Newton's Laws of Motion and Related Concepts

These flashcards cover the key concepts related to Newton's Laws of Motion, forces, and related physics principles discussed in the lecture.

What is Newton's First Law of Motion?

Every object continues in its state of rest, or uniform velocity in a straight line, as long as no net force acts on it.

What is inertia?

Inertia is the tendency for objects to move in a straight line; it is why an object at rest stays at rest and a moving object continues moving.

What does Newton's Second Law of Motion state?

Acceleration is proportional to force and inversely proportional to mass, expressed as F = ma.

What is the unit of force?

The unit of force is the Newton (N).

What is the difference between mass and weight?

Mass is the amount of matter in an object (measured in kilograms), while weight is the force exerted on an object by gravity (measured in Newtons).

What is an inertial reference frame?

An inertial reference frame is one in which Newton’s First Law is valid, meaning it has constant velocity.

What is tension?

Tension is the force that occurs when a string pulls on an object.

What does a free-body diagram depict?

A free-body diagram shows all the forces acting on an object, including their magnitudes and directions.

What is the formula for calculating weight?

Weight can be calculated using the formula F = mg, where 'm' is mass and 'g' is the acceleration due to gravity.

How does gravity affect an object on an incline?

Gravity accelerates the object downward along the incline, and it is useful to create a new x-y coordinate system for analysis.