1.

Laws of Motion – I
In the previous classes we have discussed the motion of a particle in one, two and
three dimension quantitatively. So, far we have not discussed quantity that governs
the motion of the body. In this class we turn to this quantity.

2. force is required to put a stationary body in motion or stop a moving body, and some
external agency is needed to provide this force.

Forces do not always cause motion, however. For example, as you sit reading this
book, a gravitational force acts on your body and yet you remain stationary. As a
second example, you can push (in other words, exert a force) on a large boulder and
not be able to move it.

3. Aristotle's fallacy:

The Greek thinker, Aristotle (384 B.C– 322 B.C.), held the view that if a body is
moving, something external is required to keep it moving.

But Aristotelian law of motion is flawed. The fallacy is: a moving toy car comes to
rest because the external force of friction on the car by the floor opposes its motion.
To counter this force, the child has to apply an external force on the car in the
direction of motion. When the car is in uniform motion, there is no net external force
acting on it:
The corollary is: if there were no friction, the child would not be required to apply
any force to keep the toy car in uniform motion.

Galileo studied motion of a ball on an inclined plane and concluded that 'The state of
rest and the state of motion with constant velocity are equivalent. In both the cases
there is no not force applied on the body.''

4. The inherent property of all the bodies, by virtue of which they cannot change their
state of rest or of uniform motion along a straight line by themselves.

Hearvier the body, greater will be its inertia. A more massive object has a greater
tendency to resist changes in its state of motion.

5. There are three types of inertia, inertia of rest, inertia of motion and inertia of
direction.
Inertia of rest: it is the inablity of a body to change by itself, its state of rest.
i.e. a body at rest remains at rest and cannot start moving by itself. It is better stated
as: A body at rest opposes any force that tries to move it. E.g: when we are standing
on a bus and the bus starts suddenly, we fall back.

Inertia of Motion: it is the inability of a body to change its state of uniform motion. A
body in such a motion cannot accelerate or retard. A body in uniform motion resists
any force which tries to oppose it. E.g: on applying sudden brakes to moving car
while driving, we are thrown forward with a jerk

Inertia Of direction: inability of a body to change direction by itself. A body opposes

a force that tries to change its direction of motion. E.g: when a car rounds a curve,
 the person sitting inside is thrown outwards.

6. Galileo’s law of inertia was starting point for Newton from which he formulated his
First Law of motion:
''Every body continues to be in its state of rest or of uniform motion in a straight
line unless compelled by some external force to act otherwise. ''
Newton’s first law of motion, sometimes called the law of inertia, defines a special
set of reference frames called inertial frames. This law can be stated as
follows:
If an object does not interact with other objects, it is possible to identify a
reference frame in which the object has zero acceleration.

Such a reference frame is called an inertial frame of reference. Any reference frame
that moves with constant velocity relative to an inertial frame is itself an inertial
frame.

Given our assumption of observations made from inertial reference frames, we can
pose a more practical statement of Newton’s first law of motion:
In the absence of external forces, when viewed from an inertial reference frame,
an object at rest remains at rest and an object in motion continues in motion
with a constant velocity (that is, with a constant speed in a straight line).
7. We studied that inertia is the resistance of a body agaist change in its state of rest or
motion. This change can be quantified with the help of “mass” of the body.

Mass is that property of a substance which specifies how much resistance an object
exhibits to changes in its velocity i.e. it gives an idea of inertia of that body . The
grater the mass of the body, the greater will be its inertia.
• Mass is an inherent property of an object and is independent of the object’s
surroundings and of the method used to measure it.
• Also, mass is a scalar quantity and thus obeys the rules of ordinary arithmetic.

Mass should not be confused with weight. Mass and weight are two different
quantities. Weight is the force with which Earth attracts the object and is dependent
on mass. For example, a person who weighs 180 N on the Earth weighs only about
30 N on the Moon. On the other hand, the mass of an object is the same everywhere:
an object having a mass of 2 kg on the Earth also has a mass of 2 kg on the Moon.
8. Normal force:
It is a contact force. A contact force perpendicular to the contact surface that prevents
two objects from passing through one another is called the normal contact force.
 In the situation shown, LCD is kept on the table. Weight mg acts on it downwards
still it is at rest. i.e. some force acts in the upward direction (Normal to the table)
which balances the weight. This force is the normal force by the table on the LCD.

