Lecture 14: Applying Newtons 2nd Law

A skier is sliding down an icy slope that is essentially

frictionless. If the hill makes an angle of 50 above the
horizontal, then the normal force applied to the skier by the
hill is given by which of the following?

A) = 0 Newtons
B) = Newtons
C) = (50) Newtons
D) = sin(50) Newtons

Follow up: If the skier has a total mass of 50 kg, with what
acceleration does she move down the slope?
Announcements
First midterm exam will be next Monday, 9-25, at usual
class time and place.
Homework 4 has been assigned, should only take about
an hour. Due Monday night (the 25th).
Extra credit questions and practice exam to be posted on
Canvas on Wednesday. Lookout for Announcement!

To cover:
Chapter 5 sections 2 and 3.
Recap
The normal force exerted on an object due to gravity pulling
the object down is given by = ()
This is often important, as the maximum frictional force is
equal to a coefficient times the normal force.
If the object is at rest:
=
If the object is moving (speeding up, slowing down, or constant
speed)
=
Where <
How much friction is being applied
Nature, like a very busy graduate student, only does the minimum amount
of work required. Newtons 2nd law tells us that friction applies a force
equal to the push being applied parallel to the surface up to the max
static friction. After that point, the object is moving, and so the max
kinetic friction is constantly applied.
 Moving Out

A 500 kg couch is sitting on the floor of your apartment. If

the coefficient of static friction between the couch and the
floor is = . and the coefficient of kinetic friction is
= . , what is the minimum force in Newtons that you
must push the couch with in order to get it to move?

a) 300 N
b) 2352 N
c) 2940 N Static friction =
d) 240 N Kinetic friction =
 Free Body Diagram
Velocity is constant 30
here, which means:

=
=

Which means

= What do our
= observations about
the net force imply
about the
relationship between
&
=
Decomposing a force into its component
vectors
Choose perpendicular x-
and y-axes.
Fx and Fy are the
components of a force
along these axes.
Use trigonometry to find
these force components.

This is useful when you

know two forces are at
right angles to each other,
or a force pulls a certain
way.
 Free Body Diagram
+ This coordinate system
+ means we only need resolve

one vector:

=

= 0 2 = 0


= +

= () =
= ()
= 0 2 = 0

= =
 Free Body Diagram
+ This coordinate system means
+ we only need resolve one

vector:
= =


= +
= + ()


= [ ] + ()
= ()
= ()

=
Example of motion along a ramp
A child sleds down a sand dune at white sands after being
given an initial push. The dune makes an angle of 49
degrees with the horizontal. If the combined mass of child
and the sled is 35 kg, and the coefficient of kinetic friction
between the sled and sand is 0.5, what acceleration does
the child feel as it slides down the hill.
See solutions at
end.

A) 9.8


B) 0 2

C) something else
Other examples: two blocks and a
table/ramp
Suppose block A and B are connected as shown, and the
pulley turns on frictionless bearings. If the mass of A is
twice as large as the mass of block B, what must be the
coefficient of static friction between A and the table?
See solutions at
end.
The nature of 1D tension
Its like a barrel of monkeys. Each monkey has to support
the force exerted on the monkey below it.

Does the top monkey have to exert

More or less force than the bottom
Monkey?

More, if the weight of the monkeys is

larger than the weight of whats at the
end, the same if the weight at the end
dominates!
 How about this:

Estimate the magnitude of tension in B

the string at point A:
Pulley
a) 200 N
b) 400 N
c) 0 N A

Estimate the magnitude of tension in

the string at point B:
a) 200 N
200N 200N
b) 400 N
Tension is the same at every
c) 0 N point in the string!