PHY103 PHYSICS - I

Newton’s Laws

Asst. Prof. Dr. Alper FIDAN

Isaac NEWTON (1642 - 1726) Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642)
 Newton’s Laws
• First Law: If the net force exerted on an object
is zero the object continues in its original state of
motion; if it was at rest, it remains at rest. If it
was moving with a certain velocity, it will keep on
moving with the same velocity.
• Second Law: The acceleration of an object is
proportional to the net force acting on it, and
inversely proportional to its mass: F = m a
• If two objects interact, the force exerted by the
first object on the second is equal but opposite in
direction to the force exerted by the second
object on the first: F12 = -F21

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 Inertia

The tendency of an object to resist a change in its velocity is

called inertia.

The measure of inertia is mass.

• SI units measure mass as multiples of the standard
kilogram (kg = 1000g) stored at the International Bureau
of Weights and Measures in Sèvres, France.
Newton’s First Law tells us about motion if F = 0.What if F  0?

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Identifying the forces in a system

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 Examples
1. An object that is moving and that continues to move
with constant velocity without any force acting on it.
• A hockey puck sliding (almost without friction)
across the ice
2. An object at rest that remains at rest.
3. What about pushing a chair?
• If the floor pushes just as hard (friction) the net
force (vector sum) is zero.
4. What happens when you turn a corner quickly in your
car?
• The car would continue straight ahead unless the
friction from the road pushes inwards to guide the
car around the circle (centripetal force). 6
 Force
• Forces are quantified in units of Newton (N).
1 N = 1 kg m/s2
F=ma
For comparison:
1 lb. = 4.448 N
Notice pounds and kilograms do not directly convert.
The British unit of mass is the slug (don’t ask).
The force of gravity (near Earth’s surface) acting on a 1 kg mass is 2.2
lb.:
(1.0 kg) (g) = 2.2 lb.
Do not confuse g=gram with g=9.8m/s2=acceleration due to gravity.

• A force is a vector: it has direction.

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 Example

An object of mass 5 kg undergoes an acceleration of 8 m/s2 ŷ =

8 m/s2 in + y direction

What is the force on that object?

F = ma = (5 kg)(8 m/s2) ŷ = 40 kgm/s2 ŷ

ŷ = vector on unit length (no dimensions) in +y direction.

The force is in the same direction as the acceleration.

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 Problem

A catcher stops a 92 mi/h throw in his glove,

bringing it to rest (with uniform acceleration)
in 0.15 m. If the force exerted by the catcher
is 803 N, what is the mass of the ball?

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 Problem

A catcher stops a 92 mi/h throw in his glove,

bringing it to rest (with uniform acceleration)
in 0.15 m. If the force exerted by the catcher
is 803 N, what is the mass of the ball?

Chapter 3:
v2 = v02 + 2a(x-x0)
a = (v2 − v02)/ [2 (x-x0)]

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 Problem

A catcher stops a 92 mi/h throw in his glove, bringing it

to rest (with uniform acceleration) in 0.15 m. If the
force exerted by the catcher is 803 N, what is the
mass of the ball?
Chapter 3: v2 = v02 + 2a(x-x0)
a = (v2 − v02)/ [2 (x-x0)]

mi
v0 = 92 = 41.14m / s
hr
v = 0, x = 0, x0 = 0.15m
0 − (41.14m / s)2 = −5,641 m
a=
2(0.15m − 0) s2

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 Problem
A catcher stops a 92 mi/h throw in his glove, bringing it
to rest (with uniform acceleration) in 0.15 m. If the
force exerted by the catcher is 803 N, what is the
mass of the ball?
Chapter 3: v2 = v02 + 2a(x-x0)
a = (v2 − v02)/ [2 (x-x0)]
mi
v0 = 92 = 41.14m / s
hr
v = 0, x = 0, x0 = 0.15m
0 − (41.14m / s)2 = −5,641 m
a=
2(0.15m − 0) s2

Chapter 4: m = |F/a| = (803 N) / (5641 m/s2) =0.142kg

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 Weight

The weight of any object on the Earth is the

gravitational force exerted on it by the Earth:

W = mg
Note:
Weight is a force (and therefore a vector).
Weight is not equivalent to mass.
Can a person’s weight be zero?
When we say we want to “lose weight”, what do we really
mean?

