Topic A: Space, Time and Motion

A.2a – Forces
Guiding Questions:

How can forces acting on a system be represented both

visually and algebraically?

How can Newton’s laws be modelled mathematically?

How can knowledge of forces and momentum be used

to predict the behaviour of interacting bodies?
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Understandings:
• Newton’s three laws of motion
• forces as interactions between bodies
• forces acting on a body can be represented in a free-
body diagram
• free-body diagrams can be analysed to find the
resultant force on a system
• the nature and use of the following contact forces
• normal force FN is the component of the contact
force acting perpendicular to the surface that
counteracts the body
• surface frictional force Ff acting in a direction
parallel to the plane of contact between a body and
a surface, on a stationary body or a body in motion
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Understandings:
• the nature and use of the following contact forces
• tension
• elastic restoring force FH following Hooke’s law
• viscous drag force Fd acting on a small sphere
opposing its motion through a fluid
• buoyancy Fb acting on a body due to the
displacement of the fluid

• the nature and use of the following field forces

• gravitational force Fg is the weight of the body
• electric force Fe
• magnetic force Fm
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Guidance:
• Sketches and interpretations of free-body diagrams
and a determination of the resultant force are for
one- and two-dimensional situations only.
• Forces should be labelled using commonly accepted
names or symbols.
• Newton’s first law will be applied to problems
involving translational equilibrium.
• Examples of Newton’s third law will include the
identification of force pairs in various situations.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Data booklet reference:
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Linking Questions:

• How does the application of a restoring force acting

on a particle result in simple harmonic motion?

• If experimental measurements contain uncertainties,

how can laws be developed based on experimental
evidence? (NOS)
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Representing forces as vectors
A force is a push or a pull measured in Newtons.
One force we are very familiar with is the force of
gravity, also known as the weight.
The very concepts of push and pull imply direction.
Thus forces are vectors.
The direction of the weight is down toward the center
of the earth.
If you have a weight of 90 Newtons (or 90 N), your
weight can be expressed as a vector: 90 N, down.
We will show later that weight has the formula
where g = -9.8 m s -2 weight
W = Fg = mg and m is the mass in kg
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Newton’s laws of motion – The first law
Newton’s first law is related to certain studies made by
Galileo Galilee which contradicted Aristotelian tenets.
Aristotle basically said “The natural state of motion of
L SE
all objects (but the heavenly ones)FA is one of rest.”
A child will learn that if you stop pushing a wagon, the
wagon will eventually stop moving.
This simple observation will lead the child to come
up with a force law that looks something like this:
“In order for a body to be in motion, there must be
L SE
a force acting on it.” FA
As we will show on the next slide, both of
these observations are false!
 Inertia will only
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
change if there
A.2a – Forces is a force.

Newton’s laws of motion – The first law

Here’s how Galileo (1564-1642) thought:
If I give a cart a push on a smooth, level surface, it will
eventually stop.
What can I do to increase the distance it rolls without
pushing it harder or changing the slope?
If I can minimize the friction, it’ll go farther.
In fact, he reasoned, if I eliminate the friction altogether
the cart will roll forever!
Galileo called the tendency of an object to not
change its state of motion inertia.
 A body’s velocity
Topic A: Space, Time andwillMotion
only change if
there is a net force
A.2a – Forces acting on it.
Describing the consequences of Newton’s first law
for translational equilibrium
Newton’s first law is drawn from his concept of net
force and Galileo’s concept of inertia.
Newton’s first law says that the velocity of an object will
not change if there is no net force acting on it.
v=0
In his words...“Every body continues in its state of rest,
or of uniform motion in a straight line, unless it is
v = CONST
compelled to change that state by forces impressed
thereon.” F
In symbols...
If F = 0, then v = CONST. Newton’s first law
F = 0 is the condition for translational equilibrium.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Translational equilibrium
As a memorable demonstration of inertia – matter’s
tendency to not change its state of motion (or its state of
rest) - consider this:
A water balloon is cut very rapidly with a knife.
For an instant the water remains at rest!
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Objects as point particles and Free-body diagrams
W = mg where g = -9.8 m s -2 weight
and m is the mass in kg
EXAMPLE: Calculate the weight of a 25-kg Free-body
object. diagram
SOLUTION:
· Since m = 25 kg and g = -9.8 m s-2, mass
W = mg = (25)(-9.8) = -250 N
· Note that W inherits its direction from the fact

