Acceleration Due To Gravity Forces

Lecture 2
Acceleration due to gravity

Forces
Newton’s Laws
Free Falling Objects
We have worked out mathematical
relationships arising from the definitions
of velocity and acceleration.
v  v0  at 1 2
s  v0t  at
2
v  v  2as
2 2
0
Probably the most familiar system where

we observe acceleration is that due to
gravity.
Free Fall
Definition:
Freely falling object is one moving freely
under the influence of gravity alone,
Objects considered to be freely falling

propelled upwards
propelled downwards
released from rest
The “free fall condition” considers gravity only:

•neglects other effects such as air resistance
Hammer and a paper tissue

 Dropped from same height,
 Hammer will hit the ground first
 Air resistance will slow the tissue down.
However if we neglect air resistance both

objects will hit the ground at the same time
A time delay image of

two spheres of very
different mass
falling in a vacuum. .
It can be seen that, in

the absence of air
resistance both
accelerate at the
same rate,
independent of mass.
The acceleration due to gravity near the

earths surface is known as g. This has
been measured to be g = 9.80 ms-2.
If we assume objects falling near the

earths surface are affected only by
gravity (air resistance is negligible)
two basic facts govern their motion:
1. Objects accelerate at the same rate,

independent of their
 mass,
 size
 composition.
2 . This gravitational acceleration is
constant and so does not change as

the object falls.
Ignoring air resistance, an object in free fall

experiences an acceleration of magnitude
9.8 ms-2.
In other words the downward directed velocity

increases by 9.8 ms-1 each second.
So if released from rest an object has a velocity

downwards
after 1 second of 9.8m/s.
after 2 seconds of 19.6m/s

after 3 seconds of 29.4m/s
v  v0  at
Since by convention displacement upwards is
positive, but gravity acts downwards, then
g = -9.8 ms-2.
Since acceleration due to gravity is constant,
motion under the action of gravity is
uniformly accelerated motion,
so we can use the equations relating position,
displacement, velocity and acceleration
already derived
Example:
A ball is dropped from a window 10m above

ground. What will be its velocity just before it
hits the ground?
2
v  v  2as
2
0
v   v02  2as
v   02  (2)  (9.8ms 2 )(10m)
v  14ms 1
v  14ms1
Force, Acceleration &
Newton’s Laws
Up to now we have discussed kinematics i.e.

methods for describing motion (without
reference to the causes).
We will now study motion and the causes of

motion – dynamics.
The basic physical quantities used in dynamics

are
force, mass and acceleration.
Force: push or a pull

Characteristics:
•Strength or magnitude
•Direction
Force is a vector quantity

Force
A force resulting from direct contact with
another object is called a contact force.
For example when you push or pull an

object you exert a force on it.
Orthodontics:
contact force applied
Force is a vector quantity:
magnitude and direction
Force pushes or pulls
teeth in a particular direction
There are also non-contact forces.
Gravitational, electrical and magnetic forces
act through empty space.
You don’t have to be standing on the

surface of the earth to experience the
effects of gravity.
Force
Tooth extraction
Application of force
 break the periodontal ligaments
 Extends width of the socket
this web site concerns the mechanics of

extraction including the Physics forceps
http://www.dentistrytoday.com/oral-
medicine/oral-surgery/1536
Force
The force due to gravity exerted on an

object is known as its weight.
The SI unit of force is the Newton, N.
Force can be measured with a spring balance.

When a force pulls on the spring, the spring
extends. A pointer attached to the end of the
spring can indicate the force on a scale.
Force causes Acceleration
Questions:
1/ What happens to an object when there

is no net force exerted on it.?
2/ What links force and acceleration?
3/ What happens to an object that

exerts a force on another object?
Answers are contained in

NEWTON’S three LAWS.
Isaac Newton ( 1643-1727)

Credited with establishing a mathematical
basis for the laws of motion
Earlier Galileo Galilei (1564 –1642) established

theories concerning moving (falling) objects
Newton’s Laws
All dynamics is based on Newton’s Laws.
These are three empirical laws which cannot
be derived from anything more fundamental.
1. When the vector sum of forces on an

object is zero then the acceleration of that
object is zero.
Force must be applied to an object to change
its velocity.
2. When the vector sum of forces is NOT zero

force is related to acceleration.
Force = mass x acceleration.
3.The third law describes the pairs of forces

that interacting objects exert on each other.
If we push an object it pushes back with an
equal force but in the opposite direction.
NEWTON’S FIRST LAW
“Any object will remain at rest or in motion
in a straight line with constant velocity
unless acted upon by an outside force”
There is no distinction between an object at
rest and an object moving with constant
velocity.
}
v=0
No net
v = const.
Force
Constant velocity means both constant

magnitude (speed) and constant direction.
Newton’s First Law
“Any object will remain at rest or in motion in
a straight line with constant velocity unless
acted upon by an outside force”
This is not as self evident as it may seem.

