NEWTON’S LAWS OF

MOTION
Dynamics
 Aristotle’s View/Law of Motion
• Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who believed that non – living objects do not
move by themselves but depend on an external force to cause them to move.
• E.g. You push a book on the table, if you stop pushing the book, it stops moving.
The harder one pushes, the faster the book goes.
With this in mind, Aristotle came up with the idea that an object needs a force to
keep moving. He, therefore, suggested that the velocity of a body is directly
proportional to the force applied.
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 Aristotle’s View/Law of Motion
• The problem with Aristotle’s view was that it could not explain why objects kept on
moving even after we stop pushing or pulling them.

• Example 1: A ball keeps moving down a cliff after you stop pushing it.
• Example 2: A bicycle keeps on moving after you stop peddling.
Aristotle's Theory was eventually discredited and replaced by that of Sir Isaac
Newton.
 Newton’s First Law of Motion/ Law of
Inertia
• This law states that a body at rest will remain at rest and if moving will
continue in its state of motion with a constant linear velocity unless disturbed
by an external (unbalanced) force.
ƩF = 0

For the resultant force to be 0, then one of the following must be true”:
a) the body is at rest, or
b) the body is moving at constant velocity
Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its velocity: whether
in motion or motionless, or the “laziness’ or ‘reluctance’ to be moved.
Stationary objects do not move on their own and moving objects keeps on
moving at a constant speed in a straight line if you leave them alone.

What is this unbalanced force that acts on an object in motion?

The answer is simply FRICTION!
 Newton’s First Law of Motion
This law is therefore describing bodies in a state of balance or equilibrium.
Slide a book across a table and watch it slide to a rest position. The book comes to a rest
because of the presence of a force - that force being the force of friction - which brings the
book to a rest position. In the absence of a force of friction, the book would continue in
motion with the same speed and direction - forever! (Or at least to the end of the table top.)
A person riding a bicycle along a level road does not come to rest immediately after he
stops peddling. Instead the bicycle continues to move forward but will eventually come to
rest due to friction and air resistance.
• A spacecraft in outer space will continue to travel at high speeds in a straight line for many
years without the need for an engine or any fuel. This is because in outer space there is
little or no friction or any other force to stop the spacecraft, so it simply keeps on moving.
 Newton’s First Law of Motion
• In a collision of 2 motor vehicles the passengers are frequently injured when the
car stops suddenly and they hit the windscreen. This happens because an external
force (breaks) acts on the vehicle however no force was directly applied to the
passengers so they continue to move forward in a straight line with a constant
velocity. In order to prevent injuries, cars are fitted with seat belts to apply a
restraining force to the passengers.
 Newton’s Second Law of Motion
• Sir Isaac Newton also perceived that if a net force is applied to a body it will cause a change in its
velocity. He also noticed that the acceleration was not only due to the force applied but was also
dependent on the mass of the body itself.
• He eventually proposed his second law which states that the acceleration of a body is
1. Directly proportional to the net force applied (a  ƩF)
2.Inversely proportional to its mass (a  1/m)
 Newton’s Second Law of Motion
•  
Combining both results and rearranging, we obtain the mathematical form of the second
law:
ƩF = ma
• Where ƩF = resultant or net force
• mass(m)
• acceleration (a)
OR
The rate of change of momentum (mxv) of a body is directly proportional to the applied force
and takes place in the direction of the force.
 Newton’s Second Law of Motion
• Example 1: A trolley of mass 2 kg has a force of 14 N applied to it. Calculate the
acceleration of the trolley if there is also a frictional force of 3.5 N between it and
the floor. (Hint: Draw FBD).

• Example 2: A car of mass 900 kg travelling with a velocity of 30 m/s must stop in 6
seconds in order to avoid a collision. Calculate the resultant force needed to be
applied by the brakes.
 Newton’s Third Law of Motion
• As stated by Newton’s second law, a force applied to body A will cause it to
accelerate.
• This force is usually applied by another body (body B), however Newton noticed
that as body B exerted a force on body A, something usually happens to body B.
That is, body B behaves as if a force is also applied to it.
• This was true and is the basis of Newton’s third law which states that whenever a
body (body A) exerts a force on body B, body B exerts an equal and opposite
force on body A.
• This law is sometimes stated as “to every action there is an equal and opposite
reaction”.
 Newton’s Third Law of Motion
• Hot gases from a jet are forced out backwards by the jet engine and an equal but
opposite force pushes the jet forward so that it accelerates.
• When you step forward from rest your foot pushes backwards on the earth and
the earth exerts an equal and opposite force on you pushing you forward. Since
there is a force applied to the earth it moves, however due to its size, the
acceleration is not noticeable.
 Newton’s Third Law of Motion
• Example 1: Using Newton’s third law, explain why a gun recoils when it is fired.
 
• Example 2: Explain why it is virtually impossible to push a 1300 kg vehicle while
wearing a pair of roller blades.
NEWTONS 3RD LAW
• Consider the propulsion of a fish through the water. A fish uses its fins to push water
backwards. In turn, the water reacts by pushing the fish forwards, propelling the fish
through the water.
• The size of the force on the water equals the size of the force on the fish; the direction of
the force on the water (backwards) is opposite the direction of the force on the fish
(forwards).
•  
• Flying gracefully through the air, birds depend on Newton’s third law of motion. As the
birds push down on the air with their wings, the air pushes their wings up and gives them
lift.
• The reaction of a rocket is an application of the third law of motion. Various fuels are
burned in the engine, producing hot gases.
• The hot gases push against the inside tube of the rocket and escape out the
bottom of the tube. As the gases move downward, the rocket moves in the
opposite direction.
• Consider the motion of a car on the way to school. A car is equipped with wheels
which spin backwards. As the wheels spin backwards, they grip the road and push
the road backwards.
Home Work
• Worksheet is posted on SMS.