Dynamics 1

Dynamics is the study of forces and their effect on motion, as opposed to kinematics, which is the
study of motion regardless of the cause of the motion or the mass of the object.

1. Mass and inertia

1. The inertia of a body is its resistance to being moved if it is at rest, or its resistance to a change
in its velocity if it is moving. For example, passengers in a car tend to keep moving forward if the
driver suddenly applies the brakes.
2. A stationary object needs a force to make it move. Similarly, a moving object needs a force to
stop it moving. The larger the mass of the object is, the greater is its inertia, so a bigger force is
needed to start it moving or change its velocity.
3. The mass of the object is therefore a measure of the inertia of the object.

2. Force, mass and acceleration

1. A net or resultant force, (or unbalanced)
FR (N) applied to a mass m (kg) produces an acceleration a
(m s-2) given by
F R =ma

2. The equation shows that the acceleration is directly proportional to the net force, if the mass is
constant:
a∝FR
For a constant force, the acceleration is inversely proportional to the mass:
1
a∝
m
3. When applying this equation, note the following:
 Draw a free body force diagram to show all the forces that act on one object only.
 the unbalanced force FR and the acceleration a are in the same direction.
 Use kg, N and m s-2

Examples
1. Mass on level ground
Find the frictional force F, if the forward force is 15 N. ( mass m = 3 kg a = 2 m s -2 )
2 m s -2

15 N
F

Answer
Unbalanced or resultant force is (15 – F)
From Law 2:
(15 – F) = m a = 3 x 2
F=9N
Remember that FR and the acceleration are in the same direction.

2. Mass on incline
P

1000 N

30° W
 Dynamics 2

Find the driving force P of the car of mass 1000 kg, if the friction is 1000 N, when
(a) the acceleration = 2 m s-2 up the plane,
(b) there is no acceleration.
(g = 10 m s-2)

Answer
(a) W = mg = 1000 kg x 10 = 10 000 N
mg sin 30 = 5 000 N
FR = m a
Unbalanced force is
(P - 5 000 - 1 000)

From Law 2
(P - 5 000 - 1 000) = 1000 x 2
P = 8 000 N
(b) no acceleration, no FR ,
P = 6 000 N

3. Truck and trailer

Calculate
(a) the acceleration of the truck and trailer,
(b) the tension T in the tow bar.
mass of truck = 1 000 kg
mass of trailer = 3 000 kg

T 8 000 N
pulling force

friction 2 000 N 1 000 N

Answer
Consider the forces on each body separately.
For the truck:
Unbalanced force is
8 000 – T – 1 000
From Law 2
8 000 – T – 1 000 = 1 000 a (i)

For the trailer

T – 2 000 = 3 000 a (ii)
Eliminate T
a = 1.25 m s-2

T can be found from (i) or (ii),

T = 5750 N
 Dynamics 3
The forces in the tow bar are equal and opposite.

4. Man in a lift
R

The mass of the man = 80 kg.

Find R, the force on a man by the floor, when the lift
(a) at rest,
(b) is moving with constant velocity.
(c) has an upward acceleration of 4 m s-2 ,
(d) has a downward acceleration of 4 m s-2,
(e) falling freely
(f) has a downward acceleration greater
than g. (g = 10 m s-2)
R = his weight if he was standing on a scale graduated in newtons.

Answer
Answer
(a) At rest
No resultant force, no acceleration,
R=W
W = mg = 80 x 10 = 800 N
R = 800 N

(b) Moving with constant velocity

No resultant force, R = W
R = 800 N

(c) Lift accelerating upwards

Unbalanced force is R – W
R – W = ma
R – 800 = 80 x 4
R = 1 120 N
(He weighs 1 120 N. The man pushes down with an equal and opposite force to R by
Law 3.)

(d) Lift accelerating downwards

Unbalanced force is W – R
W – R = ma
800 – R = 80 x 4
R = 480 N
(He weighs 480 N.)

(e) Lift falling freely

From Law 2,
W–R=ma
W–R=mg
 Dynamics 4
- R = m g – W = 800 – 800
-R=0N
R=0N
(He is weightless)

(f) acceleration greater than g.