9. Tension force :
It is self adjusting pulling force, which is electromagnetic in nature.

Some important points about tension :

• We assume string is massless, Unless specified.
• Strings will be tight only when the ends are pulled apart.
• Tension is a pulling force, acts away from the object along the string
• Tension throughout the massless string is same.
• A pulley can change the direction of the force exerted by a cord.

(Instead of mg, mention weight (W) in the class.)

10. Solution:
The tensions acting on the pulley are

According to Newton’s second law :

T1 – 2T = W (weight of pulley)

Because mass of pulley is negligible, we can take W = 0 )

T1 – 2T = 0
\ T1 = 2T
i.e. Net force on massless object is always zero.

11. Spring Force :

We know that the more force we apply to a spring, the more it stretches. For a spring
that obeys Hooke’s law, the extension of the spring is proportional to the applied
force. If we stretch spring by a distance x from its equilibrium position, it applies a
 restoring force F, towards its equilbrium position, which is proportional to x, given
by
F = kx

k = proportionality constant/spring constant/stiffness.

• A spring has tendecy of restoring its equilibrium position, thus whether we
stretch it or compress, it always opposes the external force in the direction
towards its equilibrium position.
• A spring applies restoring force equally at both of its ends, doesn’t matter
whether an end is fixed or not.
• Combination of springs: If the springs are in series, the equivalent value of
spring constant will be

If the spring are in parallel, then their equivalent will be

12. It is define as the product of mass and velocity of a body.

p = mv

Linear momentum is a vector quantity because it equals the product of a scalar quan-
tity m and a vector quantity v. Its direction is along v, it has dimensions ML/T, and its
SI unit is kg · m/s.
As you can see from its definition, the concept of momentum provides a quantitative
distinction between heavy and light particles moving at the same velocity. For
example,
the momentum of a bowling ball moving at 10 m/s is much greater than that of a ten-
nis ball moving at the same speed. Newton called the product mv as “quantity of
motion”
13. Newton's second law: the time rate of change of the linear momentum of a
particle is equal to the net force acting on the particle.

A seasoned cricketer draws in his hands during a catch, allowing greater time for the
ball to stop and hence requires a smaller force.

This is the most popular form of newton's second law and can be defined as:

When viewed from an inertial reference frame, the acceleration of an object is

di-
 rectly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its
mass.

Inertial Mass as a consequence of Newton's second law of motion

from Newton's second law of motion, F = ma or a =F/m

larger the mass of the body, smaller is the acceleration produced in it by a given force
and hence greater is its inertia. Thus the mass of the body is a measure of inertia of
the body in linear motion.
14. Dimension of force F = ma = [M] [LT-2] = [MLT-2]

Units:
(a) 1 newton (N). it is a absolute unit. 1N force is that much force which produces an
acceleration of 1 ms-2 in a body of mass 1 kg.
1N = 1 kg * 1ms-2 = 1 kg m s -2

(b) Dyne: it's also an absolute unit. 1 dyne is that much force which produces and
acceleration of 1 cm s-2 in a body if mass one gram.
1Dyne = 1 g * 1 cm s-2 = 1 g cm s -2

Express relation between newton and dyne.

1N = 1 kg ms-2 = 103 g * 102 cm s -2

1N = 105 dyne
15. According to Newton’s second law, F = d p/dt, or
d p = Fdt

We can integrate this expression to find the change in the momentum of a particle
when the force acts over some time interval. If the momentum of the particle changes
from pi at time ti to pf at time tf , integrating the above equation, we get

Impulse of a force is a measure of total effect of the force.

Impulse = force x time

tf

Δ p= p f −p i=∫ Fdt=I
ti
To evaluate the integral, we need to know how the force varies with time. The
quantity
on the right side of this equation is called the impulse of the force F acting on a parti-
cle over the time interval

The impulse of the force F acting on a particle equals the change in the momen-
tum of the particle.
Impulse is a vector quantity. Impulse of a force is +ve, -ve or zero according as the
momentum of a body increases, decreases or remains the unchanged under the effect
of force.
Why does it hurt more when a person falls from a height on a cemented floor as
compared to sand?
 Ans: When a person falls from a certain height on a cememnted floor, the floor does
not yeild. The total change in linear momentum is produced in smaller intyerval of
time. Therefore as explained above, the floor exerts a much larger force. Due to this,
a person receives more injury.
On the other hand, if a person falls on sand, the sand yields, the same change in
linear momentum is produced in much longer time. The average force is exerted in
the person by the heap of sand is, therefore, much smaller and hence, the person is
not hurt.
16. Change in momentum of the ball is only along the horizontal direction.

