Lecture 4

Application of Newton’s Law

 Outlines
1. Newton’s third law
2. Free body diagram
3. Equilibrium In
Translational Motion
4. Non - Equilibrium In
Translational Motion
 Newton’s Third Law
• If object 1 and object 2 interact, the force
exerted by object 1 on object 2 is equal in
magnitude but opposite in direction to the force
exerted by object 2 on object 1.

Equivalent to saying a single isolated force cannot

exist
• F12 may be called the
action force and F21 the
reaction force.
– Actually, either force can be
the action or the reaction
force
 Some Action-Reaction Pairs
•
– is the normal force, the force the table
exerts on the TV
– is always perpendicular to the surface
– is the reaction – the TV on the table
–

•
– is the force the Earth exerts on the
object
– is the force the object exerts on the
earth
–
 Forces Acting on an Object
• Newton’s Law uses the
forces acting on an object.
• are acting on the
object.
• are acting on
other objects.
Example 1:
A man of mass M = 75.0 kg and woman of mass m = 55.0 kg
stand facing each other on an ice rink, both wearing ice
skates. The woman pushes the man with a horizontal force of
F = 85.0 N in the positive x-direction. Assume the ice is
frictionless.
(a) What is the man’s acceleration?
(b) What is the reaction force acting on the woman?
(c) Calculate the woman’s acceleration.
 Free Body Diagram
• A diagram of the forces acting on an object.
• Must identify all the forces acting on the object of
interest.
• Choose an appropriate coordinate system.
• If the free body diagram is incorrect, the solution
will likely be incorrect.
• Only forces acting directly on the object are
included in the free body diagram.
– Reaction forces act on other objects and so are not
included
– The reaction forces do not directly influence the object’s
motion
 Free Body Diagram, Example
• The magnitude of force T is
the tension acting on the
box.
– The tension is the same at all
points along the rope
• are the forces
exerted by the earth and
the ground.
 Solving Newton’s Second Law Problems
• Read the problem at least once.
• Draw a picture of the system.
– Identify the object of primary interest
– Indicate forces with arrows
• Label each force.
– Use labels that bring to mind the physical quantity involved
• Draw a free body diagram.
– If additional objects are involved, draw separate free body
diagrams for each object
– Choose a convenient coordinate system for each object
• Apply Newton’s Second Law.
– The x- and y-components should be taken from the vector
equation and written separately
• Solve for the unknown(s).
 Equilibrium
• An object either at rest or moving with a constant
velocity is said to be in equilibrium.
• The net force acting on the object is zero (since the
acceleration is zero).

• Easier to work with the equation in terms of its

components:

• This could be extended to three dimensions.

• A zero net force does not mean the object is not
moving, but that it is not accelerating.
Equilibrium Example – Free Body Diagrams
 Inclined Planes
• Choose the coordinate system with x along the incline
and y perpendicular to the incline.
• Replace the force of gravity with its components.
 Multiple Objects – Example
• When you have more
than one object, the
problem-solving strategy
is applied to each object.
• Draw free body diagrams
for each object.
• Apply Newton’s Laws to
each object.
• Solve the equations.
 Forces of Friction
• When an object is in motion on a surface or through a
viscous medium, there will be a resistance to the motion.
– This is due to the interactions between the object and its
environment
• This is resistance is called friction.
• Friction is proportional to the normal force.
• The force of static friction is generally greater than the
force of kinetic friction.
• The coefficient of friction (µ) depends on the surfaces in
contact.
• The direction of the frictional force is opposite the direction
of motion.
• The coefficients of friction are nearly independent of the
area of contact.
 Friction
• Static friction, ƒs acts to keep
the object from moving.
• If F increases, so does ƒs.
• If F decreases, so does ƒs.
• ƒs ≤ µs n.
– Use = sign for impending
motion only
• The force of kinetic friction, ƒk
acts when the object is in
motion.
• ƒk = µk n.
– Variations of the coefficient
with speed will be ignored
Some Coefficients of Friction
Block on a Ramp, Example with Friction
• Axes are rotated as usual on
an incline.
• The direction of impending
motion would be down the
plane.
• Friction acts up the plane.
– Opposes the motion
• Apply Newton’s Laws and
solve equations.
 Connected Objects
• Apply Newton’s Laws
separately to each object.
• The magnitude of the
acceleration of both objects
will be the same.
• The tension is the same in
each diagram.
• Solve the simultaneous
equations.
Equilibrium In Translational Motion
An object is in equilibrium when the net force
acting on the object is equals to zero (or
balanced).

