Mass Force and Acceleration
Newton’s first law of motion states that a body remains at rest or in uniform motion unless an external force acts on it. This law is commonly referred to Inertia. What happens when an external force acts on a body is described by the second law of Newton. Of the mass of the body is constant, the force applied on a body is a product of its mass and the acceleration produced.
Mathematical Equation of Newton’s Second Law
The acceleration formula with force and mass can be expressed mathematically. The mathematical form for Newton’s second law is written as F=ma, where m is the mass of the body, a is the acceleration produced while F is the force applied on the body. This means that a=F/m, an increase on force produce an increase in the acceleration. In other words, acceleration is directly proportional to the net force applied on a body. For instance, acceleration will be doubled once the force of doubled.
On the other hand, an increase in the mass leads to a decrease in the acceleration. For instance, the acceleration is halved once the mass is doubled. This means that acceleration is inversely proportional to the weight of a body. In most cases, this force is applied for a short time, producing what is known as impulse. This can either change the direction of a moving boy or increase its speed.
Worked Example
Suppose an acceleration of 3m/s2 is produced on a body of mass 5 kg, calculate the amount of force applied on it.
Recall that F=ma, F= 5kg X 3m/s2
= 15N…