NEWTONS 1

ST

LAW OF
MOTION -
INERTIA
09/02/14
PHYSICS 130: ELEMENTARY PHYSICS
CHAPTER 2
Cypress College Physics & Astronomy
TODAYS AGENDA
Last times Next time question
Problem of the Day
Aristotle on Motion
Galilieos Observations
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
Inclined Planes
Newtons First Law of Motion
Net Force & The Equilibrium Rule
Support Force
Equilibrium of Moving Things
The Moving Earth (and other objects)
Review of Key concepts/terms
Next Time Question
Homework

Which of the following is not a
scientific hypothesis?
A. Protons carry an electric charge.
B. Undetectable particles are the cause of some of
natures unresolved secrets.
C. Charged particles bend when in a magnetic field.
D. All of the above are scientific hypotheses.

Last times Next Time Question
Which of the following is not a
scientific hypothesis?
A. Protons carry an electric charge.
B. Undetectable particles are the cause of some of
natures unresolved secrets.
C. Charged particles bend when in a magnetic field.
D. All of the above are scientific hypotheses.

Last times Next Time Question
This statement is not scientific mainly because there is no way to
disprove it. We have not way of knowing what undetectable
particles are out there, and we dont know which secrets are related
to these particles. Secondly, if the particles are undetectable by
definition, how can we make observations on them?
What will happen when I pull
down hard on the lower
string?
A. The upper string will break
B. The lower string will break
C. The upper string breaks if I pull fast and the
lower string breaks if I pull slowly
D. The lower string breaks if I pull fast and the
upper string breaks if I pull slowly
E. This problem is too hard

Problem of the Day
ARISTOTLE ON MOTION
Aristotle (322 BC) thought about
motion in terms of an objects
place in the universe.
Every object in the
universe has a proper
place determined by a
combination of four
elements: earth, water, air,
and fire.
Any object not in its
proper place will
strive to get there.
Stones fall.
Puffs of smoke rise.
ARISTOTLE ON MOTION
Natural motion
Straight up or straight down for all things on Earth.
Beyond Earth, motion is circular.
Example: The Sun and Moon continually circle
Earth.
Violent motion
Produced by external pushes or pulls on objects.
Example: Wind imposes motion on ships.

ARISTOTLE ON MOTION
Major implication: continuous movement
depends on sustained forces
No force = no movement
Small force = slow movement
Large force = fast movement
No apparent forces acting on earth and earth
belongs in the center of the universe, so
clearly earth doesnt move
GALILEOS OBSERVATIONS
Dropping objects from the Leaning Tower of Pisa
According to Aristotle, heavier
objects should fall faster than lighter
objects
If an object is 2 times heavier, then it
should fall 2 times as fast
Instead of only
using observation
and logical thinking,
Galileo conducted
experiments to test his ideas.
His tests showed that weight of
dropped objects had no real effect on
the speed at which they fell
GALILEOS OBSERVATIONS
Observing the starting and ending heights of balls
on inclines
Trial1
Trial 2: Smaller
slope of 2
nd

incline, same
ending height
Galileos logic: the
slope of the
incline slows
down the speed
of the ball,
regardless of how
steep it is. So if
there is no 2
nd

slope, the speed
of the ball will not
slow down.
GALILEOS OBSERVATIONS
Observing the starting and ending heights of balls
on inclines

Clearly a slope is needed to speed up or slow down
the ball
Steeper downward slope makes speed increase
faster
Steeper upward slope makes speed increase
slower
Logically (and based on observation) a flat surface
(no slope) should mean that the speed should not
change
The above statements are true regardless of the
starting speed of the ball
The ball has inertia the property of an
object that resists changes in motion.
The use of inclined planes for Galileos
experiments helped him to
A.eliminate the acceleration of free fall.
B.discover the concept of energy.
C.discover the property called inertia.
D.discover the concept of momentum.
REVIEW
The use of inclined planes for Galileos
experiments helped him to
A.eliminate the acceleration of free fall.
B.discover the concept of energy.
C.discover the property called inertia.
D.discover the concept of momentum.
Comment: Note that inertia is a property of
matter, not a reason for the behavior of matter.
REVIEW
NEWTONS FIRST LAW OF
MOTION
AKA the law of inertia
Every object
continues in a state
of rest or of
uniform speed in a
straight line unless
acted on by a
nonzero net force.
Simplified version: An
object at rest tends to
stay at rest. An object in
motion tends to stay in
motion
NEWTONS FIRST LAW OF
MOTION
Every object continues in a state of rest
or of uniform speed in a straight line
unless acted on by a nonzero net force.
If an object is already moving, it will keep
moving at the same speed
If an object is not moving, it will stay still
The direction of the object will not change.

