NEWTON’S LAWS OF MOTION

Motion According to Aristotle and Galileo

Aristotle Galileo
• Any object not in its natural place will
strive to get there. • Any two objects that are dropped
Vertical Motion • Object fall at a rate proportional to together will fall together regardless of
their weight. their weight if air resistance is negligible.
• Heavier objects fall much faster than • Object falls at the same rate
lighter objects

• Force is NOT needed to sustain motion

Horizontal • Force is needed to start and sustain of an object.
Motion the motion of an object • Force is required to change motion (to
accelerate)

• A force is needed to start an object to • A projectile is influenced by vertical

Projectile motion move through air until its natural motion due to the force of gravity and
motion eventually brings it to earth horizontal motion that is uniform
 Sir Isaac Newton (1642 – 1727)
• Only 25 when he formulated most of his discoveries in
math and physics.
• His book Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy is
considered to be the most important publication in the
history of Physics.

Intro
NEWTON’S LAWS OF MOTION
(LAW OF INERTIA)
 Law of Inertia
- the natural tendency of an object to remain in a state of rest or in uniform
motion in a straight line (first introduced by Galileo).
- Mass – quantitative measure of inertia of a body
- Force – action exerted upon by a body that changes its state, either at rest
or of uniform motion along a straight line. In Newton’s 1st law, the force is
unbalanced.
Therefore: The larger the mass of a body, the more difficult to change its state of motion.

Law of Inertia states than an object remains at rest, or in uniform

motion in a straight line, unless acted on by an external
unbalanced force.
 Balanced (equal) forces,
therefore no motion.

Equal in magnitude but in opposite directions. 3-7

Section 3.1
Unbalanced forces result in motion

Net force to the right 3-8

Section 3.1
A spacecraft keeps
going because no
forces act to stop it

Photo Source: Copyright © Bobby H. Bammel. All rights reserved.

A large rock stays put until/if a large enough
force acts on it.

Photo Source: Copyright © Bobby H. Bammel. All rights reserved.

 Mass and Inertia

The large man has more inertia – more force is necessary to start him swinging and also
to stop him – due to his greater inertia
 Mass and Inertia

Quickly pull the paper and the stack of quarters tend to stay in place due to inertia.
• Because of the relationship between motion and inertia:
• Newton’s First Law of Motion is sometimes called the Law of Inertia.
• Seatbelts help ‘correct’ for this law during sudden changes in speed.

Remember:
The greater the mass of an object the
greater the inertia
NEWTON’S LAWS OF MOTION
(LAW OF ACCELERATION)
Newton’s 2nd Law & Force of Gravity
• Gravity: the force that pulls objects towards
each other
• Since gravity is a force it also obeys Newton’s
second law
Since objects fall at the same speed,
their acceleration is the same.
All objects accelerate at the rate.
Here on Earth the rate is:
Ag=9.8 m/s2
Or
Ag=32 ft/s2 Air resistance keeps things
from falling equally
Law of Acceleration
- deals with the effect of net force on the change in velocity or acceleration

Law of Acceleration states that, the acceleration of a body is

directly proportional to the net force acting on the body and
inversely proportional to the mass of the body.

Therefore: the greater the force the greater the acceleration;

the greater the mass of an object the smaller the acceleration.
• Acceleration a= Net Force
mass
Force, Mass, Acceleration
a) Original situation
a=F
m
b) If we double the force we
double the acceleration.

c) If we double the mass we

half the acceleration.

Section 3.3
F = ma
• “F” is the net force (unbalanced), which is likely the
vector sum of two or more forces.
• “m” & “a” are concerning the whole system
• Units
• Force = mass x acceleration = kg x m/s2 = N
• N = kg-m/s2 = newton -- this is a derived unit
and is the metric system (SI) unit of force
Section 3.3
NEWTON’S LAWS OF MOTION
(LAW OF INTERACTION)
Newton’s Third Law of Motion
• For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Law of Interaction states that, whenever on object exerts a force on
a second object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite
force on the first object.

• action = opposite reaction

•F1 = -F2 or m1a1 = -m2a2
Section 3.4
 What is Momentum?

• The quantity of motion of a moving body – “mass in motion”

• All objects have mass; so if an object is moving, then it has
momentum - it has its mass in motion.
• Dependent upon two variables: how much object is moving and how
fast the object is moving.
 What is Momentum?

