Chapter 4: Newtons Laws

Topics
4-1 Newtons First Law 4-2 Force and Mass 4-3 Newtons Second Law 4-4 The Force Due to Gravity 4-5 Contact Forces 4-6 Free Body Diagrams 4-7 Newtons Third Law 4-8 Problems with Two or More Objects

Quiz #4
Please write your name on the upper left hand corner of your paper.

4-1 Newtons First Law

I. An object at rest will remain at rest unless acted on by an external force. II. An object in motion, will remain in motion in a straight line at the same speed unless acted on by an external force. An inertial reference frame is any frame of reference in which the first law is true. (i.e. the frame itself isnt accelerating)

4-1 Newtons First Law

Food for thought:

Are we in an inertial reference frame here on earth? No, the earth spins and goes around the sun, so we are always accelerating. Is the Sun? No, the sun is moving around the galaxy, it undergoes acceleration. Why even bother defining it? The accelerations mentioned above have a small affect on most of the things we will be studying, so it is reasonable to assume them negligible. But for some calculations you may have to take them into account.

4-2 Force and Mass

Fundamental Interactions of Nature

1. The gravitational force

The only one of these we will be looking at in this course The weakest of the forces listed here Only noticeable when a very large mass is involved Acts over a long distance
Responsible for holding molecules together At least 1032 times stronger than gravity Will be discussed at length in 2nd semester of this class

2. The electromagnetic interaction

3. The weak interaction

Responsible for some types of radioactive decay

Holds the nucleus of an atom together.

4. The strong interaction

4-2 Force and Mass

Mass is the measure of how hard it is to change an objects velocity. (Inertial definition) Mass can also be thought of as a measure of the quantity of matter in an object.

4-3 Newtons Second Law

Newtons Second Law

The net force acting on an object is equal to the mass of that object times its acceleration.

Fnet ma

**Whenever quantities can be added together without concern for how they might affect each other, we say that the principle of superposition applies. That is to say that the whole is nothing more than the sum of the parts. It is important in physics to note where we can use the superposition principle because it often makes very complicated problems easier to break down.

4-3 Newtons Second Law

The net force is the vector sum of all the forces acting on an object.

F ma

4-4 The Force Due to Gravity

The weight of an object on the Earths surface is the gravitational force exerted on it by the Earth.

Definition: Weight, Fg
(Force due to gravity)

SI unit: Newton, N

Fg mg

4-5 Contact Forces Normal force: A surface needs to exert a force on an object in order to stay a solid surface. In mathematics the definition of normal is the vector that is perpendicular to a surface. The normal force is the force directed along the normal direction needed to keep a surface intact. The normal force only applies to solid surfaces where we dont consider the deformation of the surface.

4-5 Contact Forces

Hookes law for springs states that the force increases with the amount the spring is stretched or compressed and that the force is directed in the opposite direction of the displacement

F kx F kx

The constant k is called the spring constant.

4-5 Contact Forces

When you pull on a string or rope, it becomes taut. We say that there is tension in the string. The tension in a real rope will vary along its length, due to the weight of the rope. Here, we will assume that all ropes, strings, wires, etc. are massless unless otherwise stated. The force along any section of a string or rope is the same. An Ideal pulley only changes the direction of tension not the magnitude.

4-6 Free Body Diagrams

Free-body diagrams:
A free-body diagram shows every force acting on an object.

Isolate the object of interest (not an art class)

Sketch the forces Draw vectors from the center of the object Choose a convenient coordinate system You want to make the problem as easy as possible to solve

Resolve the forces into components

Apply Newtons second law to each coordinate direction

4-6 Free Body Diagrams

4-7 Newtons Third Law

Newtons Third Law

For every force that acts on an object there is a reaction force acting on a different object and that force is equal in magnitude and in the opposite direction.

FAB FBA

The force exerted on object B by object A is equal in magnitude but in the opposite direction as the force exerted on object A by object B.

4-7 Newtons Third Law

Some action-reaction pairs:

4-8 Problems with Two or More Objects

Applying Newtons Laws to Problems with Two or More Objects
Picture: Draw the system; Identify each object in the system (circle and label); then draw a separate free-body diagram for each object (reference the label).

Solve:
1. Draw a separate FBD for each object. a) Use a separate coordinate system for each body. b) Let the expected direction of acceleration be along a positive coordinate direction for each object. c) Where objects touch, use Newtons 3rd law. d) When objects are tethered (connected by string, rope or chain), use tension. Apply Newtons second law to each object. The resulting equations comprise a system of equations for you to solve.

2. 3.

Check: Make sure your answers are consistent with the FBDs you have created

4-8 Problems with Two or More Objects

Atwood's Machine: Come up with an expression for the acceleration of the two masses shown. You may assume the Pulley is ideal and the string is massless.

4-8 Problems with Two or More Objects

Solve for the acceleration of the two masses shown. You may assume a frictionless surface, the pulleys are ideal, and the string is massless.