Newton’s 2nd and 3rd Laws Of Motion

 

2nd law:  F=ma

 

Newton’s second law of motion helps clarify the behavior of objects where the forces are not balanced.  If the forces are unbalanced then one of the objects has to have acceleration.  The law states that the net force is equal to the mass of the object times the acceleration of which it is moving.  The 3rd law of motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  For a car going down the street there is the force of friction that is opposing the direction the car is going.  If the car is not able to overcome this force of friction then it will not go anywhere.  A good example of the 3rd law of motion is someone stepping out of a boat towards the shore.  The boat will want to move away from the shore while the person stepping out of it will be going towards the shore.  If the person is not out of the boat soon enough then he/she will most likely get wet.

 

(Copyright: Microsoft clipart file)

 

Title page

Link to page 4

Link to page 6