Newton's Second Law
When an unbalanced forceA push or a pull. The unit of force is the newton (N). acts on an object Newton discovered that:
- the direction of the object's accelerationThe rate of change in speed (or velocity) is measured in metres per second squared. Acceleration = change of velocity 梅 time taken. is the same as the direction of the unbalanced force
- the magnitudeThe magnitude tells us the size of the vector. of the object's acceleration varies in direct proportion with the size of the unbalanced force
- the magnitude of the object's acceleration varies inversely with the massThe amount of matter an object contains. Mass is measured in kilograms (kg) or grams (g). of the object
This is Newton's Second Law.
Newton's Second Law
The unit of force is called the newton (N).
1 newton is defined as that unbalanced force which produces an acceleration of 1 ms-2 when it acts on a mass of 1 kg. An average sized apple has a weightThe force acting on an object due to the pull of gravity from a massive object like a planet. The force acts towards the centre of the planet and is measured in newtons (N). of about 1 newton.
Newton's Second Law can be written as the following relationship:
\(F = ma\)
F = unbalanced force
m = mass
a = acceleration
When you use this relationship - F always stands for unbalanced force. The unbalanced or resultant force can be determined with the aid of a free body diagramA simplified drawing of an object or system showing the forces acting on it. The forces are shown acting away from the centre of a box or dot..