Forces and Motion
**Forces and Motion**
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### 1. **What is Force?**
A force is a push or pull that acts on an object. It can cause an object to:
- **Start moving** (accelerate),
- **Stop moving** (decelerate),
- **Change direction**, or
- **Change shape**.
#### Units of Force:
- Measured in **Newtons (N)**.
- 1 Newton = Force required to accelerate a 1 kg mass by 1 m/s^2.
#### Types of Forces:
- **Contact Forces** (e.g., friction, tension, normal force)
- **Non-Contact Forces** (e.g., gravity, magnetic, electrostatic)
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### 2. **Newton's Laws of Motion**
Isaac Newton described how forces affect motion:
#### **First Law (Law of Inertia):**
An object will remain at rest or move at a constant velocity unless acted upon
by a net external force.
- Example: A book on a table won't move unless you push it.
#### **Second Law (F = ma):**
The force acting on an object is equal to its mass multiplied by its acceleration.
- Formula: F = m x a
- F: Force (N)
- m: Mass (kg)
- a: Acceleration (m/s^2)
- Example: A 2 kg object accelerating at 3 m/s^2 has a force of F = 2 x 3 = 6 N.
#### **Third Law:**
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
- Example: When you jump, you push down on the ground, and the ground
pushes you upward.
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### 3. **What is Motion?**
Motion is the change in the position of an object over time. It can be described
using:
- **Distance**: Total path traveled (scalar).
- **Displacement**: Straight-line distance from the starting to the ending point
(vector).
#### Types of Motion:
1. **Linear Motion** (e.g., a car on a straight road)
2. **Rotational Motion** (e.g., spinning top)
3. **Oscillatory Motion** (e.g., pendulum)
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### 4. **Equations of Motion**
If an object moves with constant acceleration, these equations are helpful:
1. v = u + at
- Final velocity (v) = Initial velocity (u) + (acceleration x time)
2. s = ut + (1/2)at^2
- Displacement (s) = Initial velocity x time + (1/2) x acceleration x time^2
3. v^2 = u^2 + 2as
- Final velocity squared = Initial velocity squared + (2 x acceleration x
displacement)
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### 5. **Friction and Air Resistance**
- **Friction**: A force that opposes motion between two surfaces in contact.
- Types: Static, Kinetic
- **Air Resistance**: A type of friction that acts on objects moving through air.
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### 6. **Gravity**
Gravity is a non-contact force that pulls objects toward the Earth.
- Formula: F = m x g, where g = 9.8 m/s^2
- Objects in free fall accelerate at 9.8 m/s^2 (ignoring air resistance).
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### Example Problems
#### **Problem 1:**
A car accelerates from rest at 2 m/s^2 for 5 seconds. How far does it travel?
- u = 0, a = 2 m/s^2, t = 5 s
- Use s = ut + (1/2)at^2
- s = 0 x 5 + (1/2)(2)(5^2) = 25 m
#### **Problem 2:**
A 10 kg object is pushed with a force of 50 N. What is its acceleration?
- F = 50 N, m = 10 kg
- Use F = ma: a = F/m = 50/10 = 5 m/s^2
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This concludes the basics of forces and motion. Explore more problems or
concepts as needed!