force
that g points downward.
· We sketch the mass as a point particle (dot),
and the weight as a vector in a free-body W
diagram:
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Objects as point particles and Free-body diagrams
Certainly there are other forces besides weight
that you are familiar with.
For example, when you set a mass on a tabletop,
even though it stops moving, it still has a weight.
The implication is that the tabletop applies a
counterforce to the weight, called a normal force.
Note that the weight and the normal forces are the N
W
same length – they balance.
The normal force is called a surface contact force.
 Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Objects as point particles and Free-body diagrams
Tension T can only be a pull and never a push.
Friction Ff tries to oppose the motion.
Friction Ff is parallel to the contact surface.
Normal N is perpendicular to the contact surface.
Friction and normal are mutually perpendicular. Ff N.
Friction and normal are surface contact forces.
Weight W is an action-at-a-distance force.
N

T
Ff the tension
Contact surface

W
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Sketching and interpreting free-body diagrams
Weight is sketched from the center of an object.
Normal is always sketched perpendicular to the contact
surface.
Friction is sketched parallel to the contact surface.
Tension is sketched at whatever angle is given.

N
T

Ff

W
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Sketching and interpreting free-body diagrams
EXAMPLE: An object has a tension acting on it at 30°
as shown. Sketch in the forces, and draw a free-body
diagram.

Free-body diagram
SOLUTION: N
· Weight is drawn from the center, down. T
· Normal is drawn perpendicular to the Ff 30°
surface from the surface. N T
· Friction is drawn par- 30°
allel to the surface.F
f W

W
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Solving problems involving forces and resultant force
The resultant (or net) force is just the vector sum of
all of the forces acting on a body.
EXAMPLE: An object has mass of 25 kg. A tension of
50 N and a friction force of 30 N are acting on it as
shown. What is the resultant force?
SOLUTION:
N
· Since the weight and the normal
forces cancel out in the y-
50 N
direction, we only need to worry F T
f
about the forces in the x-direction.
· The net force is thus 30 N
W
50 – 30 = 20 N (+x-dir).
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Solving problems involving forces and resultant force
The resultant (or net) force is just the vector sum of
all of the forces acting on a body.
Fnet = F Fx,net = Fx Fy,net = Fy net force
EXAMPLE: An object has exactly two forces F1 = 50. N
and F2 = 30. N applied simultaneously to it. What is the
resultant force’s magnitude?
SOLUTION: F2
F net

30. N
· Fnet = F = F1 + F2 so we simply
graphically add the two vectors:
· The magnitude is given by
Fnet2 = 502 + 302 50. N F1
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Solving problems involving forces and resultant force
The resultant (or net) force is just the vector sum of
all of the forces acting on a body.
Fnet = F Fx,net = Fx Fy,net = Fy net force
EXAMPLE: An object has exactly two forces F1 = 50. n
and F2 = 30. n applied simultaneously to it as shown.
What is the resultant force’s direction?
SOLUTION: F2
t
F ne

30. N
· Direction is measured from the (+) x-axis.
· Opposite and adjacent are given directly, 
so use tangent. 50. N F1
tan  =
-1
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Solving problems involving forces and resultant force
EXAMPLE: An object has exactly two forces F1 = 50. N
and F2 = 30. N applied simultaneously to it. What is the
resultant force’s magnitude?
SOLUTION:
· Begin by resolving F1 into its x- F2
and y-components.

30. N

50 sin 28
· Then Fnet,x = 44 N and F1
.N

23 N
50
· Fnet,y = 23 + 30 = 53 N 28°
Fnet2 = Fnet,x2 + Fnet,y2 44 N
50 cos 28
Fnet = 44 + 53
2 2 2
 30° 45° T
2
T1 tT
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion kno 3

A.2a – Forces m

Translational equilibrium
EXAMPLE: An object of mass m is hanging via
three cords as shown. Find the tension in each T3
of the three cords, in terms of m.
SOLUTION:
· Give each tension a name to organize your effort. mg
· Draw a free body diagram of the mass and FBD, m
the knot.
· T3 is the easiest force to find. Why? T1 T2
· Since m is not moving, its FBD tells us that 30° 45°
Fy = 0 or T3 – mg = 0 or T3 = mg . T3
FBD, knot
 30° 45° T
2
T1 tT
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion kno 3

