5.7.2牛顿第二定律
Newton's Second Law
- Newton'ssecond law of motionstates:
The acceleration of an object is proportional to the resultant force acting on it and inversely proportional to the object's mass
- Newton's second law explains the following important principles:
- An object willaccelerate(change its velocity) in response to aresultant force
- Thebiggerthis resultant force, thelargerthe acceleration
- For a given force, thegreaterthe object's mass, thesmallerthe acceleration experienced
- The image below shows some examples of Newton's second law in action:
Objects like baseballs and lawnmowers accelerate when a resultant force is applied on them. The size of the acceleration is proportional to the size of the resultant force
Calculating Force & Acceleration
- Newton's second law can be expressed as an equation:
F=ma
- Where:
- F= resultant force on the object in Newtons (N)
- m= mass of the object in kilograms (kg)
- a= acceleration of the object in metres per second squared (m/s2)
- This equation can be rearranged with the help of a formula triangle:
Force, mass, acceleration formula triangle
Worked example
A car salesman says that his best car has a mass of 900 kg and can accelerate from 0 to 27 m/s in 3 seconds.
Calculate:
a) The acceleration of the car in the first 3 seconds.
b) The force required to produce this acceleration.
Part (a)
Step 1: List the known quantities
-
- Initial velocity = 0 m/s
- Final velocity = 27 m/s
- Time,t= 3 s
Step 2: Calculate the change in velocity
change in velocity = Δv= final velocity − initial velocity
Δv= 27 − 0 = 27 m/s
Step 3: State the equation for acceleration
Step 4: Calculate the acceleration
a = 27 ÷ 3 =9 m/s2
Part (b)
Step 1: List the known quantities
-
- Mass of the car,m= 900 kg
- Acceleration,a= 9 m/s2
Step 2: Identify which law of motion to apply
-
- The question involves quantities offorce,massandacceleration, so Newton's second law is required:
F=ma
Step 3: Calculate the force required to accelerate the car
F= 900 × 9 =8100 N
Worked example
Three shopping trolleys,A,BandC, are being pushed using the same force. This force causes each trolley to accelerate.
Which trolley will have the smallest acceleration? Explain your answer.Step 1: Identify which law of motion to apply
-
- The question involves quantities offorceandacceleration, and the image shows trolleys of differentmasses, soNewton's second lawis required:
F=ma
Step 2: Re-arrange the equation to make acceleration the subject
Step 3: Explain the inverse proportionality between acceleration and mass
-
- Acceleration isinversely proportionalto mass
- This means for thesame amount of force, alargemasswill experience asmallacceleration
- Therefore, trolleyCwill have the smallest acceleration because it has the largest mass
Estimating Speed, Acceleration & Force
- Newton's second law can be used toestimatethe sizes offorcesandaccelerationsin realistic scenarios
- When estimating quantities, an approximate answer can be shown using the symbol ~
- For example, an adult person has a mass of ~70 kg
Worked example
A passenger travels in a car at a moderate speed. The vehicle is involved in a collision, which brings the car (and the passenger) to a halt in 0.1 seconds.
Estimate:
a) The acceleration of the car (and the passenger).
b) The force on the passenger.
Part (a)
Step 1: Estimate the required quantities and list the known quantities
A moderate speed for a car is about 50 mph or 20 m/s
-
- Initial velocity ~ 20 m/s
- Final velocity = 0 m/s
- Time,t= 0.1 s
Step 2: Calculate the change in velocity of the car (and the passenger)
change in velocity = Δv= final velocity − initial velocity
Δv= 0 − 20
Δv= −20 m/s
Step 3: Calculate the acceleration of the car (and the passenger) using the equation:
Step 4: Calculate the deceleration
a= −20 ÷ 0.1
a~−200 m/s2
Part (b)
Step 1: Estimate the required quantities and list the known quantities
An adult person has a mass of about 70 kg
-
- Mass of the passenger,m~ 70 kg
- Acceleration,a= −200 m/s2
Step 2: State Newton's second law
-
- This question involves quantities of force, mass and acceleration, so the equation for Newton's second law is:
F=ma
Step 3: Calculate an estimate for the decelerating force
F= 70 × −200
F~−14 000 N
Exam Tip
Remember that resultantforceis avectorquantityExaminers may ask you to comment onwhyits value is negative - this happens when the resultant force acts in theopposite directionto the object's motionIn the worked example above, the resultant forceopposesthe passenger's motion, slowing them down (decelerating them) to a halt, this is why it has a minus symbol.
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