• The quantity of motion of a moving body

• Depends on two variables: mass and velocity.
• Momentum of an object is equal to the mass of the object times the
velocity of the object. (kg.m/s)

Momentum (p) = Mass (m) * Velocity (v)

 What is Momentum?

• Momentum is a vector quantity

• Fully described by both magnitude and direction
• A 5kg ball is moving 2m/s West. Its momentum is 10kg.m/s, west
Example:
1. Determine the momentum of a ...

a. 60-kg cart moving eastward at 9 m/s.

b. 1000-kg car moving northward at 20 m/s.

c. 40-kg train moving southward at 2 m/s.

Example:
1. Determine the momentum of a ...

a. 60-kg cart moving eastward at 9 m/s.

• p = 540 kg•m/s, east

b. 1000-kg car moving northward at 20 m/s.

• p = 20 000 kg•m/s, north

c. 40-kg train moving southward at 2 m/s.

• p = 80 kg•m/s, south
Example:
2. A car possesses a momentum of 20,000 kg.m/s. What would be the
car's new momentum if ...
a. its velocity was doubled.
b. its velocity was tripled.
c. its mass was doubled (add more passengers and a greater load)
d. both its velocity was doubled and its mass was doubled.
Example:
2. A car possesses a momentum of 20,000 kg.m/s. What would be the
car's new momentum if ...
a. its velocity was doubled.
• p = 40,000 kg.m/s (doubling the velocity will double the
momentum)
b. its velocity was tripled.
• p = 60,000 kg.m/s (tripling the velocity will triple the
momentum)
Example:
2. A car possesses a momentum of 20,000 kg.m/s. What would be the
car's new momentum if ...
c. its mass was doubled (add more passengers and a greater load)
• p = 40,000 kg.m/s (double mass = double momentum)
d. both its velocity was doubled and its mass was doubled.
• p = 80,000 kg.m/s (double velocity = double momentum;
double mass = double momentum)
 Law of Momentum Conservation

“The total momentum of the two objects before

the collision is equal to the total momentum of
the two objects after the collision”
 Law of Momentum Conservation

• momentum is neither lost or gained

• "when two bodies collide with one another, the total energy remains
constant“

• Follows Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion “Law of Interaction”

 Law of Momentum Conservation

• Momentum is always conserved in collisions.

m1u1 + m2u2 = m1v1 + m2v2

where u1 and u2 are the velocities before collision,

and v1 and v2 are the velocities after collision.
 Law of Momentum Conservation

• The dropped brick is at rest and begins with zero momentum.

• The loaded cart is in motion with considerable momentum.

• The total amount of momentum is the sum of the dropped brick's

momentum (0 kg.m/s) and the loaded cart's momentum.
 Law of Momentum Conservation

• If momentum is conserved during the collision, the sum of the

dropped brick's and loaded cart's momentum after the collision
should be the same as before the collision.

• The momentum lost by the loaded cart should equal the momentum
gained by the dropped brick.
 Law of Momentum Conservation

Before Collision After Collision Change in

Momentum Momentum Momentum
Dropped Brick 0 kg.m/s 14 kg.m/s +14 kg.m/s
Loaded Cart 45 kg.m/s 31 kg.m/s -14 kg.m/s
Total 45 kg.m/s 45 kg.m/s
Law of Momentum Conservation
Law of Momentum Conservation

Newton’s Cradle
Law of Momentum Conservation
Law of Momentum Conservation

• Newton's third law of motion is

naturally applied to collisions
between two objects.

• Both objects experience forces

that are equal in magnitude and
opposite in direction.

• Such forces often cause one

object to speed up (gain
momentum) and the other
object to slow down (lose
momentum). 
 Law of Momentum Conservation

• accelerations of the objects are not necessarily equal in

magnitude.

• Newton 2nd law of motion, the acceleration of an object

is dependent upon both force and mass.

• Equal mass = equal acceleration

• unequal mass = unequal acceleration

Equal and Opposite
Momentum
Changes
 m1u1 + m2u2 = m1v1 + m2v2

1. A 15kg ball is thrown at a velocity of 20 km/hr to a 60kg person on

roller blades. The person catches the ball and subsequently slides
with the ball across the floor. Determine the velocity of the person
and the ball after the collision.

