Newton's Second Law - AP Physics 1
Card 1 of 236
A 2000kg car with a velocity of 
collides head on with a 6000kg truck with a velocity of 
. Which vehicle experiences the greater force? Which experiences the greater acceleration?
A 2000kg car with a velocity of
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The car and the truck experience equal and opposite forces, but since the car has a smaller mass it will experience greater acceleration than the truck according to the equation F = ma.
A greater mass will decrease the acceleration.
The car and the truck experience equal and opposite forces, but since the car has a smaller mass it will experience greater acceleration than the truck according to the equation F = ma.
A greater mass will decrease the acceleration.
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A man of mass 50kg on the top floor of a skyscraper steps into an elevator. What is the man's weight as the elevator accelerates downward at a rate of 
?
A man of mass 50kg on the top floor of a skyscraper steps into an elevator. What is the man's weight as the elevator accelerates downward at a rate of
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Use Newton's second law to solve this problem.
When the elevator is not moving, we get
However, when the elevator is accelerating downward, the man appears to be lighter since the elevator is negating some of the force from gravity. Written as an equation, we have:
Where 
is acceleration due to gravity and 
is the acceleration of the elevator.
Putting in our values, we get:
Use Newton's second law to solve this problem.
When the elevator is not moving, we get
However, when the elevator is accelerating downward, the man appears to be lighter since the elevator is negating some of the force from gravity. Written as an equation, we have:
Where
Putting in our values, we get:
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A skydiver of mass 70kg has jumped out of a plane two miles above the surface of the earth. After 20 seconds, he has reached terminal velocity, meaning he is no longer accelerating. What is the force of the air on the skydiver's body?
A skydiver of mass 70kg has jumped out of a plane two miles above the surface of the earth. After 20 seconds, he has reached terminal velocity, meaning he is no longer accelerating. What is the force of the air on the skydiver's body?
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This question is testing your understanding of terminal velocity and Newton's second law. Since the skydiver is at terminal velocity, the force of the air is equal to the force of gravity, resulting in zero net force and thus no acceleration. We just need to calculate the force of gravity on the skydiver to find the force of the air:
This question is testing your understanding of terminal velocity and Newton's second law. Since the skydiver is at terminal velocity, the force of the air is equal to the force of gravity, resulting in zero net force and thus no acceleration. We just need to calculate the force of gravity on the skydiver to find the force of the air:
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A skydiver of mass 
is mid jump and has an instantaneous acceleration of 
. What is the force exerted on the diver from the air?
A skydiver of mass
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There are two forces in play in this scenario. The first is gravity, and the second is air resistance. Since they are opposing each other, we can write:
Substituting in Newton's second law, we get:
Rearranging for the force of air resistance, we get:
Plugging in our values from the problem statement:
There are two forces in play in this scenario. The first is gravity, and the second is air resistance. Since they are opposing each other, we can write:
Substituting in Newton's second law, we get:
Rearranging for the force of air resistance, we get:
Plugging in our values from the problem statement:
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A diver of 50kg jumps from a platform 20m high into a pool. If the diver decelerates at a constant rate to zero velocity in 0.8 seconds after hitting the water, what is the force that the water exerts on the diver?
A diver of 50kg jumps from a platform 20m high into a pool. If the diver decelerates at a constant rate to zero velocity in 0.8 seconds after hitting the water, what is the force that the water exerts on the diver?
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We can use the equation for conservation of energy to calculate the velocity of the diver as he hits the water:
Cancel out initial kinetic and final potential energies, and plug in our expressions:
Cancel out mass and rearranging for final velocity:
Plug in our values:
We know that the diver then decelerates from this velocity to zero in 0.8 seconds, so we can calculate the acceleration:
Then use Newton's second law to calculate the force on the diver:
We can use the equation for conservation of energy to calculate the velocity of the diver as he hits the water:
Cancel out initial kinetic and final potential energies, and plug in our expressions:
Cancel out mass and rearranging for final velocity:
Plug in our values:
We know that the diver then decelerates from this velocity to zero in 0.8 seconds, so we can calculate the acceleration:
Then use Newton's second law to calculate the force on the diver:
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A man is rolling a recycling bin of mass 
down his driveway, which has a slope of 
, at a constant velocity when he accidentally drops it. What is the total frictional force on the recycling bin if it is decelerating at a rate of 
?
A man is rolling a recycling bin of mass
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Since we are neglecting air resistance, there are two forces in play: gravity and friction. Therefore, we can use Newton's second law to write the following:
Substituting in an expression for the force of gravity and rearranging for the force of friction, we get:
Since we are neglecting air resistance, there are two forces in play: gravity and friction. Therefore, we can use Newton's second law to write the following:
Substituting in an expression for the force of gravity and rearranging for the force of friction, we get:
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A constant force of 30N acts on a a 10kg box as shown in the diagram. If the box is originally at rest, what will be its velocity after 5s?
