Newton's Laws of Motion

These flashcards cover key concepts of Newton's Laws of Motion, including definitions, laws, examples, and implications.

What is a force?

A force is a vector quantity that represents a push or pull upon an object resulting from the object's interaction with another object.

What unit is force measured in?

Force is measured in Newtons, abbreviated as 'N'.

What is the condition for forces to exist?

Forces only exist as a result of an interaction between two objects.

What does Newton's First Law state?

An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

What is inertia?

Inertia is the resistance an object has to a change in its state of motion.

What is the formula for Newton's Second Law?

Fnet = m * a, where Fnet is the net force, m is mass, and a is acceleration.

What does Newton's Second Law imply about motion?

You do not need a force for an object to move; you need a force to accelerate it.

According to Newton's Third Law, what occurs with every action?

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Provide an example of an action-reaction pair.

When a baseball pushes a glove leftwards, the glove pushes the baseball rightwards.

What is the significance of the net force formula Fnet = ma?

It shows how the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force and inversely proportional to its mass.

What happens when air is pushed out of a balloon?

The balloon is pushed forward as a reaction to the air being pushed out.

Summarize Newton's First Law.

A body in motion remains in motion or a body at rest remains at rest unless acted upon by a force.

Summarize Newton's Second Law.

Force equals mass times acceleration: F = m*a.

Summarize Newton's Third Law.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.