Force and Motion

Module 4
Newtonian Mechanics; Forces
(SET A)

Learning Objectives:
You should be able to KEY IDEAS
➢ Recognize different forces acting upon an object and sketch a
free-body diagram on it. ● The velocity of an object can change
➢ Relate force and motion (the object can accelerate ) when the
➢ Explain what is meant by a net or unbalanced force. object is acted on by one or more forces
➢ Calculate the effects of the force (pushes or pulls) from other objects.
Newtonian mechanics relates
Newtonian Mechanics accelerations and forces.

The relation between a force and the acceleration it causes ● Forces are vector quantities. Their
was first understood by Isaac Newton (1642–1727) and is the subject magnitudes are defined in terms of the
of this chapter. The study of that relation, as Newton presented it, is acceleration they would give the
called Newtonian mechanics. It focuses on its three primary laws of standard kilogram. A force that
motion. Newtonian mechanics does not apply to all situations. It accelerates that standard body by exactly
applies to slow moving bodies comparable to the speed of light. 1 m/s2 is defined to have a magnitude of
1 N. The direction of a force is the
If the interacting bodies are on the scale of atomic structure direction of the acceleration it causes.
(for example, it might be electrons in an atom), the Newtonian Forces are combined according to the
mechanics will be replaced with quantum mechanics. Physicists now rules of vector algebra. The net force on
view Newtonian mechanics as a special case of these two more a body is the vector sum of all the forces
comprehensive theories. acting on the body.
In this lesson, you will know more about the dynamics of ● Reference frames in which Newtonian
motion, that is, what causes motion and changes motion. This inquiry mechanics holds are called inertial
leads us to the concept of force. reference frames or inertial frames.
Reference frames in which Newtonian
Force mechanics does not hold are called
➢ Something capable of changing an object’s state of motion. A noninertial reference frames or
quantitative description of the interaction between two noninertial frames.
physical bodies, such as an object and its environment. Force
is a vector quantity. ● A free-body diagram is a stripped-
down diagram in which only one body is
3 Elements of Force: considered. That body is represented by
1. It has a point of application or origin. either a sketch or a dot. The external
2. It has magnitude or size in terms of number and unit. forces on the body are drawn, and a
3. It has a direction. coordinate system is superimposed,
oriented so as to simplify the solution.

Types of Forces:
1. Contact Forces - forces arise because of physical contact between objects
Examples: Frictional Force, Tension Force, Normal Force, Air Resistance Force, Applied Force, Spring Force
2. Action-at-a-Distance Forces - forces w/o physical contact between objects
Examples: Gravitational Force, Electrical Force, Magnetic Force
 Force and Motion
Type of Force Description of Force
(and Symbol)
Applied Force An applied force is a force that is applied to an object by a person or another
object.
Fapp or F

Gravity Force The force of gravity is the force with which the earth, moon, or other massively
large object attracts another object towards itself. By definition, this is the
(also known as weight of the object.
Weight)

Fgrav or W

W = Fgrav = m * g
where g = 9.8 N/kg (on Earth)
and m = mass (in kg)

Normal Force The normal force is the support

force exerted upon an object
Fnorm or FN or N that is in contact with another
stable object. It is also the
force exerted by the surface
upon an object. Also known as
the perpendicular force.
Friction Force The force opposes the motion of an object.
Friction results from the two surfaces being
Ffrict or f or Ff pressed together closely, causing
intermolecular attractive forces between
molecules of different surfaces. Friction
depends upon the nature of the two surfaces
and upon the degree to which they are pressed
together. Ffrict = µ • Fnorm
 Force and Motion
Air Resistance Force The air resistance is a special type of frictional force
that acts upon objects as they travel through the air.
Fair or fair The force of air resistance is often observed to oppose
the motion of an object. It is most noticeable for
objects that travel at high speeds (e.g., a skydiver or a
downhill skier) or for objects with large surface areas.

Tension Force The tension force is the force that is transmitted through
a string, rope, cable or wire when it is pulled tight by
Ftens or FT or T forces acting from opposite ends. The tension force is
directed along the length of the wire and pulls equally on
the objects on the opposite ends of the wire.

Spring Force The spring force is the force exerted by a compressed or

stretched spring upon any object that is attached to it.
Fspring or Fs

Force and Its Representation

Free Body Diagram (FBD)
➢ A graphical illustration used to visualize the forces acting upon an object. The size of the arrow in a free-body
diagram reflects the magnitude of the force. The direction of the arrow shows the direction that the force is acting.
Procedures in Constructing FBD
1. Draw the object as a point or a box. FBD
2. Draw a set of Cartesian axes with the origin at a point through which
the forces act and one of the axes along the direction of the body’s
acceleration.
3. Draw properly oriented force vectors (forces acting on the object) on
the box/point from the origin of axes.
Remember that force is a vector, thus, it is represented by an arrow with
appropriate length and arrowhead.
4. Label each arrow according to the type of force. Figure 5: Person hanging on a cliff
 Force and Motion
Examples: FBD

Note:
- The free body diagram helps us understand and solve
static and dynamic problem involving forces.
- A free - body diagram is a special example of vector
diagrams.
- The size of the arrow in a free - body diagram reflects
the magnitude of the force and the direction of the
arrows the direction of the force that is acting.

Figure 6: Person skiing on the ice

Determining the Net Force

The net force (Fnet or F or Ftot) is the vector sum of all the forces that act upon an object. It is also called as resultant
force (RF).
Observe the following examples at the right (and below) of summing two
forces:

Cases:
1. If the net force is 0 (𝑭 = 𝟎), the forces acting upon an object is
balanced, therefore Balanced Forces. Balanced forces do not cause
changed in the motion of an object. These forces are equal in
magnitude but opposite in direction.
2. If the net force is not equal to zero (𝑭 ≠ 𝟎), the forces acting upon
an object is unbalanced, therefore Unbalanced Forces. These forces
cause changed in the motion of an object, with different magnitude
and direction.

Figure 7: Balanced Forces vs Unbalanced

Forces
 Force and Motion
Examples:
Balanced Forces
Consider a physics book at rest on a tabletop. There are two forces
acting upon the book. One force - the Earth's gravitational pull - exerts a
downward force. The other force - the push of the table on the book
(sometimes referred to as a normal force)
Since these two forces are of equal magnitude and in opposite directions, they
balance each other. The book is said to be at equilibrium. When all the forces
acting upon an object balance each other, the object will be at equilibrium;
it will not accelerate.

Unbalanced Forces
Consider a book sliding from left to right across a
tabletop. There are four forces acting on the book as shown at
left figure, force of gravity, Normal force, applied force and
friction force. The vertical forces – force of gravity and normal
force - are balanced forces causing no effect to the object’s
motion. The horizontal forces - applied force and friction force
– are unbalanced forces, since applied force is greater than the
friction force causing the object to accelerate toward right.
 Force and Motion
Module 4
Set A
Learn by Drawing. In each case, a rock is acted on by one or more forces. All drawings are in a vertical plane,
and friction is negligible except when noted. Draw accurate free body diagrams showing all forces acting on
the rock. The first one is done as an example.

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