Equation (2.21) is not the definition of a force!

In classical mechanics,
forces may be defined as interactions between bodies resulting in
acceleration of masses.4 You might have heard that their nature is
always one of the four fundamental interactions gravity, electromagnetism,
weak and strong nuclear interaction. Laws like Coulomb’s
law of electrostatic interaction
~FA!B =
1
4_"0
q Aq B
j~rB 􀀀~rAj3 (~rB 􀀀~rA)
and Newton’s universal law of gravity
~FA!B = 􀀀G
mA mB
j~rB 􀀀~rAj3 (~rB 􀀀~rA)
allow you to calculate such forces between particles starting from properties
like their mass or their electrical charge. In many cases, you may
not deal directly with fundamental interactions between particles but
with macroscopic forces that can be described by means of empirical
formulas like Hooke’s law
~F = 􀀀k~x
for ideal springs, or the laws governing friction as described in section
2.2.3.
Equation (2.21) states how a force acts, and does not provide you any
information about the origin of a force. It relates the quantity ~F to the
rate of change of the quantity ~p. In other words, we know that whenever
there is a force acting on a point-like mass, the rate of change of its
linear momentum must be equal to that force.
􀀀 Indeed, the Second Law is a vector equation. Consider a body of constant
mass m on which a total force ~F acts. If we define a Cartesian
coordinate system and call the body’s coordinates x, y and z, the statement
of equation (2.21) translates as three distinct scalar equations, one
for each coordinate:
m
d 2x
dt2 = Fx
m
d 2y
dt2 = Fx
m
d 2z
dt2 = Fz:
4To be honest, the whole story is way more complicated than this. However, it is
sufficient you understand this statement for now.
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