UNIT 3
DYNAMICS – I
1. When a motorcyclist hits a stationary car, he may fly off the motorcycle
and driver in the car may get neck injury. Explain.
Due to inertia, the rider continues moving forward when the bike stops
suddenly. If not wearing a seat belt or helmet, the rider flies off the bike. The
driver in the car may suffer a neck injury (whiplash) because the body stops
but the head keeps moving forward briefly due to inertia.
2. In autumn, when you shake a branch, the leaves are detached. Why?
Leaves tend to remain at rest due to inertia. When the branch moves
suddenly, the leaves resist motion and get detached due to the difference in
motion.
3. Why is it not safe to apply brakes only on the front wheel of a bicycle?
Braking only the front wheel causes a sudden stop in the front while the rear
tries to continue moving. This can lead to the rider being thrown forward and
may cause the bicycle to topple. Safe braking requires applying brakes to
both wheels evenly.
4. Deduce Newton’s first law of motion from Newton’s second law of
motion.
Newton’s 2nd law: F=maF = maF=ma
If F=0F = 0F=0, then a=0a = 0a=0 → no change in velocity.
So, a body will remain at rest or move uniformly unless acted upon by an
external force — this is Newton’s First Law.
5. Action and reaction are equal but opposite in direction. These forces
always act in pairs. Do they balance each other? Can bodies move
under action-reaction pair?
No, they do not balance each other because they act on different bodies. Yes,
a body can move due to an action-reaction pair. Example: A swimmer pushes
water backward (action) and moves forward (reaction).
6. A man slips on the oily floor; he wants to move out of this area. He is
alone. He throws his bag to move out of this slippery area. Why is it so?
By throwing the bag, he applies a force in one direction. Due to Newton’s 3 rd
law, an equal and opposite reaction helps him push himself in the opposite
direction. It’s a form of momentum exchange.
7. How would you use Newton’s 3rd law of motion and law of conservation
of momentum to explain motion of rocket?
The rocket expels gases backward at high speed (action). Gases exert an
equal and opposite force on the rocket (reaction), pushing it forward. The
total momentum before and after remains conserved, following the law of
conservation of momentum.
8. Why are cricket batter gloves padded with foam?
Foam padding increases the time of impact.
According to F=ΔpΔtF = \frac{\Delta p}{\Delta t}F=ΔtΔp, increasing time
reduces force, minimizing injury.
Foam also absorbs shock and protects the hands.
9. Where will your weight be greater, near Earth or near Moon? What
about mass?
Weight is greater on Earth because gravity is stronger.
W=mgW = mgW=mg, and gEarth>gMoong_{\text{Earth}} > g_{\
text{Moon}}gEarth>gMoon
Mass remains the same everywhere; it is the amount of matter in a body.
10. When Ronaldo kicks the ball, at the highest point of the ball both
Earth and ball attract each other with the same magnitude of force.
Why then does the ball move towards Earth and not the Earth?
By Newton’s 3rd law, forces are equal and opposite. But Earth has huge mass,
so its acceleration is negligible (almost zero).
The ball has small mass and thus accelerates toward Earth.
F=ma⇒a=FmF = ma \Rightarrow a = \frac{F}{m}F=ma⇒a=mF → Small
mmm = large aaa
