Newton's Laws with Sporting Examples

Newton’s First Law

• known as Law of Inertia

• a body will continue in its state of rest or motion unless acted upon by a force

Sporting Example of Newton’s First Law

• a soccer ball will remain at rest unless acted upon by an external force such as a player’s foot

• once kicked, the ball will continue moving until acted upon by an external force such as gravity or air resistance which will slow down the ball

Newton’s Second Law

• known as Law of Acceleration

• when a body is acted upon by a constant force, its resulting acceleration is proportional to the force and inversely proportional to the mass

Sporting Example of Newton’s Second Law

a golf ball has a relatively small mass meaning it requires relatively little force to accelerate, allowing it to travel significant distances when hit with the golf club

Newton’s Third Law

• known as Law of Action and Reaction

• for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction

Sporting Example of Newton’s Third Law

• when a runner pushes against the ground they exert a downward and backward force against the ground (action force)

• at the same the time ground exerts equal force upwards against the runner’s foot (reaction force)

• as a result the runner moves forward