Motion & Forces

Defining Force
 Force
 Newton’s First Law
 Friction
 Force
 Force
 a push or pull that one body exerts on another
 What forces are being

exerted on the football?

Fkic
k

Fgrav
 Force
 Sometimes it is obvious that a force
has been applied.
 But other forces aren't as noticeable.
 A force can cause the motion of an
object to change.
 If you have played billiards, you know
that you can force a ball at rest to roll
into a pocket by striking it with
another ball.
 Changing Motion
 The force of the moving ball causes the
ball at rest to move in the direction of
the force.

 Force does not always change velocity.

 Force
 Net Force
 unbalanced forces that are not

opposite and equal

 velocity changes (object

accelerates)
Fnet

Ffriction Fpull

N N
W
 Balanced Forces
 When two or more forces act on an
object at the same time, the forces
combine to form the net force
 The net force on the box is zero
because the two forces cancel each
other.
 Forces on an object that are equal in
size and opposite in direction are
called balanced forces.
 Force
 Balanced Forces
 forcesacting
on an object
that are
opposite in
direction and
equal in size
 nochange in
velocity
 Unbalanced Forces
 When two students are pushing with
unequal forces in opposite directions, a
net force occurs in the direction of the
larger force.
 The net force that moves the box will be
the difference between the two forces
because they are in opposite directions.
 They are considered to be unbalanced
forces.
 Unbalanced Forces
 The students are
pushing on the box in
the same direction.
 These forces are
combined, or added
together, because
they are exerted on
the box in the same
direction.
 Unbalanced Forces
 The net force
that acts on
this box is
found by
adding the two
forces
together.
 Inertia and Mass
 Inertia is the tendency of an object
to resist any change in its motion
 If an object is moving, it will have
uniform motion.
 It will keep moving at the same
speed and in the same direction
unless an unbalanced force acts on it
 Inertia and Mass
 The velocity of the object remains
constant unless a force changes it.
 If an object is at rest, it tends to
remain at rest. Its velocity is zero
unless a force makes it move.
 The inertia of an object is related to
its mass. The greater the mass of an
object is, the greater its inertia
 What happens in a
crash?
 The law of inertia can
explain what happens
in a car crash.
 When a car traveling
about 50 km/h collides
head-on with
something solid, the
car crumples, slows
down, and stops within
approximately 0.1 s.
 What happens in a
crash?
 Any passenger not wearing a safety belt
continues to move forward at the same
speed the car was traveling.
 Within about 0.02 s (1/50 of a second)
after the car stops, unbelted passengers
slam into the dashboard, steering wheel,
windshield, or the backs of the front seats.
 The force needed to slow a person from 50
km/h to zero in 0.1 s is equal to 14 times
the force that gravity exerts on the
person.
 What happens in a
crash?
 The belt loosens a little as it restrains
the person, increasing the time it
takes to slow the person down.
 This reduces the force exerted on the
person.
 The safety belt also prevents the
person from being thrown out of the
car.
 Safety Belts
 Air bags also reduce injuries in car
crashes by providing a cushion that
reduces the force on the car's occupants.
 When impact occurs, a chemical reaction
occurs in the air bag that produces
nitrogen gas.
 The air bag expands rapidly and then
deflates just as quickly as the nitrogen
gas escapes out of tiny holes in the bag.
Newton’s First Law
 Newton’s First Law of Motion
 “Law of Inertia”

 Inertia
 tendency of an object to resist any

change in its motion

 increases as mass increases
 Concept Test 1
TRUE or FALSE?
The object shown in the diagram must be at
rest since there is no net force acting on it.

FALSE! A net force does not

cause motion. A net force
causes a change in motion, or
acceleration.

Taken from “The Physics Classroom” © Tom Henderson, 1996-2001.

 Concept Test 2
You are a passenger in a car and not wearing
your seat belt.
Without increasing or decreasing its speed, the
car makes a sharp left turn, and you find yourself
colliding with the right-hand door.
Which is the correct analysis of the situation? ...
 ConcepTest 2
1. Before and after the collision, there is a
rightward force pushing you into the door.
2. Starting at the time of collision, the door
exerts a leftward force on you.
2. Starting at the time of collision,
3. both of the above
the door exerts a leftward force
on you.
4. neither of the above
 Friction
 Friction
 force that opposes motion between

2 surfaces
 depends on the:
 types of surfaces
 force between the

surfaces
 Friction
 Friction is greater...
 between rough surfaces
 when there’s a greater

force between the

surfaces
(e.g. more weight)

 Pros and Cons?