1. Newton’s First Law of Motion

2. First we need to define the word
FORCE:
• The cause of motion (what causes objects
to move)
• Two types of forces
– Pushes
– Pulls
Slide from www.science-class.net

3. Forces may be balanced or
unbalanced
• Balanced forces – all forces acting on an
object are equal
– There is NO MOTION
• Unbalanced forces – one or more forces
acting on an object are stronger than others
– There is MOTION
• A NET FORCE

4. Objects at Rest
• Objects at rest tend to
stay at rest unless acted
upon by a force. [push or
pull]
• Newton described this
tendency as inertia.
• Inertia can be described
as the tendency of an
object to keep doing
whatever’s it’s doing.

5. Mass & Inertia
• Mass is the amount of
matter in an object. It is
measured in
KILOGRAMS.
• The more MASS an
object has, the more
INERTIA the object has.
• Bigger objects are harder
to start & stop
Which vehicle has more
inertia?
Slide from www.science-class.net

6. What about objects that are already
in motion?
• Newton stated that
objects in motion tend to
stay in motion until
acted upon by a force
(or hits it.)

7. Newton’s 1st
Law
(also known as the law of inertia)
• A moving object moves in a straight line with
constant speed unless a force acts on it.
• The tendency of an object at rest to remain at
rest and an object in motion to remain in
motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced
force.
• Objects do not change their motion unless
a force acts on them

8. The truck is in motion. What is the force
that causes it to stop?
The push of the stopped car.
The car is at rest. What is the force that
causes it to move?
The push of the truck.
Slide from www.science-class.net

9. Newton’s Second Law
• Force equals mass
times acceleration.
• F = ma

10. Newton’s Second Law
Force = Mass x Acceleration
Force is measured in Newtons
ACCELERATION of GRAVITY(Earth) =
9.8 m/s2
Weight (force) = mass x gravity (Earth)
Moon’s gravity is 1/6 of the Earth’s
If you weigh 420 Newtons on earth,
what will you weigh on the Moon?
70 Newtons

11. Newton’s Second Law
• WEIGHT is a measure of the force of
________ on the mass of an object
• measured in _____________Newton

12. Newton’s Second Law
• One rock weighs 5 Newtons.
• The other rock weighs 0.5
• Newtons. How much more
• force will be required to
• accelerate the first rock
• at the same rate as the
second rock?
Ten times as much

13. FOR EVERY ACTION THERE IS AN
EQUAL AND OPPOSITE REACTION.
Newton’s Third Law

14. Newton’s 3rd Law
• For every action there is an equal and
opposite reaction.

15. Think about it . . .
What happens if you are standing on a
skateboard or a slippery floor and push
against a wall? You slide in the
opposite direction (away from the wall),
because you pushed on the wall but the
wall pushed back on you with equal and
opposite force.
Why does it hurt so much when you stub
your toe? When your toe exerts a force on
a rock, the rock exerts an equal force back
on your toe. The harder you hit your toe
against it, the more force the rock exerts
back on your toe (and the more your toe
hurts).

16. Review
• Newton’s First Law:
• Objects in motion tend to stay in motion
and objects at rest tend to stay at rest unless
acted upon by an unbalanced force.
• Newton’s Second Law:
• Force equals mass times acceleration (F
= ma).
• Newton’s Third Law:
• For every action there is an equal and
opposite reaction.

17. Newton's Laws
• 1stlaw: Homer is large and
has much mass, therefore he
has much inertia. Friction and
gravity oppose his motion.
• 2nd law: Homer’s mass x 9.8
m/s/s equals his weight, which
is a force.
• 3rd law: Homer pushes
against the ground and it
pushes back.