∑ Fx = 0

∑ Fy = 0
Example 2:
A traffic light weighing 1.00×102 N hangs from a vertical cable
tied to two other cables that are fastened to a support, as in
figure. The upper cables make angles of 37.0° and 53.0° with
the horizontal. Find the tension in each of the three cables.
Example 3:
A sled is tied to a tree on a frictionless, snow-covered hill, as
shown in figure. If the sled weighs 77.0 N, find the magnitude
of the tension force T : exerted by the rope on the sled and
that of the normal force n: exerted by the hill on the sled.
Example 4:
Suppose a block with a mass of 2.50 kg is resting on a ramp.
If the coefficient of static friction between the block and ramp
is 0.350, what maximum angle can the ramp make with the
horizontal before the block starts to slip down?
Non-Equilibrium In Translational Motion
An object is not in equilibrium when the net
force acting on the object is not equals to zero
(or not balanced).
According to Newton’s second law of motion,
the object will accelerates.

∑ Fx = ma x

∑ F y = ma y
Example 5:
The combined weight of the crate and dolly in figure is
3.00×102 N. If the man pulls on the rope with a constant force
of 20.0 N, what is the acceleration of the system (crate plus
dolly), and how far will it move in 2.00 s? Assume the system
starts from rest and that there are no friction forces opposing
the motion.
Example 6:
(a) A car of mass m is on an icy driveway inclined at an angle
θ = 20.0°, as in figure. Determine the acceleration of the
car, assuming the incline is frictionless.
(b) If the length of the driveway is 25.0 m and the car starts
from rest at the top, how long does it take to travel to the
bottom?
(c) What is the car’s speed at the bottom?
Example 7:
A woman weighs a fish with a
spring scale attached to the
ceiling of an elevator, as shown
in Figures a and b. While the
elevator is at rest, she
measures a weight of 40.0 N.
(a) What weight does the scale
read if the elevator
accelerates upward at 2.00
m/s2?
(b) What does the scale read if
the elevator accelerates
downward at 2.00 m/s2, as
in Figure b?
(c) If the elevator cable breaks,
what does the scale read?
Example 8:
Two objects of mass m1 and m2, with m2 > m1, are connected
by a light, inextensible cord and hung over a frictionless
pulley, as in figure. Both cord and pulley have negligible
mass. Find the magnitude of the acceleration of the system
and the tension in the cord.
Example 9:
The hockey puck in figure, struck by a hockey stick, is given
an initial speed of 20.0 m/s on a frozen pond. The puck
remains on the ice and slides 1.20×102 m, slowing down
steadily until it comes to rest. Determine the coefficient of
kinetic friction between the puck and the ice.
Example 10:
(a) A block with mass m1 = 4.00 kg and a ball with mass
m2 = 7.00 kg are connected by a light string that passes
over a frictionless pulley, as shown in figure. The
coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and the
surface is 0.300. Find the acceleration of the two objects
and the tension in the string.
(b) Check the answer for the acceleration by using the
system approach.
Example 11:
A block of mass m = 5.00 kg rides on top of a second block
of mass M = 10.0 kg. A person attaches a string to the
bottom block and pulls the system horizontally across a
frictionless surface, as in figure. Friction between the two
blocks keeps the 5.00-kg block from slipping off. If the
coefficient of static friction is 0.350,
(a) what maximum force can be exerted by the string on the
10.0-kg block without causing the 5.00-kg block to slip?
(b) Use the system approach to calculate the acceleration.