Chapter 4 Forces and

Newtons Laws of Motion

Ying Yi PhD

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Outline
Force
Newtons Three Laws of motion
Force example 1: Gravitational force
Application of Newtons Laws
Force example 2: Friction

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Sir Isaac Newton

1642 1727
Formulated basic

concepts and laws

of mechanics
Universal
Gravitation
Calculus
Light and optics
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Classical Mechanics
Describes the relationship between the

motion of objects in our everyday world

and the forces acting on them
Conditions when Classical Mechanics
does not apply
Very tiny objects (< atomic sizes)
Objects moving near the speed of light

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Contact and Field Forces

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Fundamental Forces
Types
Strong nuclear force
Electromagnetic force
Weak nuclear force
Gravity
Characteristics
All field forces
Listed in order of decreasing strength
Only gravity and electromagnetic in
mechanics

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Newtons First Law

An object moves with a velocity that is

constant in magnitude and direction,

unless acted on by a nonzero net force

Note that: The net force is defined as the

vector sum of all the external forces

exerted on the object

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External and Internal Forces

External force
Any force that results from the interaction

between the object and its environment

Internal forces
Forces that originate within the object itself
They cannot change the objects velocity

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Inertia
Is the tendency of an object to continue in

its original motion

In the absence of a force

Thought experiment
Hit a golf ball
Hit a bowling ball with the same force
The golf ball will travel farther
Both resist changes in their motion

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Newtons Second Law

The acceleration of an object is directly

proportional to the net force acting on it

and inversely proportional to its mass.

Can also be applied three-dimensionally

F ma

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max ; Fy may ; Fz maz ;

M versus m

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Units of Force
SI unit of force is a Newton (N)

kg m
1N 1 2
s
US Customary unit of force is a pound (lb)
1 N = 0.225 lb

See table 4.1

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Some Notes About Forces

Forces cause changes in motion
Motion can occur in the absence of forces
All the forces acting on an object are

added as vectors to find the net force

r
a
acting on the object
m

is not a force itself

Newtons Second Law is a vector

equation

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Example 4.1 Pushing a Stalled Car

Two people are pushing a stalled car, as
Figure 4.5a indicates. The mass of the car is
1850 kg. One person applies a force of 275 N
to the car, while the other applies a force of
395 N. Both forces act in the same direction.
A third force of 560 N also acts on the car,
but in a direction opposite to that in which
the people are pushing. This force arises
because of friction and the extent to which
the pavement opposes the motion of the
tires. Find the acceleration of the car.
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Example 4.2 Applying Newtons 2nd Law

A man is stranded on a raft (mass of man
and raft=1300 kg), u
as
r shown in Figure 4.6a.
By paddling, he causes
P an average force
of 17 N to be applied
to the raft in a direction
ur
due east (the +x
A direction). The wind also
exerts a force
on the raft. This force has a
magnitude of 15 N and points 67 north of
east. Ignoring any resistance from the water,
find the x and y components of the rafts
acceleration.

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Group Problem: Horses Pulling a

Barge
Two horses are pulling a barge with mass
2.00103Kg along a canal, as shown in
Figure. The cable connected to the first horse
makes an angle of 1=30.0 with respect to
the direction of the canal, while the cable
connected to the second horse makes an
angle of 2=-45.0. Find the initial
acceleration of the barge, starting at rest, if
each horse exerts a force of magnitude
6.00102N on the barge. Ignore forces of
resistance on the barge.
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Newtons 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
r exerted
r by object 2 on object 1.

F12 F21

Equivalent to saying a single isolated force

cannot exist

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Newtons Third Law cont.

F12 may be called the

action force and F21

the reaction force
Actually, either force

can be the action or the

reaction force

The action and

reaction forces act on

different objects

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Some
r
r Action-Reaction Pairs

n and n '
r

n is the normal force,

the force the table

rexerts on the TV
n is always
perpendicular to the
r
nsurface
'
is the reaction the
r
r
TV
on
n nthe
' table

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More Action-Reaction pairs

r
r'
Fg and Fg
r
F is the force the
g
exerts on the
rEarth
'
Fobject
g

is the force the

r
r'
object
exerts
on the
Fg Fg
earth

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Forces Acting on an Object

Newtons Law

uses the forces

acting
r on an
r
nobject
and Fg

are
r
r
'
acting
the
n ' and Fon
g
object

are
acting on other
objects
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Example 4.4 Action and reaction

Suppose that the mass of the spacecraft in
figure 4.7 is mS=11000 kg and that the mass
of the astronaut is m
ur A=92 kg. In addition,
P
assume that the astronaut
pushes with a
force of
=+36 N on the spacecraft. Find
the accelerations of the spacecraft and the
astronaut.