Thus, Change in momentum

= 2(0.6)(10) sin 30 = 6 kgms-1

Thus, Impulse = 6 kg m s-1

17. Resultant force:
If a body is being acted upon by a number of forces, then the resultant/net force is
given as the sum of all the forces. The sign of the resultant force determines the
direction of the resultant force.
If the forces are at an angle, then the net force is given by the taking the component
of the forces in the required direction.

Explain the figures on the slide.

18. Balanced force: When a body is acted upon by forces which are equal in direction
and opposite in magnitude, then the forces on the body are said to be balanced. In
such situations, the body is said to be in equilibrium and it retains it state of motion.

Unbalanced force: Forces that cause a change in the motion of an object are
unbalanced forces. Unbalanced forces are not equal and opposite.

Explain with the images on the slide.

19. To every action, there is always an equal and opposite reaction. And the action and
reaction pairs acts on the different bodies.

In a more practical form, we can state Newton's third law as under:

If two objects interact, the force F12 exerted by object 1 on object 2 is equal in mag-
nitude and opposite in direction to the force F21 exerted by object 2 on object 1:
Consider a pair of bodies A and B. According to the third law,
FAB = – FBA
(force on A by B) = – (force on B by A)

Explain the given pairs of action and reaction forces as given in examples.

For book: Action force is its weight acting downward and reaction force is the
normal force by the table on the book

For gun: Action force is the accelerating force on the bullet and reaction force is the
recoil of gun.
20. The second and the third laws of motion lead to an important consequence: the law
 of conservation of momentum. Take a familiar example. A bullet is fired from a gun.
If the force on the bullet by the gun is F, the force on the gun by the bullet is – F,
according to the third law.

For teacher: Explain this case by drawing the system of gun and bullet. And show the
direction of the forces within the system.

According to the second law, F Δt is the change in momentum of the bullet and – F
Δt is the change in momentum of the gun.

Since initially, both are at rest, the change in momentum equals the final momentum
for each.

Total momentum of the (bullet + gun) system is conserved.

This law tells us that the total momentum of an isolated system at all times equals
its initial momentum.
21. Variable-Mass Systems. We’ve considered the motion of systems of particles with
constant mass. In some cases it’s more convenient to draw our system boundary such
that mass can leave (or enter) the system
Calculating force in such systems
⃗ = Δ (⃗p ) = Δ( M ⃗
F
v)
Δt Δt
⃗ Δ(⃗v ) ΔM
F=M + ⃗v
Δt Δt

⃗ d d
F = (⃗p ) = (m ⃗v )
dt dt
⃗ d d
F = m (⃗v ) + ⃗
v (m)
dt dt

If we take v as constant
⃗ ΔM
F=⃗ v
Δt
22. we conclude that velocity of rocket at any time is directly proportional to exhaust
speed(u) of the gases and natural log of the ratio of initial mass of the rocket to its
mass at that instant of time.
On numerical problems, we may rewrite equation as,

23. A free-body diagram is a sketch of an object of interest with all the surrounding
objects stripped away and all of the forces acting on the body shown. The drawing of
a free-body diagram is an important step in the solving of mechanics problems
since it helps to visualize all the forces acting on a single object.
1. Identify the object you will draw a diagram for. (If there are multiple objects
of interest, you will need to draw multiple diagrams.)
2. Identify all the forces acting directly on the object and the object exerting
them. Do not include forces by an object acting through another object -only
include the force due to the intermediate object.
3. Draw a dot to represent the object of interest.
 4. Draw a vector to represent each force. Draw it in the direction the force is
being exerted.
5. If the object is stationary or is moving at a constant velocity, the vectors
should graphically add up to zero. If the object is accelerating, the sum of the
vectors should produce a vector in the same direction as the acceleration.

24. Since the block is stationary, it implies that it is in equilibrium state. It means that the
forces acting on the block are balancing each other. Then free-body diagram can be
drawn as follows:

Since, the table has a rough surface, on applying force, friction will come into play.
Free body diagram will be