Science!
NASA rockets (and others) accelerate upward off the launch pad as they
burn a tremendous amount of fuel. As the fuel is burned and exhausted to
propel the rocket, the mass of the rocket changes. As such, the same
propulsion force can result in increasing acceleration values over time. Use
the Rocket Science widget below to explore this effect.
Rocket Science
Determines the speed of a rocket as a function of time
if given the initial mass and the exhaust velocity.

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Check Your Understanding

1. Determine the accelerations that result when a 12-N net force is applied
to a 3-kg object and then to a 6-kg object.

See Answer

2. A net force of 15 N is exerted on an encyclopedia to cause it to accelerate
at a rate of 5 m/s2. Determine the mass of the encyclopedia.

See Answer

3. Suppose that a sled is accelerating at a rate of 2 m/s2. If the net force is
tripled and the mass is doubled, then what is the new acceleration of the
sled?

See Answer

4. Suppose that a sled is accelerating at a rate of 2 m/s2. If the net force is

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tripled and the mass is halved, then what is the new acceleration of the sled?

See Answer

Next Section:
The Big Misconception(/class/newtlaws/Lesson-3/The-Big-Misconception)

Jump To Next Lesson:

Newton's Third Law(/class/newtlaws/Lesson-4/Newton-s-Third-Law)

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