AQA GCSE Physics

Revision Notes

5.7.2牛顿第二定律

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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:

Newton second law in action, downloadable IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes

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:

Fma Formula Triangle, downloadable IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes

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.

WE Newton second law, downloadable IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes

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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