An overview of Isaac Newton and his laws of motion.

1. Newton’s Laws of Motion
by Connie LaBarbera
An overview of Sir Isaac Newton and his laws of motion.

2. Who is Isaac Newton?
 Born on January 4, 1643, in Woolsthorpe, England.
 Developed the principles of modern physics.
 Published his most acclaimed work, Philosphiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (
Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy); which has been called the single most
influential book on physics. In it, he describes universal gravitation and the three laws of
motion.
 He was a highly influential physicist, astronomer, mathematician, philosopher, alchemist,
and theologian.
 Newton claimed that his work on creating a theory of gravitation was inspired by
observing apples fall from a tree.

3. Newton’s First Law of Motion
 Newton’s First Law of Motion states that an object at rest will remain at rest and an object
in motion will continue at the same velocity until an outside/unbalanced force acts on it.
 Newton’s First Law is also referred to as the Law of Inertia.
 This law describes the principle behind a person wearing a seatbelt while riding in an
automobile.

4. Newton’s Second Law of Motion
 Newton’s Second Law of Motion states that acceleration is produced when a force acts
on a mass. The greater the mass (of the object being accelerated) the greater the
amount of force needed (to accelerate the object).
 This law can also be expressed and calculated using the equation (Force= Mass X
Acceleration). To make things even simpler, you can use the following triangle diagram.
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5. Let’s Apply Newton’s Second Law!
 Use the equation for Newton’s Second Law to answer the following problems.
 How much force will be required to accelerate a 12 kg object 20 m/s2?
 What is the mass of an object that is being accelerated 70 m/s2 with a force of 3,052 N?
 What is the acceleration of an object that has a 250 N force acting on it, and has a mass of 10
kg?
 Object A has a mass of 5 kg and has a 20 N force acting on it, and object B has a mass of 1 kg
and has a 5 N force acting on it. Which object will have the greater acceleration? Why?
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6. Newton’s Third Law of Motion
 The third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This
means that there are always two forces that are the same.
 Example:
 When you kick a ball there is the force of your foot on the ball, but there is also the same amount
of force that the ball puts on your foot. This force is in the exact opposite direction.
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