It actually seems counter intuitive because it
means that:
once an object is set in motion with
uniform velocity, no force is needed to
keep it moving.
This seems contrary to everyday
experience.
For example,
If you push a book across a table, the book

does not keep moving indefinitely after it has
left your hand. It slows down.
BUT as we will see later, this is due to

frictional forces slowing it down.
Equilibrium and Newton’s First Law
Imagine a tug of war match with each team

equally matched.
Both teams pull on the rope with equal strength

they each exert the same magnitude of force
on it, but in opposite directions.
Fleft Fright
In this case the knot in the middle of the

rope does not move. It does not
accelerate. The rope is in equilibrium.
We can write - Fleft = Fright
This means Fleft + Fright = 0
In equilibrium ΣF=0
Greek letter “S” represents the sum

Newton’s Second Law
Acceleration produced by forces acting on

an object is
 directly proportional to and in the same
direction as the net external force
 inversely proportional to the mass of the
object
a
Fextnet
Fextnet  ma
m
Newtons (N) (kg) (ms-2)
m = mass of the object
F
a=F/m
Equation F=ma means that mass, in addition

to being a measure of the amount of matter
in an object, is a measure of how difficult it is
to move an object or its inertia.
Inertia is the tendency

of an object at rest to remain at rest
of an object in motion to remain in motion
with its original velocity.
The greater the mass of a body, the less effect

a given force has.
The unit of force, the Newton, is defined as
follows:
A force of 1N acting on a mass of 1kg

produces an acceleration of 1ms-2.
F = ma so (1N) = (1kg)(1ms-2) = 1kgms-2

If a number of forces act on an object at
the same time,
Newton’s second law applies to the sum

of the forces and is written.
SF  ma
Thus when working out problems involving
a number of forces, it is best to calculate
the resultant force and then set that
equal to ma.
Mass and Weight
Mass is a measure both of

how much matter an object contains
how difficult it is to move.
Weight however is the force exerted by

gravity on a body.
Thus a heavy truck is

 difficult to push because of its mass
 difficult to lift due to its weight.
When an object falls under the influence of

gravity it accelerates downwards at the rate:
a = g = 9.80 m/s2
Force produces an acceleration given by
F = ma
Mass and Weight
But if the force on an object due to gravity
is weight, w, and it accelerates at
g = 9.8 ms-2 then, we can write,
w  mg
This equation gives the gravitational force
on an object whether it is in freefall or not.
Any object with mass “near” the surface of

the earth feels a gravitational force (weight),
w = mg.
Newtonian Gravity
m1m2
F G 2 G = 6.67  10-11 N m2 kg-2
r
MEm ME
F  G 2  ma  mg g G 2
r r
ME
g G 2 g  9.81ms 2
RE
Example
Mass of a person is 65kg. What is his weight?
His weight is given by w =mg
w = 65kg * 9.8m/s2
= 637kg m/s2 = 637N
Example
On the surface of the moon the force of
gravity is approximately 1/6 of that on earth.
What is the weight of the same person on
the moon.
Mass of a person on Earth is 65kg

Weight of this person on the moon is
w = mgm
weight (w) = 65kg * {(1/6) 9.8m/s2}
w =106.2kg.m/s2 = 106.2N
Example.
A tennis ball and a golf ball are simultaneously
dropped from a tall building of height 120m.
Neglecting air resistance, determine
(a) the speed with which each ball hits the
ground.
(b) The time taken for each to reach the
ground (g = 9.8 ms-2)
all objects regardless of their mass or size

fall freely with an acceleration g = 9.8ms-2
v  v  2as
2 2
0
v0 = 0
Acceleration and displacement

are in the direction such that
a = -g and s = -120m
(a) the speed with which each ball hits
the ground.
v  v0  2as
2 2
v2 = 2*(-g)(-120)
v = ±√2*(-9.8m/s2)(-120m)
= ±48.5m/s
But since the direction is downwards