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 Two Forces that luckily act upon us nearly
all the time.
Normal Force: elastic
force acting
perpendicular to the
surface the object is
resting on.
Name: n

Gravitational Force
1. No net force: remains at rest.
2. Fg = m g = n Fg=mg (referred to as weight)
3. Fmass-ground = -Fground-mass g=9.81 m/s2

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 Apparent Weight
Our sensation of weight
comes from the force of
the floor pushing up on
us. We can feel light or
heavy if the floor is
accelerating down or up.
The upward force of the
floor on our feet is
known as apparent
weight Wa.
It is your apparent weight that is measured on a scale.
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 Translational Equilibrium
When the sum of the forces on an object is zero, it is in
translational equilibrium. Translational equilibrium
is reached if the sum of the external forces acting on
an object is zero, Σ F = 0 . This means that the forces
are balanced and that the object is either at rest or
moving at constant velocity. Thus, the object's
acceleration is zero.

Example: A 5-kg mass is raised at a constant speed of 6 m/s

using a rope. What is the tension in the rope?
T=mg

The 5kg mass is raised with a constant acceleration of

1.0 m/s2. What is the tension in the rope? 16
T=m(g+a)
 Problem

As part of a physics experiment, you stand on a

bathroom scale in an elevator. Though your normal
weight is 600 N, the scale at the moment reads 720 N.
(a) Is the acceleration of the elevator upward, downward,
or zero?
(b) Calculate the magnitude of the elevator’s
acceleration.
(c) What, if anything, can you say about the
velocity of the elevator? Explain.
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 Solution
a) The direction of acceleration is upward. An upward acceleration results in an apparent
weight greater than the actual weight.
b) To calculate the magnitude of the elevator's acceleration, we can use Newton's second
law of motion, which states that the net force acting on an object is equal to the mass of
the object multiplied by its acceleration.
In this case, the net force acting on you is the difference between your normal weight and
the reading on the scale. The normal weight is 610 N, and the scale reading is 730 N.
Therefore, the net force is:
Net force = Scale reading - Normal weight
Net force = 720 N - 600 N = 120 N
Now, we need to convert this net force into acceleration. We can use the formula:
Net force = mass * acceleration
To find the acceleration, we need to know your mass. Let's assume your mass is 60 kg.
Acceleration = 120 N / 60 kg =2 m/s2
Therefore, the magnitude of the elevator's acceleration is 2 m/s2.
c) The only thing we can say about the velocity is that it is changing in the upward direction.
That means the elevator is either speeding up if it is traveling upward or slowing down if it
is traveling downward.
 The Vector Nature of Forces

In the formula F = ma, F is the total (net) force acting

on the object. We must consider the vector sum of all
forces acting on an object. We can also consider each
dimension separately:

 Fx = max
 Fy = may
 Fz = maz
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 Example
1) Draw all forces acting on the red object
n=-F gL 2) If =40o and the mass of the red object
equals 1 kg, what is the resulting
acceleration (no friction).

FgL=mg cos  Fg//=mg sin

Balance forces in directions

Fg=mg  where you expect no
acceleration; whatever is left
causes the object to
m a = m g sin = 6.3 N accelerate!
a = 6.3 m/s2

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 Some handy things to remember.


angles
90-


Choose your coordinate system in a clever way:

Define one axis along the direction where you expect
an object to start moving, the other axis perpendicular
to it (these are not necessarily the horizontal and
vertical direction.

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 Gravity, mass and weights.

Weight=mass times gravitational acceleration

Fg(N) = M(kg) g(m/s2)

Newton’s law of universal gravitation:

Fgravitation = Gm1m2/r2
G = 6.67·10-11 N m2/kg2
For objects on the surface of the earth:
m1 = mearth = fixed
r = “radius” of earth = fixed
The earth is a point object relative to m2

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 Measuring mass and weight.
Given that gearth=9.81 m/s2, gsun=274 m/s2, gmoon=1.67 m/s2,
what is the mass of a person on the sun and moon if his/her
mass on earth is 70 kg? And what is his/her weight on each
of the three surfaces?