A.2a – Forces m

Translational equilibrium
EXAMPLE: An object of mass m is hanging via
three cords as shown. Find the tension in each T3
of the three cords, in terms of m.
SOLUTION: T3 = mg
· Now we break T1 and T2 down to components. mg
FBD, m
· Looking at the FBD of the knot we see that
T1x = T1 cos 30° = 0.866T1
T1 T2
T1y = T1 sin 30° = 0.500T1
30° 45°
T2x = T2 cos 45° = 0.707T2
T3
T2y = T2 sin 45° = 0.707T2
FBD, knot
 30° 45° T
2
T1 tT
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion kno 3

A.2a – Forces m

Translational equilibrium
EXAMPLE: An object of mass m is hanging via
three cords as shown. Find the tension in each T3
of the three cords, in terms of m.
SOLUTION: T3 = mg
∑Fx = 0 mg
0.707T2 - 0.866T1 = 0 FBD, m
T2 = 1.225T1
∑Fy = 0
T1 T2
0.707T2 + 0.500T1 - T3 = 0
0.707(1.225T1) + 0.500T1 = T3 30° 45°
T1 =
T3
T2 = 1.225 T2 = 0.897mg FBD, knot
 30° 45° T
2
T1 tT
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion kno 3

A.2a – Forces m

Solving problems involving forces and resultant force

PRACTICE: A 25-kg mass is hanging via three cords as
shown. Find the tension in each of the three cords, in
Newtons.
SOLUTION:
· Since all of the angles are the same use the formulas
we just derived:
· T3 = N
· T1 = N
· T2 = 0.897mg = 0.897(25)(9.8) = 220 N
FYI This was an example of using Newton’s first law
with v = 0. The next example shows how to use
Newton’s first law when v is constant, but not zero.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Solving problems involving forces and resultant force
EXAMPLE: A 1000. kg airplane is flying at a constant
velocity of 125 m s-1. Label and determine the value of
the weight W, the lift L, the drag D and the thrust F if the
drag is 25000 N. L

SOLUTION: D F
· Since the velocity is constant, W
Newton’s first law applies. Thus Fx = 0 and Fy = 0.
· W = mg = 1000(9.8) = 9800 N (down).
Since Fy = 0, L - W = 0, so L = W = 9800N (up).
D = 25000 N tries to impede the aircraft (left).
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Newton’s laws of motion – The second law
Newton reasoned: “If the sum of the forces is not zero,
the velocity will change.”
Newton knew (as we also know) that a change in
velocity is an acceleration.
So Newton then asked himself: “How is the sum of the
forces related to the acceleration?”
Here is what Newton said: “The acceleration of an
object is proportional to the net force acting on it, and
inversely proportional to its mass.”
The bigger the force the bigger the acceleration, and
the bigger the mass the smaller the acceleration.
Fnet = ma (or F = ma ) Newton’s second law
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Newton’s laws of motion – The second law
Fnet = ma (or F = ma ) Newton’s second law
Looking at the form F = ma note that
if a = 0, then F = 0.
But if a = 0, then v = CONSTANT.
Thus Newton’s first law is just a special case of his
second – namely, when the acceleration is zero.
FYI
The condition a = 0 can is thus the condition for
translational equilibrium, just as F = 0 is.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Newton’s laws of motion – The second law
Fnet = ma (or F = ma ) Newton’s second law
EXAMPLE: An object has a mass of 25 kg. A tension of
50 N and a friction force of 30 N are acting N
on it as shown. What is its acceleration?
SOLUTION: 50 N
Ff T
· The vertical forces W and N
cancel out. 30 N
· The net force is thus W
Fnet = 50 – 30 = 20 N (+x-dir).
· From Fnet = ma we get: 20 = 25 a
so that: a = = 0.8 m s-2 (+x-dir).
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Newton’s laws of motion – The second law
Fnet = ma (or F = ma ) Newton’s second law
PRACTICE: Use F = ma to show that the formula for
weight is correct.
SOLUTION:
· F = ma.
· But F is the weight W.
· And a is the freefall acceleration g.
· Thus F = ma becomes W = mg.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Newton’s laws of motion – The second law
Fnet = ma (or F = ma ) Newton’s second law
EXAMPLE: A 1000-kg airplane is flying in perfectly level
flight. The drag D is 25000N and the thrust F is 40000N.
Find its acceleration.
L