v = - 48.5m/s
And since speed is the magnitude of velocity
Speed = 48.5m/s
(b) The time taken for each to reach the ground

v = v0+ at
-48.5m/s = 0 + (-9.8m/s2)t
t = (-48.5m/s )/ (-9.8m/s2) = 5s
Example
A car has a maximum acceleration of 4 ms-2.
What will its maximum acceleration be while
towing a second car of the same mass.
F=ma a = 4ms-2
F=MaN
where M is the combined mass of the cars
F F
aN  
M 2m
ma a
aN  
2m 2
2
4ms
aN   2ms 2
2
EXAMPLE
A ball is thrown upward at 20m/s from a

window 60m above the ground.
(a) How high does it go?

(b) When does it reach its highest point?
(c) When does it hit the ground?
Here we will take the upward direction as the

positive direction. This means any vector
quantities pointing upward (initial velocity) are
positive while vector quantities pointing down
(acceleration due to gravity) are negative.
(a) To find the highest point. We note at this
point the velocity is zero. We use
v 2  v02  2as or (v 2  v02 )

s
2a
v=0 so
s = [0-(20m/s)2]/[2(-9.80m/s2)] = 20.4 m
Highest point is 20.4m above the window
(b) When does it reach its highest point
v  v0  at or t = (v-v0)/a
t = (0-20m/s)/(-9.80m/s2) = 2.04 s
It reaches its highest point after 2.04s
(c) The ball hits the ground when s = -60m.

t?
1 2
s  v0t  at
2
(-60m) = (20m/s) t+(1/2)(-9.8m/s2) (t)2
Rearranging gives
(4.9m/s2) (t)2 - (20m/s) (t) – (60m) = 0

This is a quadratic equation whose solution is.
(20m / s)  (20m / s) 2  4(4.9m / s 2 )(60m)

t
2(4.9m / s 2 )
Reducing to
(20m / s)  (40m / s)
t
(9.8m / s 2 )
The roots of this equation are then

t = -2s or 6.1s
As the ball could not hit the ground before it is

thrown, The correct answer must be the positive
one t = 6.1s

Acceleration Due To Gravity Forces

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Acceleration Due To Gravity Forces

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Acceleration Due To Gravity Forces

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lecture 2

Acceleration due to gravity

Probably the most familiar system where

Objects considered to be freely falling

The “free fall condition” considers gravity only:

Hammer and a paper tissue

However if we neglect air resistance both

A time delay image of

It can be seen that, in

The acceleration due to gravity near the

If we assume objects falling near the

two basic facts govern their motion:

1. Objects accelerate at the same rate,

2 . This gravitational acceleration is

constant and so does not change as

Ignoring air resistance, an object in free fall

In other words the downward directed velocity

So if released from rest an object has a velocity

after 2 seconds of 19.6m/s

A ball is dropped from a window 10m above

Up to now we have discussed kinematics i.e.

We will now study motion and the causes of

The basic physical quantities used in dynamics

force, mass and acceleration.

Force: push or a pull

Force is a vector quantity

For example when you push or pull an

You don’t have to be standing on the

this web site concerns the mechanics of

The force due to gravity exerted on an

The SI unit of force is the Newton, N.

Force can be measured with a spring balance.

1/ What happens to an object when there

3/ What happens to an object that

Answers are contained in

Isaac Newton ( 1643-1727)

Earlier Galileo Galilei (1564 –1642) established

1. When the vector sum of forces on an

2. When the vector sum of forces is NOT zero

3.The third law describes the pairs of forces

Constant velocity means both constant

This is not as self evident as it may seem.

If you push a book across a table, the book

BUT as we will see later, this is due to

Imagine a tug of war match with each team

Both teams pull on the rope with equal strength

In this case the knot in the middle of the

We can write - Fleft = Fright

This means Fleft + Fright = 0

Greek letter “S” represents the sum

Acceleration produced by forces acting on

Equation F=ma means that mass, in addition

Inertia is the tendency

The greater the mass of a body, the less effect

A force of 1N acting on a mass of 1kg

F = ma so (1N) = (1kg)(1ms-2) = 1kgms-2

Newton’s second law applies to the sum

Mass is a measure both of

Weight however is the force exerted by