Chapter 5

The Laws of Motion

5.1 The Concept of Force
5.2 Newton’s First Law and Inertial Frames
5.3 Mass
5.4 Newton’s Second Law
5.5 The Gravitational Force and Weight
5.6 Newton’s Third Law
5.7 Analysis Models Using Newton’s Second Law
5.8 Forces of Friction
5.1 The Concept of Force

The word force refers to an interaction with an object by means of muscular activity and
some change in the object’s velocity.
When a coiled spring is pulled, as in Figure 5.1a, the spring stretches. When a stationary cart is
pulled, as in Figure 5.1b, the cart moves. When a football is kicked, as in Figure 5.1c, it is both
deformed and set in motion. These situations are all examples of a class of forces called
contact forces. That is, they involve physical contact between two objects. Another class of
forces, known as field forces, does not involve physical contact between two objects. These
forces act through empty space. The gravitational force of attraction between two objects with
mass, illustrated in Figure 5.1d, is an example of this class of force. Another common field
force is the electric force that one electric charge exerts on another (Fig. 5.1e). A third example
of a field force is the force a bar magnet exerts on a piece of iron (Fig. 5.1f).
5.2 Newton’s First Law and Inertial Frames
Newton’s first law of motion, sometimes called the law of inertia, defines a special set of
reference frames called inertial frames. This law can be stated as follows:

In other words, when no force acts on an object, the acceleration of the object is zero.
From the first law, we conclude that any isolated object (one that does not interact with its
environment) is either at rest or moving with constant velocity.
5.3 Mass
Mass is that property of an object that specifies how much resistance an object exhibits to
changes in its velocity, the SI unit of mass is the kilogram. Experiments show that the greater
the mass of an object, the less that object accelerates under the action of a given applied force.
Suppose a force acting on an object of mass produces a change in motion of the object
that we can quantify with the object’s acceleration and the same force acting on an
object of mass produces an acceleration The ratio of the two masses is defined as the
inverse ratio of the magnitudes of the accelerations produced by the force:
5.4 Newton’s Second Law
Newton’s first law explains what happens to an object when no forces act on it: it maintains its
original motion; it either remains at rest or moves in a straight line with constant speed.
Newton’s second law answers the question of what happens to an object when one or more
forces act on it.

The SI unit of force is the newton (N). A force of 1 N is the force that, when acting on an
object of mass 1 kg, produces an acceleration of 1 m/s2. From this definition and
Newton’s second law, we see that the newton can be expressed in terms of the following
fundamental units of mass, length, and time:
Example 5.1 An Accelerating Hockey Puck

Solution
Find the component of the net force
acting on the puck in the x direction:
Find the component of the net force
acting on the puck in the y direction:
Use Newton’s second law in component form
(Eq.5.3) to find the x and y components of the
puck’s acceleration:

Substitute numerical values:

Find the magnitude of the acceleration:
Find the direction of the acceleration
relative to the positive x axis:

5.5 The Gravitational Force and Weight

All objects are attracted to the Earth. The attractive force exerted by the Earth on
an object is called the gravitational force

Therefore, the weight of an object, being defined as the magnitude of is given by

5.6 Newton’s Third Law

Figure 5.6 illustrates an extremely important step in solving problems involving forces.
Figure 5.6a shows many of the forces in the situation: those acting on the monitor, one
acting on the table, and one acting on the Earth. Figure 5.6b, by contrast, shows only the
forces acting on one object, the monitor, and is called a force diagram or a diagram showing
the forces on the object. The important pictorial representation in Figure 5.6c is called a
free-body diagram.

5.7 Analysis Models Using Newton’s Second Law

Analysis Model: The Particle in Equilibrium
If the acceleration of an object modeled as a particle is zero, the object is treated with the
particle in equilibrium model. In this model, the net force on the object is zero:
Consider a lamp suspended from a light chain fastened to the ceiling as in Figure 5.7a. The
force diagram for the lamp (Fig. 5.7b) shows that the forces acting on the lamp are the
downward gravitational force and the upward force exerted by the chain. Because
there are no forces in the x direction, provides no helpful information. The
condition gives

Analysis Model: The Particle Under a Net Force

If an object experiences an acceleration, its motion can be analyzed with the particle under a
net force model. The appropriate equation for this model is Newton’s second law, Equation 5.2:
Consider a crate being pulled to the right on a frictionless, horizontal floor as in Figure 5.8a.
The forces acting on the crate are illustrated in the free-body diagram in Figure 5.8b.
Example 5.4 A Traffic Light at Rest
A traffic light weighing 122 N hangs from a cable tied to two other cables fastened to a support
as in Figure 5.10a. The upper cables make angles of θ1 = 37.0° and θ2 = 53.0° with the
horizontal. These upper cables are not as strong as the vertical cable and will break if the
tension in them exceeds 100 N. Does the traffic light remain hanging in this situation, or will
one of the cables break?

Solution
From the particle in equilibrium model, apply Equation 5.8 for the traffic light in the y direction:
Choose the coordinate axes as shown in
Figure 5.10c and resolve the forces acting
on the knot into their components:

Apply the particle in equilibrium model to the knot:

Equation (1) shows that the horizontal components of and must be equal in magnitude,
and Equation (2) shows that the sum of the vertical components of and must balance the
downward force which is equal in magnitude to the weight of the light.