D F
SOLUTION: W
· Since the flight is level, Fy = 0.
Fx = F – D = 40000 – 25000 = 15000 N = Fnet.
From Fnet = ma we get 15000 = 1000a, or
a = = 15 m s-2.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Solving problems involving forces and resultant force
EXAMPLE: A 25-kg object has exactly two forces
F1 = 40. N and F2 = 30. N applied simultaneously to it.
F2
What is the object’s acceleration?
SOLUTION:

30 N

40 sin 25
F1
· Resolve F1 into its components: N

17 N
40
· Then Fnet,x = 36 N and 25°
· Fnet,y = 17 + 30 = 47 N. Then 36 N
Fnet2 = Fnet,x2 + Fnet,y2 40 cos 25
Fnet2 = 362 + 472 and Fnet = 59 N.
· Then from Fnet = ma we get 59 = 25a, or
-2
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Solving problems involving forces and resultant force
EXAMPLE: A 25-kg object resting
N
on a frictionless incline is released,

6.0 m
as shown. What is its acceleration?
60

30
SOLUTION:
mg cos 30 30°
Begin with a FBD.
mg sin 30 mg
Break down the weight into its components.
Since N and mg cos 30°are perpendicular to the path of
the crate they do NOT contribute to its acceleration.
Thus Fnet = ma
mg sin 30° = ma
a = 9.8 sin 30° = 4.9 m s-2.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Solving problems involving forces and resultant force
EXAMPLE: A 25-kg object resting u=0
on a frictionless incline is released, a=
as shown. What is its speed at the 4.9

6.0 m
m s -2
bottom? s v=?
SOLUTION: 30°
We found that its acceleration is 4.9 m s-2.
We will use to find , so we need s.
We have opposite and we want hypotenuse s so from
trigonometry, we use sin  = .
Thus m

so that m s-1.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Density and Buoyancy
Density is a measure of how much mass is contained
within a given volume.
𝑚
𝜌=
𝑉 Density in kg m-3
Typically, for our purposes, the mass is measured in kg
and the volume is measured in m3 but other units are
also common.
Example:
A sphere with radius 5.0 cm has a mass of 3.0 kg.
Determine it’s density.
Solution:
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Density and Buoyancy
Density is a measure of how much mass is contained
within a given volume.
𝑚
𝜌=
𝑉 Density in kg m-3
Typically, for our purposes, the mass is measured in kg
and the volume is measured in m3 but other units are
also common.
Example:
A sphere with radius 5.0 cm has a mass of 3.0 kg.
Determine it’s density. FYI The density of
Solution: water is 1000 kg m-3.
This means 1L of water
has a mass of 1kg.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Density and Buoyancy
Buoyancy is the ability of a fluid to provide an upward
force (often called upthrust on an object placed in it.
The magnitude of the upthrust is dependent on the
mass of the volume of the fluid that is displaced. This
means that a ball in air will create less upthrust than the
same ball in water.
• If the upthrust is equal to the weight, of
the object, the object will float.
• If the upthrust is greater than the weight,
the object will rise through the fluid.
• If the upthrust is less than the weight,
the object will fall through the fluid.
Credit: Pearson Text p.39
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Density and Buoyancy
There is a specific relationship between the volume
upthrust, volume displaced and density of the fluid
called Archimedes’ Principle
𝐹 𝑏=𝜌 𝑉𝑔 Archimedes’ Principle
Example:
A person lays down in completely full bathtub and catches all
of the water that falls out of the tub. When they are just under
the water, they float. What is the buoyancy force acting on
the person if they displace 70L of water?
Solution:

What assumptions did you make?

 Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Solid friction
Recall that friction acts opposite to the intended
direction of motion, and parallel to the contact surface.
Suppose we begin to pull a crate to the right, with
gradually increasing force.
We plot the applied force, and the friction force, as
functions of time:

tension static dynamic

Force

friction friction friction

T
f
Time
static dynamic
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Solid friction Fs,max
During the static phase,

Force
tension
the static friction force Fd
friction
Fs exactly matches the
applied (tension) force.
static Time
dynamic
Fs increases linearly until
it reaches a maximum value Fs,max.
The friction force then almost instantaneously
decreases to a constant value Fd, called the dynamic
friction force.
Take note of the following general properties of the
friction force:
0 ≤ Fs ≤ Fs,max Fd < Fs,max Fd = a constant
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Describing solid friction by coefficients of friction
Since there are two types of friction, static and
dynamic, every pair of materials will have two
coefficients of friction, μs and μd.
In addition to the "roughness" or "smoothness" of the
materials, the friction force depends, not surprisingly, on
the normal force N.
The harder the two surfaces are squished together
(this is what the normal force measures) the more
friction there will be.
Here are the relationships between the friction force Ff,
the coefficients of friction μ, and the normal force N:
Ff ≤ μs N static Ff = μd N dynamic friction
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion y
N
A.2a – Forces Ff
x
Describing solid friction by coefficients of friction
EXAMPLE: A piece of wood with a coin on it is mg 15°
raised on one end until the coin just begins to FBD, coin
slip. The angle the wood makes with the
horizontal is θ = 15°. What is the
coefficient of static friction? θ = 15°
∑Fy = 0 ∑Fx = 0
N–mg cos 15° = 0 Ff – mg sin 15° = 0
N = mg cos 15° Ff = mg sin 15°
Ff = μs N μs = mg sin 15° = tan 15°
mg cos 15°
mg sin 15° = μs mg cos 15° = 0.268
Thus the coefficient of static friction between the metal
of the coin and the wood of the plank is 0.268.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion y
N
A.2a – Forces Ff
x
Describing solid friction by coefficients of friction
EXAMPLE: Now suppose the plank of wood is mg 12°
long enough so that you can lower it to the point FBD, coin
that the coin keeps slipping, but no longer accelerates
(v = 0). If this new angle is 12°, what is the coefficient of
dynamic friction?
θ = 12°
∑Fy = 0 ∑Fx = 0
N–mg cos 12° = 0 Ff – mg sin 12° = 0
N = mg cos 12° Ff = mg sin 12°
Fd = μd N
 μd = tan 12° = 0.213
mg sin 12° = μd mg cos 12°
Thus the coefficient of dynamic friction between the
metal of the coin and the wood of the plank is 0.213.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Solving problems involving forces and resultant force
EXAMPLE: A 100. N crate is to be y
dragged across the floor by an applied N F
force F = 60 N, as shown. The Ff 30°
coefficients of static and dynamic friction x
are 0.75 and 0.60, respectively. What is a
mg
the acceleration of the crate?
FBD, crate
SOLUTION:
Static friction will oppose the applied force until it is
overcome. F
N FYI Since friction is proportional to
30° the normal force, be aware of
Ff a problems where an applied force
mg changes the normal force.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Solving problems involving forces and resultant force
SOLUTION: y
Determine if the crate even moves. N F
Thus, find the maximum value of the Ff 30°
static friction, and compare it to the x
horizontal applied force: a
mg
FH = F cos 30° = 60 cos 30° = 51.96 N
The maximum static friction force is FBD, crate
Fs,max = μs N = 0.75N
The normal force is found from...
N + F sin 30° - mg = 0
N + 60 sin 30° - 100 = 0 N = 70
Fs,max = 0.75(70) = 52.5 N
Thus the crate will not even begin to move!
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Solving problems involving forces and resultant force
EXAMPLE: If someone gives the crate a y
small push (of how much?) it will “break” N F
loose. What will its acceleration be then?
Ff 30°
SOLUTION: x
The horizontal applied force is still a
mg
F cos 30° = 60 cos 30° = 51.96 N
The dynamic friction force is FBD, crate
Fd = μd N = 0.60N.
The reaction force is still N = 70. N
Thus Fd = 0.60(70) = 42 N
The crate will accelerate.
F cos 30° - Fd = ma
51.96 - 42 = a
a = 0.98 m/s2
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Viscosity and Stokes’s Law
Similar to friction along a surface objects moving
through a fluid also encounter resistance. This is
because it has to move the fluid out of it’s path.
A fluid’s resistance to moving out of the way is called its
viscosity.
Honey is an example of a fluid with high viscosity.
Air is an example of a fluid (yes, gasses are fluids) with
very low viscosity.
Viscosity is denoted by the symbol (eta) and has units
of Pascal seconds or kg m-1 s-1
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Viscosity and Stokes’s Law
Some examples of viscosity values for different fluids
can be found in the table below:
Fluid Viscosity (Pa s) @ 20℃
‘heavy’ oil 0.7
water 0.001
gasoline 0.0006
air 0.000018