What is a nonzero net force?
NET FORCE (VECTORS)
Vector quantity
a quantity whose description requires both
magnitude (how much) and direction (which way)
can be represented by arrows drawn to scale, called
vectors
length of arrow represents magnitude and arrowhead
shows direction
Examples: force, velocity, acceleration

Force vector
NET FORCE
Net force is the combination of all forces that
change an objects state of motion.
Units of force are Newtons (N).
THE EQUILIBRIUM RULE
Example: A spring scale holding up a bag of flour
Two forces act on the bag of flour:
Tension force acts upward.
Weight acts downward.
Both are equal in magnitude and opposite in
direction.
When added, they cancel to zero.
So, the bag of flour remains at rest.
The Tension and the Weight oppose each
other
THE EQUILIBRIUM RULE
The vector sum of forces acting on a non-
accelerating object equals zero. In other words, the
net force is zero.
In equation form: F = 0.
THE EQUILIBRIUM RULE
Drawing a free-body diagram helps us to
determine all the forces acting on an object
The diagram below lists all the forces acting on the
plank.
Find the tension in
the rope on the right
for each picture
REVIEW
Find the tension in
the rope on the right
for each picture 500
830
1000
The total upward
force (the combined
tension of both
ropes) should always
equal 1000 N
REVIEW
A bowling ball is in equilibrium when it

A. is at rest.
B. moves steadily in a straight-line path.
C. Both of the above.
D. None of the above.
REVIEW
A bowling ball is in equilibrium when it

A. is at rest.
B. moves steadily in a straight-line path.
C. Both of the above.
D. None of the above.
Explanation: Equilibrium means no change in motion,
so there are two options:
If at rest, it continues at rest.
If in motion, it continues at a steady rate in a straight
line.
REVIEW
The equilibrium rule, F = 0, applies to
A. vector quantities.
B. scalar quantities.
C. Both of the above.
D. None of the above.
REVIEW
The equilibrium rule, F = 0, applies to
A. vector quantities.
B. scalar quantities.
C. Both of the above.
D. None of the above.
Explanation: Vector addition accounts for
+ and quantities. So, two vectors in
opposite direction can add to zero.
REVIEW
Find weight of plank

REVIEW
The entire system (plank
plus man) is at equilibrium,
so the net force should be
zero. This means that the
upward forces must be
balanced by the downward
forces.
Since the combined tension
in both ropes is 800 N, this
means that the combined
weight of the plank and the
man is also 800 N.
Therefore, the weight of the
plank must be 300 N
Find weight of plank

REVIEW
A 100 N WEIGHT HANGS ON EACH SIDE
The scale reads 0, 100, or 200
N?
REVIEW
A 100 N WEIGHT HANGS ON EACH SIDE
The scale reads 0, 100, or 200
N?
REVIEW
REVIEW
Nellie Newton hangs
from the pulley as
shown. How does the
reading on the scale
compare with her
weight?
REVIEW
Nellie Newton hangs
from the pulley as
shown. How does the
reading on the scale
compare with her
weight?
The reading on the scale
is exactly half of her
weight. This can be
easily seen by drawing a
free-body diagram of
Nellie Newton.
SUPPORT FORCE
Support force (normal = perpendicular
force) is an upward force on an object that
is opposite to the force of gravity.
Example: A book on a table compresses
Atoms in the table, and the compressed
atoms produce the support force.
There is always a Normal force between
any two objects in contact.

SUPPORT FORCE
Since Net Force = 0, Gravity
down is balanced by the scale
pushing up. Scale reads the
normal (support) force.
Keep in mind that the forces
shown are the forces acting on
the person, not on the scale!
Try drawing the free-body
diagram for the scale.
EQUILIBRIUM OF MOVING
OBJECTS
In the previous examples, the net force on a non-
moving (static) object was equal to zero. This is
called static equilibrium
When the net force on a moving object is equal to
zero, this is called dynamic equilibrium.
THE MOVING EARTH (AND
OTHER OBJECTS)
If the earth is moving through space, why doesnt
the bird fall diagonally backwards when it jumps off
the branch to catch the worm?
Everything on the earth - including
the bird, the tree, the worm, and
the atmosphere are already
moving at the same speed as the
earth, which is why we dont feel
the motion. As a result, the bird
will simply fall straight down.
You are riding in a van at a steady
speed and toss a coin up. Where will
the coin land?
A. behind you
B. ahead of you
C. back in your hand
D. There is not enough information.
REVIEW
Explanation: The coin has inertia. It
continues sideways along with the van and
your hand and lands back in your hand.
REVIEW
You are riding in a van at a steady
speed and toss a coin up. Where will
the coin land?
A. behind you
B. ahead of you
C. back in your hand
D. There is not enough information.
What will happen when I pull
down hard on the lower
string?
A. The upper string will break
B. The lower string will break
C. The upper string breaks if I pull fast and the
lower string breaks if I pull slowly
D. The lower string breaks if I pull fast and the
upper string breaks if I pull slowly
E. This problem is too hard

Answer to the Problem of the Day

Next Time Question

Next Time Question
THIS WEEKS HOMEWORK
Chapter 2 (due next Tuesday, 9/9)
Ranking #2, 4
Exercises #8, 28, 40, 46
Problem #2

Reading Assignment (finish by this
Thursday, 9/4)
Textbook chapter 3 Linear Motion