A constant force of 30N acts on a a 10kg box as shown in the diagram. If the box is originally at rest, what will be its velocity after 5s?
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The box has a constant force acting on it pulling it towards the left. Therefore we can write this as:
, where the negative sign indicates that the force is directed towards the left.
Since the force is constant, this means that is is causing the box to move with a constant acceleration that we can calculate using Newton's second law of motion:
Now that we know the acceleration, we can calculate the final velocity after 5 seconds:
Where 
and 
since the box is originally at rest.
So we have that
.
Note that the negative sign indicates that the box is moving to the left.
The box has a constant force acting on it pulling it towards the left. Therefore we can write this as:
Since the force is constant, this means that is is causing the box to move with a constant acceleration that we can calculate using Newton's second law of motion:
Now that we know the acceleration, we can calculate the final velocity after 5 seconds:
Where
So we have that
Note that the negative sign indicates that the box is moving to the left.
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If we apply a constant force of 
on a 
object that is located on a frictionless surface, what is the acceleration of the object?
If we apply a constant force of
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Use Newton's second law.
Use Newton's second law.
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A 10kg box is being pushed across a frictionless field by two people. The box is moving with an acceleration of 
. What is the force applied by the weaker person if the stronger person can push twice as hard?
A 10kg box is being pushed across a frictionless field by two people. The box is moving with an acceleration of
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The force applied by the weaker person can be calculated using Newton's second law, which states:
The net force is equal to the product of the mass of the object and the acceleration of the object. We were given the mass and acceleration of the object, but only the ratio of the applied forces:
Solve for 
, the applied force from the weaker person:
The force applied by the weaker person can be calculated using Newton's second law, which states:
The net force is equal to the product of the mass of the object and the acceleration of the object. We were given the mass and acceleration of the object, but only the ratio of the applied forces:
Solve for
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Is it possible to have a non-zero number of forces acting on an object (of non-zero mass), yet the object doesn't acclerate?
Is it possible to have a non-zero number of forces acting on an object (of non-zero mass), yet the object doesn't acclerate?
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Newton's second law states that the net force, or the vector sum of all the forces acting on an object, equals the mass times the acceleration. So, it is possible to have forces act on an object without acceleration if the forces are oriented such that they vector sum to zero. An example would be a person sitting in a chair. Gravity and the normal force both act on the person. However, these forces are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. So the person doesn't accelerate.
Newton's second law states that the net force, or the vector sum of all the forces acting on an object, equals the mass times the acceleration. So, it is possible to have forces act on an object without acceleration if the forces are oriented such that they vector sum to zero. An example would be a person sitting in a chair. Gravity and the normal force both act on the person. However, these forces are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. So the person doesn't accelerate.
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In which of the following situations can we claim the net force is zero on the object described?
In which of the following situations can we claim the net force is zero on the object described?
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Acceleration requires a change in one of two quantities: speed and direction
The elevator is traveling only upwards and at a non changing speed. The accleration is zero and thus the net force must be zero by newton's second law.
The bird taking flight is accelerating from rest to some non-zero speed. Net force is non zero because the speed changes.
The child on the swing set changes direction due to traveling in a semi-circle. Also their speed will change as well. Net force is non zero because both the speed and direction change.
The car breaking to a stop is changing speed. Net force is non zero because the speed changes.
The airplane, while maintaining a constant speed, changes direction and therefore accelerates. Net force is non zero because the direction changes.
Acceleration requires a change in one of two quantities: speed and direction
The elevator is traveling only upwards and at a non changing speed. The accleration is zero and thus the net force must be zero by newton's second law.
The bird taking flight is accelerating from rest to some non-zero speed. Net force is non zero because the speed changes.
The child on the swing set changes direction due to traveling in a semi-circle. Also their speed will change as well. Net force is non zero because both the speed and direction change.
The car breaking to a stop is changing speed. Net force is non zero because the speed changes.
The airplane, while maintaining a constant speed, changes direction and therefore accelerates. Net force is non zero because the direction changes.
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A proton has a mass that's about 
times the mass of an electron. Given that electrostatic forces between a proton and electron cause them to attract one another with the same force, what can you say about the acceleration of the two particles?
A proton has a mass that's about
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For this, we have to know that:
, where 
is a force, 
is an object's mass, and 
is its acceleration.
The text tells us that the electrostatic force between the proton and electron will exert the same force, but that the mass of the proton is 
times the mass of the electron.
, where 
is the force on the proton and 
is the force on the electron.
To determine the effect on their acceleration:
, where 
and 
are the masses of the proton and electron respectively, and 
and 
are the acceleration of the proton and electron respectively.
Since we know that 
Solving for the acceleration of the proton:
The acceleration of the proton is 
of the acceleration of the electron.
For this, we have to know that:
The text tells us that the electrostatic force between the proton and electron will exert the same force, but that the mass of the proton is
To determine the effect on their acceleration:
Since we know that
Solving for the acceleration of the proton:
The acceleration of the proton is
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If a 
object is subjected to a force of 
, by how much will it accelerate?