The viscosity of a fluid plays a significant role in the

amount of drag force, Fd, that an object passing through
it experiences.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Viscosity and Stokes’s Law
The viscous drag force for a sphere of radius r falling
through a fluid can be determined by Stokes’ Law.
𝐹 𝑑=6 𝜋𝜂 𝑟𝑣 Stokes’ Law
In this equation represents the speed of the sphere.

While it is not covered in the course, small and slow

moving objects will have .
For large and fast moving objects,
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
• Viscosity and Stokes’s Law
Example:
Calculate the viscus drag experienced by a steel ball with a
radius of 10 cm falling through the air at 2.0 m s -1.
Solution:

Based on this answer, at slow speeds, why is it okay to

neglect air friction?
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Newton’s laws of motion – The third law
In words “For every action force there is an equal and
opposite reaction force.”
In symbols
FAB = -FBA Newton’s third law
FAB is the force on body A by body B.
FBA is the force on body B by body A.
In the big picture, if every force in the universe has a
reaction force that is equal and opposite, the sum of all
the forces in the whole universe is zero!
So why are there accelerations all around us?
Because each force of the action-reaction pair acts on
a different mass.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Identifying force pairs in context of Newton’s third law
EXAMPLE: When you push on a door
with 10 N, the door pushes you back
the u r
with exactly the same 10 N, but in the do yo
or io n
opposite direction. Why does the door r ea ’s ct
cti
on
a
move, and not you?
SOLUTION: Even though the forces FBA FAB
are equal and opposite, they are
acting on different bodies. B
A A
· Each body acts in response only to the force
acting on it.
· The door CAN’T resist FAB, but you CAN resist FBA.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion FBE
A.2a – Forces
Identifying force pairs in context of Newton’s third law
NBT
EXAMPLE:
Consider a baseball resting on a
tabletop. Discuss each of the forces NTB
acting on the baseball, and the
associated reaction force.
SOLUTION: FEB
· Acting on the ball is its weight FBE
prior to contact with the table.
Note that FBE (the weight force) and NBT (the normal
force) are acting on the ball.
· NTB (the normal force) acts on the table.
· F (the weight force) acts on the earth.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Identifying force pairs in context of Newton’s third law
We define a system as a collection of more than one
body, mutually interacting with each other.
EXAMPLE: Three billiard balls interacting on a pool
table constitute a system.

The action-reaction force pairs between the balls are

called internal forces.
For any system, all internal forces always cancel!
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Identifying force pairs in context of Newton’s third law
We define a system as a collection of more than one
body, mutually interacting with each other.
EXAMPLE: Three colliding billiard balls constitute a
system. Discuss all of the internal forces.
The internal force pairs only exist while the balls
are in contact with one another.
Note that a blue force and a red force act on the white
ball. The white ball responds only to those two forces.
Note that a single white force acts on the red ball. The
red ball responds only to that single force.
Note that a single white force acts on the blue ball. The
blue ball responds only to that single force.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.2a – Forces
Identifying force pairs in context of Newton’s third law
We define a system as a collection of more than one
body, mutually interacting with each other.
EXAMPLE: Three billiard balls interacting on a pool
table constitute a system. Describe the external forces.

External forces are the forces that the balls feel from
external origins (not each other).
For billiard balls, these forces are the friction, the
cushion forces, and the cue stick forces.
Topic A: Space, Time and Motion
A.4 – Rigid Body Mechanics
Resources

The books used in conjunction with these notes are:

Hodder DP Physics textbook, written by John Allum and

Paul Morris
Pearson Textbook, written by Chris Hamper and Emma
Mitchell