Physics Chapter 4: 1-4: Force and Newton's Laws of Motion
Homework
Reading Preparation
Text Reading: Giancoli, Physics - Principles with Applications, Chapter 4: Sections 1-4
Study Points
- 4.1: A force is some push or pull on an object. Forces that change the motion of the object come from OUTISDE the object.
- 4.2: Newton's first law of motion is the law of inertia: an object can't change its own motion. It must be acted on by an outside force. If it is in motion, it will stay in motion indefinitely, with the same speed and direction, until some outside force acts on it.
- 4.3: Mass is the amount of stuff or matter something has. Don't confuse it with weight, which is a force.
- 4.4: Newton's second law of motion tells you that the magnitude of the force depends on the mass and rate of change of the motion (acceleration), and the direction of the force determines the direction of the rate of change. Notice also that an acceleration always means some net force is acting: there is no change without a force.
Key Equations
Two forms of Newton's second law of motion:
and
Web Lecture
Read the following weblecture before chat: Inertia, Acceleration, and Force
Study Activity
The demonstration below has been rewritten in HTML5 and should run without a problem on your computer.
This Basic Force Demo let's you see the interaction between forces, acceleration, .
You can set up different scenarios with masses and acceleration, with or without friction. Play with this so that you get a sense of how force, acceleration, and resulting velocity are related.
Physics simulations are the product of the PHET Interactive Simulations project at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Chat Preparation Activities
- Forum question: The Moodle forum for the session will assign a specific study question for you to prepare for chat. You need to read this question and post your answer before chat starts for this session.
- Mastery Exercise: The Moodle Mastery exercise for the chapter will contain sections related to our chat topic. Try to complete these before the chat starts, so that you can ask questions.
Chapter Quiz
- The chapter quiz is not yet due.
Lab Work
If you want lab credit for this course, you must complete at least 12 labs; you may complete more if you are preparing for the AP exam.. One or more lab exercises are posted for each chapter as part of the homework assignment. We will be reviewing lab work at regular intervals, so do not get behind!
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