Newton's Second law of motion
The second of Newton's Laws states that the force acted upon an object equals the mass of that object multiplied by the acceleration of the object. Therefore, Force equals mass times acceleration, or as put in mathematical form: F=M(A). Knowing this, we can change the order and function of the formula, allowing us to figure out both the mass: M=F/A and acceleration: A=F/M
Sample Problems
Using this equation, we can find the force, mass, or acceleration of any object, granted we have the other two components as well. For example, say there is a ball that weighs 1.5 kg, that has an acceleration of 4 m/s^2. We can take these numbers and enter them into the equation, giving us: F=1.5(4). We can then multiply these two numbers together, which lets us know that the force of the ball is 6 newtons. Now, you try!
1. An object with a mass of 2000 g accelerates 8.3 m/s^2 when an unknown force is applied to it. What is the amount of the force?
2. a large object with a mass of 300 kg is observed to accelerate at the rate of 4 m/s^2. Calculate the force required to produce this acceleration.
3. An object with a mass of 6.0 kg accelerates 4.0 m/s^2 when an unknown force is applied to it. What is the amount of the force?
4. Knowing that an object is accelerating at 3.0 m/s^2 while a force of 6.0 newtons is applied to it, what is the mass of the object?
5. Say that an object with a mass of 20.0 kg has a force of 5.0 newtons applied to it. What is the resulting acceleration of the object?
1. An object with a mass of 2000 g accelerates 8.3 m/s^2 when an unknown force is applied to it. What is the amount of the force?
2. a large object with a mass of 300 kg is observed to accelerate at the rate of 4 m/s^2. Calculate the force required to produce this acceleration.
3. An object with a mass of 6.0 kg accelerates 4.0 m/s^2 when an unknown force is applied to it. What is the amount of the force?
4. Knowing that an object is accelerating at 3.0 m/s^2 while a force of 6.0 newtons is applied to it, what is the mass of the object?
5. Say that an object with a mass of 20.0 kg has a force of 5.0 newtons applied to it. What is the resulting acceleration of the object?
Answers: 1. 16600 N 2. 1200 N 3. 24 N 4. 2 Kg 5. 0.25 m/s^2