


The force F : Newton N is the SI basic unit of force. Double, triple or quadruple the mass, and the acceleration will be one-half, one-third or one-fourth its original value.Units of force conversions F (not weight ) On the other hand, whatever alteration is made of the mass, the opposite or inverse change will occur with the acceleration. Double, triple or quadruple the net force, and the acceleration will do the same. Whatever alteration is made of the net force, the same change will occur with the acceleration. The analysis of the table data illustrates that an equation such as F net = m*a can be a guide to thinking about how a variation in one quantity might affect another quantity. Acceleration is inversely proportional to mass. And similarly, rows 4 and 5 show that a halving of the mass results in a doubling of the acceleration (if force is held constant). Observe from rows 2 and 3 that a doubling of the mass results in a halving of the acceleration (if force is held constant). Acceleration is directly proportional to net force.įurthermore, the qualitative relationship between mass and acceleration can be seen by a comparison of the numerical values in the above table. Similarly, comparing the values in rows 2 and 4 demonstrates that a halving of the net force results in a halving of the acceleration (if mass is held constant). Comparing the values in rows 1 and 2, it can be seen that a doubling of the net force results in a doubling of the acceleration (if mass is held constant). The numerical information in the table above demonstrates some important qualitative relationships between force, mass, and acceleration.

Newton's Second Law as a Guide to Thinking One Newton is defined as the amount of force required to give a 1-kg mass an acceleration of 1 m/s/s. The definition of the standard metric unit of force is stated by the above equation. By substituting standard metric units for force, mass, and acceleration into the above equation, the following unit equivalency can be written. If necessary, review this principle by returning to the practice questions in Lesson 2.Ĭonsistent with the above equation, a unit of force is equal to a unit of mass times a unit of acceleration. If all the individual forces acting upon an object are known, then the net force can be determined. As discussed in an earlier lesson, the net force is the vector sum of all the forces. It is the net force that is related to acceleration. Do not use the value of merely "any 'ole force" in the above equation. It is important to remember this distinction. The acceleration is directly proportional to the net force the net force equals mass times acceleration the acceleration in the same direction as the net force an acceleration is produced by a net force. In this entire discussion, the emphasis has been on the net force. The net force is equated to the product of the mass times the acceleration. The above equation is often rearranged to a more familiar form as shown below. This verbal statement can be expressed in equation form as follows: a = F net / m Newton's second law of motion can be formally stated as follows: The acceleration of an object as produced by a net force is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force, in the same direction as the net force, and inversely proportional to the mass of the object. As the mass of an object is increased, the acceleration of the object is decreased. As the force acting upon an object is increased, the acceleration of the object is increased. The acceleration of an object depends directly upon the net force acting upon the object, and inversely upon the mass of the object. The second law states that the acceleration of an object is dependent upon two variables - the net force acting upon the object and the mass of the object. Newton's second law of motion pertains to the behavior of objects for which all existing forces are not balanced. The presence of an unbalanced force will accelerate an object - changing its speed, its direction, or both its speed and direction. According to Newton, an object will only accelerate if there is a net or unbalanced force acting upon it. Objects at equilibrium (the condition in which all forces balance) will not accelerate. The first law - sometimes referred to as the law of inertia - states that if the forces acting upon an object are balanced, then the acceleration of that object will be 0 m/s/s. Newton's first law of motion predicts the behavior of objects for which all existing forces are balanced.