2. A 0.150kg baseball moving at a speed of 45.0 m/s crosses the plate

and strikes the 0.250kg catcher's mitt (originally at rest). The
catcher's mitt immediately moves backwards (at the same speed as
the ball) before the catcher applies an external force to stop its
momentum. Determine the post-collision velocity of the mitt and
ball.

3. A 3000-kg truck moving with a velocity of 10 m/s hits a 1000-kg

parked car. The impact causes the 1000-kg car to be set in motion at
15 m/s. Assuming that momentum is conserved during the collision,
determine the velocity of the truck immediately after the collision.
 m1u1 + m2u2 = m1v1 + m2v2

1. A 15kg ball is thrown at a velocity of 20 km/hr to a 60kg person on

roller blades. The person catches the ball and subsequently slides
with the ball across the floor. Determine the velocity of the person
and the ball after the collision.

m1u1 + m2u2 = m1v1 + m2v2

(60kg)(0km/hr) + (15kg)(20km/hr) = (60kg)(v1) + (15kg)(v2)

0kg.km/hr + 300kg.km/hr = 60kg + 15kg (v)
300kg.km/hr = 75kg (v)
v = 4km/hr
 m1u1 + m2u2 = m1v1 + m2v2

2. A 0.150kg baseball moving at a speed of 45.0 m/s crosses the plate

and strikes the 0.250kg catcher's mitt (originally at rest). The
catcher's mitt immediately moves backwards (at the same speed as
the ball) before the catcher applies an external force to stop its
momentum. Determine the post-collision velocity of the mitt and
ball.

m1u1 + m2u2 = m1v1 + m2v2

(0.15kg)(45m/s) + (0.25kg)(0m/s) = (0.15kg)(v1) + (0.25kg)(v2)

6.75kg.m/s + 0kg.m/s = 0.15kg + 0.25kg (v)
6.75kg.m/s = 0.40kg (v)
v = 16.875m/s
 m1u1 + m2u2 = m1v1 + m2v2

3. A 3000-kg truck moving with a velocity of 10 m/s hits a 1000-kg

parked car. The impact causes the 1000-kg car to be set in motion at
15 m/s. Assuming that momentum is conserved during the collision,
determine the velocity of the truck immediately after the collision.

m1u1 + m2u2 = m1v1 + m2v2

(3,000kg)(10m/s) + (1,000kg)(0m/s) = (3,000kg)(v1) + (1,000kg)(15m/s)

30,000kg.m/s + 0kg.m/s = (3,000kg) (v1) + 15,000kg.m/s

30,000kg.m/s + 15,000kg.m/s = 3,000kg (v)
15,000kg.m/s = 3,000kg (v)
3,000kg 3,000kg

v = 5.0m/s
 Impulse

• Impulse = change in momentum

• Impulse = Force x time

• Change in momentum = Mass x Δv

• F x t = M x Δv
Example:
1. Jennifer, who has a mass of 50.0 kg, is riding at 35.0 m/s in her red
sports car when she must suddenly slam on the brakes to avoid
hitting a deer crossing the road. She strikes the air bag, that brings
her body to a stop in 0.500 s. What average force does the seat belt
exert on her?

(F) (t) = (Mass) (Δv)

(F) (0.500 s) = (50 kg) (35 m/s)

(F) (0.500 s) = 1,750 kg*m/s

0.500 s 0.500 s

F = 3500 N
Example:
2. If Jennifer had not been wearing her seat belt and not had an air
bag, then the windshield would have stopped her head in 0.002 s.
What average force would the windshield have exerted on her?

(F) (t) = (Mass) (Δv)

(F) (0.002 s) = (50 kg) (35 m/s)

(F) (0.002 s) = 1,750 kg*m/s

0.002 s 0.002 s

F = 875,000 N
Fill in the Blanks:

Mom.
Force Time Impulse Mass Vel. Change
Change
(N) (s) (N.s) (kg.m/s) (kg) (m/s)

? N
-4,000 0.010 s -40 ?N.s ?
-40 kg.m/s 10 kg -4 m/s

? N
-400 0.100 s -40 N.s ?
-40 kg.m/s 10 kg ?
-4 m/s

? N
-20,000 0.010 s ? N.s
-200 -200 kg.m/s 50 kg ?
-4 m/s

-20,000 N ? s
0.010 -200? N.s -200 kg.m/s 25?kg -8 m/s

-200 N 1.0 s -200? N.s ?

-200 kg.m/s 50 kg ?
-4 m/s