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 Measuring mass and weight.
Given that gearth=9.81 m/s2, gsun=274 m/s2, gmoon=1.67 m/s2,
what is the mass of a person on the sun and moon if his/her
mass on earth is 70 kg? And what is his/her weight on each
of the three surfaces?
• The mass is the same on each of the surfaces

• On Earth: w=686.7 N
• On the Moon: w=116.7 N
• On the Sun: 19180 N

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 Gravity, mass and weight.
Weight=mass times gravitational acceleration
Fg(N) = m(kg) g(m/s2)

Newton’s law of universal gravitation:

Fgravitation = Gm1m2/r2
G = 6.67·10-11 N m2/kg2
For objects on the surface of the earth:
m1 = mearth
r = rearth
The earth acts as point object from a distance rearth from m2
m2 = m, Fg = m . (G mearth/rearth 2) = m g
g = G mearth/rearth 2 = 9.8 m/s2
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 Tension
T The magnitude of the force T
acting on the crate, is the same
as the tension in the rope.

Spring-scale
You could measure the tension by inserting
a spring-scale...

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Tension
• Free Body Diagram for the Box.
• The Earth pulls down with force mg
• The string pulls up with tension T1
• If a = 0, then T1 − mg = 0. T1
• By Action-Reaction,
• Tension T2 = T1
• T3 = T2 = T1
• The rope pulls down on the upper hook
with tension T = T1
mg
• If a string pulls at one end with
tension T, it pulls (in the opposite
direction) at the other end with the
same tension T.

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A force of F = 100N is applied to an
object of mass 5 kg, standing on a
frictionless horizontal plane, at an
angle of θ = 370 degrees, as shown
in the figure.
a) Find the normal force exerted by
the horizontal plane on the
object.
b) Find the acceleration of the
object
Find the acceleration of the two
blocks shown in the figure and the
tension force in the rope. The mass
of the rope and pulleys is negligibly
small. (m1=5kg. and m2= 3 kg.)
Two blocks with masses m1 = 10 kg and
m2 = 5 kg are connected and released
by a massless rope passing through a
massless pulley, as shown in the figure.
If the surface on which the mass m1
lies is frictionless,
a) Find the acceleration of the blocks
b) Find the tension on the rope
 Atwood Machine

2T
Find the acceleration a, Tension,
2T, in support rope.

Expect: a > 0, if m2 > m1

Expect: a << g, if m2  m1 a T

m1
m2
a

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 Atwood Machine,
Free Body Diagrams

• T − m1g = m1a
• T − m2g = − m2a (note sign) T T
• Get rid of T by subtracting: a
• [T−m1g] − T − m2g ]=(m1+m2)a a
• (m2 − m1)g = (m1+m2)a m1g
• a = g (m2 − m1) / (m1+m2) < g
• Plug back in to get T m2g
• T = m1(g+a) = 2g m1 m2 / (m1+m2)
• Note: if m1 = m2 , then a =0 and T= m1g

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 Friction

• As a block slides on the table, the force from

the surface of the table acting on the bottom
of the block has components both
perpendicular to the surface, and parallel to
the surface.
• The component perpendicular to the
surface we call the Normal force, N.
• The component parallel to the surface
is friction.

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 Approximate Model of Force of Kinetic (Sliding) Friction
(Fk)

• Force of friction Fk points in direction opposite to velocity v.

• Force of friction Fk acting on object m is proportional to Normal force N
also acting on m at the same surface: | Fk | = k |N|
• N is sometimes but often not equal in magnitude to force of gravity
• | Fk | independent of area of contact and velocity v

• Coefficient k
▪ Depends on materials,
surface conditions
▪ Independent of v or N

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PHYS 111
 Friction
Friction are the forces acting on an object due to interaction
with the surroundings (air-friction, ground-friction etc).
Two variants:
• Static Friction: as long as an external force (F) trying to
make an object move is smaller than fs,max, the static
friction fs equals F but is pointing in the opposite direction:
no movement!
fs,max=sn s=coefficient of static friction

• Kinetic Friction: After F has surpassed fs,max, the object

starts moving but there is still friction. However, the
friction will be less than fs,max!
fk=kn k=coefficient of kinetic friction

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 Friction & Driving
• In ordinary driving, is the friction between tire
and road static or kinetic?
• In a skid, is the friction between tire and road
static or kinetic?
• How can anti-lock brakes stop a car in less
distance than just slamming on the brakes?

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 Problem
n=-FgL
Fs,k A) If s = 1.0, what is
the angle  for which the
block just starts to slide?
FgL=mgcos  Fg// =mgsin
B) The block starts moving.
Given that k = 0.5, what is
the acceleration of the
Fg=mg 
block?

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 Problem
n=-FgL
Fs,k A) If s = 1.0, what is
the angle  for which the
block just starts to slide?
FgL=mgcos  Fg// =mgsin
B) The block starts moving.
Given that k = 0.5, what is
the acceleration of the
Fg=mg 
block?

A) Parallel direction: mgsin - sn = 0 (F = ma)

Perpendicular direction: mgcos - n = 0 so n = mgcos
Combine: mgsin - smgcos = 0
s = sin/cos = tan = 1 so  = 45o

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 Problem
n=-FgL
Fs,k A) If s = 1.0, what is
the angle  for which the
block just starts to slide?
FgL=mgcos  Fg// =mgsin
B) The block starts moving.
Given that k = 0.5, what is
the acceleration of the
Fg=mg 
block?
B) Parallel direction: mgsin(45o) - kmgcos(45o) = ma (F=ma)
g(½2 - ¼2) = a so a = g¼2

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 All the forces come together...

If a=3.30 m/s2 (the 12kg block

n is moving downward), what is
T
T the value of k?
Fk

Fg

Fg

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 All the forces come together...

If a=3.30 m/s2 (the 12kg block

n is moving downward), what is
T
T the value of k?
Fk

Fg For the 7 kg block parallel to

the slope:
T-mgsin-kmgcos=ma
Fg For the 12 kg block: Mg-T=Ma

− M (g − a) + mg sin + ma
Solve for  k k = = 0.25
− mg cos
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A force of F = 100N is applied to an
object of mass 10 kg, standing on a
horizontal plane, at an angle of θ = 300
degrees, as shown in the figure.
If the frictional coefficient between
floor and object is 𝛍𝐤 = 𝟎. 𝟒𝟎, find the
acceleration of the object.
Two blocks are connected and released
by a massless rope passing through a
massless pulley, as shown in the figure.
The mass of m1 is 10 kg. If the kinetic
and static friction coefficient between
surface and m1 is 0.4 and 0.6
respectively,
a) If the system is released from rest,
what should be the minimum mass m2
for the system to start accelerating?
b) If the mass m2 was twice the value
you found in option a, what would be
the accelerations of the masses and
the tension force in the rope?
A block of mass m = 5 kg is
released from the top of a
frictional inclined plane at an
angle of 37 degrees with the
horizontal and is observed to
slide downwards.
a) If the friction coefficients
between the inclined plane
and the block are μk = 0.3
and μs = 0.5, find the
acceleration of the block.
b) If the block start to move
from rest, what will be its
velocity after sliding 10m.?
 General strategy
• If not given, make a drawing of the problem.
• Put all the relevant forces in the drawing, object by
object.
• Think about the axis
• Think about the signs
• Decompose the forces in direction parallel to the
motion and perpendicular to it.
• Write down Newton’s first law for forces in the
parallel direction and perpendicular direction.
• Solve for the unknowns.
• Check whether your answer makes sense.

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 APPENDIX: Manipulating Fractions

a a a c ac
= 1=  =
b b b c bc
Example:Simplify denominator :
a c a ac ac r y
=  = =
b / c c b / c b  (c / c) b 
Example: Introduce common factor : x
y y (1/ r) y / r sin
tan = =  = =
x x (1/ r) x / r cos

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 References
• https://inside.tamuc.edu/academics/colleges/scien
ceengineeringagriculture/departments/physicsAstr
onomy/worldOfPhysics/introPhysics1.aspx
• Physics for Scientists and Engineers” by R.
A.Serway & J. W. Hewett
• “Physics for Scientists & Engineers” by D.C.Giancoli

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