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Group Problem: Third Law

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
mans acceleration? (b) What is the reaction
force acting on the woman? (c) Calculate the
womans acceleration.

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Gravitational Force
Mutual force of attraction between any two

objects
Expressed by Newtons Law of Universal
Gravitation:
Every particle in the Universe attracts every

other particle with a force that is directly

proportional to the square of the distance
between them m1 m2

Fg G

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r2

Weight
The magnitude of the gravitational force

acting on an object of mass m near the

Earths surface is called the weight w of the
object
w = m g is a special case of Newtons Second

Law

g is the acceleration due to gravity

g can also be found from the Law of

Universal Gravitation
Weight is not an inherent property of an
object
Mass is an inherent property
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Weight
depends upon location
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Group Problem: Forces of Distant

Worlds
(a) Find the gravitational force exerted by the
Sun on a 70.0 kg man located at the Earths
equator at noon, when the man is closest to
the Sun. (b) Calculate the gravitational force
of the Sun on the man at midnight, when he
is farthest from the Sun. (c) Calculate the
difference in the acceleration due to the Sun
between noon and midnight. (For values, see
next page)

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Useful planetary data

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Application of Newtons Laws

A Crate being pulled

to the right on a
frictionless surface.

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Assumptions about crate

Objects behave as particles
Can ignore rotational motion (for now)
Masses of strings or ropes are negligible
Interested only in the forces acting on the

object
Can neglect reaction forces

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Assumptions about Ropes

Ignore any frictional effects of the rope

Ignore the mass of the rope
The magnitude of the force exerted along the

rope is called the tension

The tension is the same at all points in the rope

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Free Body Diagram of Crate

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

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Free Body Diagram of Crate

The force

is the tension
acting on the box
The tension is the same at

all points along the rope

r
r
n and Fg

are the forces

exerted by the earth
and the ground

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Apply Newtons second Law to

Crate
max T
ma y n mg 0

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Solving Newtons 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 Newtons Second Law
The x- and y-components should be taken from the vector
equation and written separately
Solve for the unknown(s)
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Example : Moving a crate

The combined weight of the crate and dolly
is 3.00102N. If the man pulls on the rope
with a constant force of 20.0N, what is the
acceleration of the system(crate and dolly),
and how far will it move in 2.00s? Assume
the system starts from rest and that there
are no friction forces opposing the motion?

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Group problem: Running car

(a) A car of mass m is on an icy driveway
inclined at an angle =20.0, as in Figure.
Determine the acceleration of the car,
assuming the incline is frictionless. (b) If the
length of the drive way 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
cars speed at the bottom?

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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)

F 0

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Equilibrium cont.
Easier to work with the equation in

terms of its components:

0 and

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

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Example 4.12 Replacing an Engine

uu
r
An automobile engine has a weight
,
W
whose magnitude is W=3150 N. this engine
is being positioned above an engine
compartment, as Figure 4.28a
illustrates. To
ur
position the engine,
T1 is using a rope.
uu
r a worker
Find the tension T2 in the supporting cable
and the tension
in the positioning rope.

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Group Problem: A Traffic light at

rest
A traffic light weighting 1.00102N hangs
from a vertical cable tied to two other cables
that are fastened to a support as in Figure
4.14a. The upper cables make angles of
37.0 and 53.0 with the horizontal. Find the
tension in each of the three cables.

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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

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Static Friction, s
Static friction acts to

keep the object from

moving
If F increases, so
does s
If F decreases, so
does s
s s n
Use = sign for

impending motion only

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Kinetic Friction, k
The force of

kinetic friction
acts when the
object is in motion
k = k n
Variations of the

coefficient with
speed will be
ignored

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Some Coefficients of Friction

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Example: Static Friction

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?

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Group Problem: Kinetic Friction

A sled and its rider are moving at a speed of
4.0 m/s along a horizontal stretch of snow.
The snow exerts a kinetic frictional force on
the runners of the sled, so the sled slows
down and eventually comes to a stop. The
coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.050. What is
the displacement x of the sled?

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Homework
5,9,13,17,25,29,35,43,45,48,59

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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 Newtons Laws to each object
Solve the equations

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Example 4.18 Accelerating blocks

Block 1 (mass m1=8.00 kg) is moving on a
frictionless 30.0 incline. This block is
connected to block 2 (mass m2=22.0 kg) by a
massless cord that passes over a massless
and frictionless pulley. Find the acceleration
of each block and the tension in the cord.

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Group Problem: Atwoods Machine

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 4.20a. Both cord and pulley have
negligible mass. Find the magnitude of the
acceleration of the system and the tension in
the cord.

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