If a
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In this question, we're being told that an object of a given mass is being subjected to a force. To solve this problem, we'll need to make use of Newton's second law, which states that an object of a given mass will accelerate at a rate that is proportional to the force that is applied. Or, written in equation form:
Plugging in the values given, we obtain:
In this question, we're being told that an object of a given mass is being subjected to a force. To solve this problem, we'll need to make use of Newton's second law, which states that an object of a given mass will accelerate at a rate that is proportional to the force that is applied. Or, written in equation form:
Plugging in the values given, we obtain:
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2 objects(named object A and object B) of equal masses and initial kinetic energy collide onto one another. During the collision, object A loses 
of its kinetic energy, which object B gains. Assume mass of both objects remain unchanged.
Given that object A's mass is 
and its velocity changes by 
over a period of 
seconds, determine the average force applied on object A.
2 objects(named object A and object B) of equal masses and initial kinetic energy collide onto one another. During the collision, object A loses
Given that object A's mass is
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Force is given by:
, where 
is mass and 
is acceleration.
We're given mass, but we aren't given acceleration. Since the question asks for average force 
, we can determine average acceleration 
.
, where 
is the change in velocity and 
is change in time.
In our problem, 
and 
Force is given by:
We're given mass, but we aren't given acceleration. Since the question asks for average force
In our problem,
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A block with a mass of 
is pushed across a frictionless surface with a force of 
for a time of 
. What is the velocity of the block after the push?
A block with a mass of
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Here we must use the following formula:
We can substitute our known values of mass and force and solve for acceleration
Since we know the acceleration and the time it acts upon the object, we can determine the final velocity through the following equation:
Here we must use the following formula:
We can substitute our known values of mass and force and solve for acceleration
Since we know the acceleration and the time it acts upon the object, we can determine the final velocity through the following equation:
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Consider a block sitting at rest on an inclined plane. Find the maximum inclination angle the plane may have without the block sliding if the coefficients of kinetic and static friction are 
, respectively.
Consider a block sitting at rest on an inclined plane. Find the maximum inclination angle the plane may have without the block sliding if the coefficients of kinetic and static friction are
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If the block is to remain at rest on the plane, we know that the sum of the forces acting a long the plane must be equal and opposite. This means that the gravitational force acting along the plane is equal to and opposite of the force of friction. This can be demonstrated as:
This can be rewritten as:
For the block to remain at rest, the force of static friction must exceed (for this problem we will set them equal to each other since it gives us the best approximation); solve for the angle:
If the block is to remain at rest on the plane, we know that the sum of the forces acting a long the plane must be equal and opposite. This means that the gravitational force acting along the plane is equal to and opposite of the force of friction. This can be demonstrated as:
This can be rewritten as:
For the block to remain at rest, the force of static friction must exceed (for this problem we will set them equal to each other since it gives us the best approximation); solve for the angle:
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A force of 
is applied to a 
object in space.
What is the acceleration of the object?
A force of
What is the acceleration of the object?
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Newton's second law states:
Where 
is the net force exerted upon an object, 
is the mass of the object and 
is the acceleration of the object.
We rearrange this equation to show:
Plug in our given values with 
and 
:
Newton's second law states:
Where
We rearrange this equation to show:
Plug in our given values with
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If 
of force is continuously applied to a box with mass 
, what will the box's velocity be after 
given that it's initial velocity was 
?
If
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By Newton's second law:
, where 
is force, 
is mass, and 
is acceleration.
This is the acceleration. Since we're assuming this acceleration is constant over time, we can model velocity 
as:
where 
is the initial velocity.
Since the initial velocity is 
in our problem,
After 
seconds,
By Newton's second law:
This is the acceleration. Since we're assuming this acceleration is constant over time, we can model velocity
Since the initial velocity is
After
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A train of mass 
goes from 
to 
in 
. Calculate the deceleration in terms of 
.
A train of mass
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Use work:
All energy will be kinetic.
Convert 
to 
:
Plug in values. Force will be negative as it is pointing against the direction of travel:
Solve for 
:
Use Newton's second law:
Plug in values:
Solve for 
:
Convert to 
Use work:
All energy will be kinetic.
Convert
Plug in values. Force will be negative as it is pointing against the direction of travel:
Solve for
Use Newton's second law:
Plug in values:
Solve for
Convert to
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A train of mass goes from to in . Estimate the coefficient of friction of the steel wheels on the steel rails. Assume the wheels are locked up.
A train of mass
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Use work:
All energy will be kinetic.
Convert to :
Plug in values. Force will be negative as it is pointing against the direction of travel:
Solve for :
Use frictional force:
Plug in values:
Solve for 
Use work:
All energy will be kinetic.
Convert
Plug in values. Force will be negative as it is pointing against the direction of travel:
Solve for
Use frictional force:
Plug in values:
Solve for
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