Solve Equation (1) for T2 in terms of T1:

Substitute this value for T2 into Equation (2):

Solve for T1:

Substitute numerical values:

Using Equation (3), solve for T2:

Both values are less than 100 N ( just barely for T2), so the cables will not break .
Example 5.6 The Runaway Car

A car of mass m is on an icy driveway inclined at an angle u as in Figure 5.11a.

(A) Find the acceleration of the car, assuming the driveway is frictionless.
Solution
Apply these models to the car:
Solve Equation (1) for ax:

(B) Suppose the car is released from rest at the top of the incline and the distance from the
car’s front bumper to the bottom of the incline is d. How long does it take the front bumper
to reach the bottom of the hill, and what is the car’s speed as it arrives there?

Solve for t:
Example 5.7 One Block Pushes Another
Two blocks of masses m1 and m2, with m1 ˃ m2, are placed in contact with each other on a
frictionless, horizontal surface as in Figure 5.12a. Aconstant horizontal force is applied to
m1 as shown.
(A) Find the magnitude of the acceleration of the system.
Solution
First model the combination of two blocks as a
single particle under a net force. Apply Newton’s
second law to the combination in the x direction
to find the acceleration:

(B) Determine the magnitude of the contact force between the two blocks.
Apply Newton’s second law to m2:

Apply Newton’s second law to m1:

Example 5.8 Weighing a Fish in an Elevator
A person weighs a fish of mass m on a spring scale attached to the ceiling of an elevator as
illustrated in Figure 5.13.
(A) Show that if the elevator accelerates either upward or downward, the spring scale gives a
reading that is different from the weight of the fish.
Solution
Apply Newton’s 2nd
law to the fish:

Solve for T:

where we have chosen upward as the positive y

direction. We conclude from Equation (1) that the
scale reading T is greater than the fish’s weight
mg if is upward, so ay is positive (Fig. 5.13a),
and that the reading is less than mg if is
downward, so ay is negative (Fig. 5.13b).
Example 5.9 The Atwood Machine
When two objects of unequal mass are hung vertically over a frictionless pulley of negligible
mass as in Figure 5.14a, the arrangement is called an Atwood machine. The device is
sometimes used in the laboratory to determine the value of g. Determine the magnitude of
the acceleration of the two objects and the tension in the lightweight string.
Solution

From the particle under a net force model,

apply Newton’s second law to object 1:

Apply Newton’s second law to object 2:

Add Equation (2) to Equation (1),
noticing that T cancels:
Solve for the acceleration:
Substitute Equation (3) into
Equation (1) to find T:
Example 5.10 Acceleration of Two Objects Connected by a Cord
A ball of mass m1 and a block of mass m2 are attached by a lightweight cord that passes over a
frictionless pulley of negligible mass as in Figure 5.15a. The block lies on a frictionless incline of
angle θ. Find the magnitude of the acceleration of the two objects and the tension in the cord.

Apply Newton’s second law in the y direction to

the ball, choosing the upward direction as positive:

Apply the particle under a net force model to

the Block in the x’ direction and the particle in
equilibrium modelin the y’ direction:
solve Equation (1) for T :
Substitute this expression for T into Equation (2):

Solve for a:

Substitute this expression for a into

Equation (4) to find T :
Forces of Friction
When an object is in motion either on a surface or in a viscous medium such as air or water,
there is resistance to the motion because the object interacts with its surroundings. We call
such resistance a force of friction. Forces of friction are very important in our everyday lives.
They allow us to walk or run and are necessary for the motion of wheeled vehicles.
Example 5.11 Experimental Determination of and
The following is a simple method of measuring coefficients of friction. Suppose a block is
placed on a rough surface inclined relative to the horizontal as shown in Figure 5.18. The
incline angle is increased until the block starts to move. Show that you can obtain by
measuring the critical angle at which this slipping just occurs.
Solution
From the particle in equilibrium model, apply Equation 5.8
to the block in both the x and y directions:
Example 5.12 The Sliding Hockey Puck

Solution
Apply the particle under a net force
model in the x direction to the puck:

Apply the particle in equilibrium

model in the y direction to the
puck:

The negative sign means the acceleration is to the left in Figure 5.19.
Example 5.13 Acceleration of Two Connected Objects When Friction Is Present
A block of mass m2 on a rough, horizontal surface is connected to a ball of mass m1 by a
lightweight cord over a lightweight, frictionless pulley as shown in Figure 5.20a.
A force of magnitude F at an angle θ with the horizontal is applied to the block as shown, and
the block slides to the right. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and surface is

Determine the magnitude of the acceleration of the two objects.

Solution

Apply the particle under a net force model

to the block in the horizontal direction:
Because the block moves only horizontally,
apply the particle in equilibrium model to
the block in the vertical direction:
Apply the particle under a net force
model to the ball in the vertical direction:

Solve Equation (2) for n:

Substitute Equation (4) and the value of

T from Equation (3) into Equation (1):

Solve for a: