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Notes – Forces & Newton’s Laws
Force – A push or pull. Measured in Newtons (N).
Newton’s Laws of Motion
1st Law (Law of Inertia)– An object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by an
outside force. An object in motion remains in motion unless acted upon by an
outside force. Things keep moving or stay at rest unless a net force acts upon
them.
Inertia is: The property of an object that resists a change in motion. The greater the mass
the greater the inertia.
2nd Law (F=ma) – An object’s force depends on its mass and acceleration (Force
= Mass x Acceleration). Force causes acceleration while mass resists
acceleration.
F
m
a
3rd Law (Law of equal and opposite forces) – Whenever one object exerts force
on another object, the second exerts an equal and opposite force on the first. For
every action there is an equal an opposite reaction.