Newton’s

Second Law
TEKS 8.6A demonstrate and calculate how
unbalanced forces change the speed or
direction of an object’s motion

TEKS 8.6C investigate and describe

applications of Newton’s law of force and
acceleration
Net Force, Mass
and Acceleration
 Isaac Newton discovered
one of the most important
laws of nature; the
relationship between
net force, mass (inertia)
and acceleration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6iI5T3Yzbo
 Newton’s Second Law
states that the net force
acting on a mass causes
the mass to accelerate in
the direction of the net
force.
 A shorthand way of
writing this law is:
f = ma
f = force in newtons (N)
m= mass in kilograms (kg)
a = acceleration in meters per
second per second (m/s2)
 Objects with
more mass are
more difficult
to accelerate.
If the same force
is applied to
two objects with
different masses,
the one with the
smaller mass will
accelerate more.
 More mass
means less
acceleration,
unless a
larger force
is applied.
Same Forces

leads to
small mass large acceleration

leads to

large mass
small acceleration
Different Forces
small force
small mass

Same Acceleration
can lead to
large force

large mass
Falling Objects and
Newton’s 2nd Law
 The Italian
physicist
and
astronomer,
Galileo Galilei,
studied
falling objects.
He found that when
two objects of
different masses
are dropped, they
fall at the
same rate.
 This was never fully
understood until Isaac
Newton announced his
Second Law of Motion.
 In the case of free
falling objects,
the force is equal to
the weight of the object,
which is determined by
the acceleration
of gravity (9.8 m/s ).
2
Try dropping a book
and a ball of paper.
See what happens.
Now try dropping a piece
of paper and a book.

Most likely you will see

that the paper falls more
slowly.
 Remember the book
has more weight than
the paper, so it has
more force to resist
friction from the air.
Try dropping the book with
the paper against the lower
surface of the book.

What happens?
Now try dropping the book with
the paper on top of the book.

How will the Will they

accelerations of separate
the book and and fall
the paper differently?
compare?
2 m/s2 m=50kg m=2000 kg .05 m/s2
f= 100N

f = 100N

How much force will be

required to move the
object in each picture?
What direction are the forces
applied in each picture?

2 m/s2 m=50kg m=2000 kg

.05 m/s2
f= right

f = left
 Will the rock and the van
accelerate at the same rate?

No, the rock will accelerate faster.

2 m/s2 m=50kg m=2000 kg

.05 m/s2
f=

f =