Determining the Net Force
familiar form as shown below. The net force is equated
In the statement of Newton's first law, the unbalanced
force refers to that force that does not become
completely balanced (or canceled) by the other
individual forces. If either all the vertical forces (up and
down) do not cancel each other and/or all horizontal
forces do not cancel each other, then an unbalanced
force exists. The existence of an unbalanced force for a
given situation can be quickly realized by looking at the
free-body diagram for that situation. Free-body
diagrams for three situations are shown below. Note
that the actual magnitudes of the individual forces are
indicated on the diagram.
A net force causes acceleration.
Practice Problems
1. Free-body diagrams for four situations are shown
below. For each situation, determine the net force acting
upon the object. Click the buttons to view the answers.
2. Free-body diagrams for four situations are shown
below. The net force is known for each situation.
However, the magnitudes of a few of the individual
forces are not known. Analyze each situation individually
and determine the magnitude of the unknown forces.
Then click the button to view the answers.
Newtons Second Law/ Law of Acceleration
The acceleration of an object as produced by a net force
is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force,
in the same direction as the net force, and inversely
proportional to the mass of the object.
This verbal statement can be expressed in equation form
as follows:
a = Fnet / m
The above equation is often rearranged to a more
to the product of the mass times the acceleration.
Fnet = m a
The direction of the net force is in the same direction as
the acceleration.
Finding Acceleration
The three major equations that will be useful are the
equation for net force (Fnet = ma), the equation
for gravitational force (Fgrav = mg), and the equation
for frictional force (Ffrict = Fnorm).
The process of determining the acceleration of an object
demands that the mass and the net force are known. If
mass (m) and net force (Fnet) are known, then the
acceleration is determined by use of the equation.
a = Fnet / m
Practice Problems
1. An applied force of 50 N is used to accelerate an
object to the right across a frictional surface.
The object encounters 10 N of friction. Use the
diagram to determine the normal force, the net
force, the mass, and the acceleration of the
object. (Neglect air resistance.)
1. An applied force of 20 N is used to accelerate an
object to the right across a frictional surface.
The object encounters 10 N of friction. Use the
diagram to determine the normal force, the net
force, the coefficient of friction () between the
object and the surface, the mass, and the
acceleration of the object. (Neglect air
resistance.)
2. A 5-kg object is sliding to the right and
encountering a friction force that slows it down.
The coefficient of friction () between the object
and the surface is 0.1. Determine the force of
gravity, the normal force, the force of friction,
the net force, and the acceleration. (Neglect air
resistance.)