The lift would have to be pushed downwards by some form of propeller or rocket engine to give it
an acceleration greater than g.
If the downward acceleration is say 2g, the man would rise to the ceiling.
He will exert a reaction on the ceiling equal and opposite to
(m 2g – mg) = (80 x 2 x10 – 80 x 10)
= 800 N
and push upwards with a force 800 N.

5. Two masses on a spring

Calculate the acceleration of the 0.5 kg mass when the thread is burned through.
(g = 10 m s-2)

light spring

0.5 kg

thread

0.2 kg

Answer
weight = 5 + 2 = 7 N
unbalanced force on the 0.5 kg mass
= 7 – 5 N = 2 N upwards
acceleration a = FR / m
a = 2 N / 0.5 kg = 4 m s-2 upwards

6. Masses on a pulley
Calculate
(a) the acceleration of the system and
(b) the tension in the cord.
(c) If the 3.2 kg mass is initially 4.0 m above the ground, how long would it take to reach the
ground?
frictionless pulley

1.0 kg
3.2 kg

Answer
3.2 – T = 3.2a
T – 1g = 1a
Solve the above simultaneous equations:
3.2 + 1 = 4.2a
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a = 1 m s-2

Using the equation, s = ½at2 , since u = 0,

4 = ½ x 1 x t2
t = 2.83s

3. Linear momentum and impulse

1. Moving objects have momentum, defined as momentum p=mass m ( kg ) x velocity v (m s−1)
p=mv
Momentum is a vector quantity, having units kg m s-1. Its direction is the same as the velocity
direction.

2. We can show that force is the rate of change of momentum as follows:

Acceleration is directly proportional to the resultant force and inversely proportional to the mass,
FR kFR
a∝ a=
m m
where k is the constant of proportionality.
The constant k = 1, by the definition of the newton.
One newton is the resultant force which gives a mass of 1 kg an acceleration of 1 m s -2.
FR
a= F R =ma
m
Multiply each side by time t
F R t=ma t
Acceleration
v−u
a= at =v−u
t
So
F R t=m(v −u) F R t=mv−mu
mv−mu
FR=
t

change ∈momentum
Resultant force=
timetaken

Δ ( mv )
FR=
Δt
where Δ means ‘a change in’.

Example. Force due to water flow

wall
v

v waterr A
 Dynamics 6
Water leaves a hose pipe of cross sectional area 3.2 x 10 -4 m2 with a horizontal velocity of 3.0 m s-
2
. It strikes a vertical wall and runs down without rebounding. What is the force exerted on the
wall?
(density of water = 1000 kg m-3)
Answer
volume of water hitting the wall in 1 second
= length x area = 2 m x 3.0 x 10-4 m2
mass of water hitting the wall in 1 second
= volume x density
= 2 m x 3.0 x 10-4 m2 x 1000 kg m-3
= 0.6 kg
Horizontal momentum before hitting wall
=mv
= 0.6 kg x 2.0 m s-1 = 1.2 kg m s-1
Horizontal momentum after hitting wall
=0
Force of wall on water
change∈momentum
=
time taken
0−1.2
=
1s
= - 1.2 kg m s-2 = - 1.2 N
Force of water on wall, by Newton’s law 3
= 1.2 N (2 s.f.)

3. The product F R t (force x time) is called the impulse of a force.

impulse=force x time
Since force is the rate of change of momentum,
impulse=change of momentum
The units are N s or kg m s-1 .
4. Impulse is a measure of the effect of a force. Increasing the time reduces the force needed to
produce the same change in momentum.
5. The area under a force time graph equals the total impulse acting, and this equals the change
in momentum produced.

Example Impulse
The force acting on a tennis ball of mass 60 g during a return shot is shown.
F
200 N

0 0.030 t/s

(a) What is the impulse on the ball?

(b) What is the velocity of the return shot if the ball reaches the player with a velocity of 22 m s -1?

Answer

Example Impulse
 Dynamics 7
(a) A constant force of 5N acts on a 2kg mass for 10 s. The mass is initially at rest. Calculate the
speed v after 10 s from rest.
(b) Suppose a constant force of 10 N acts for a further 15 s, calculate the final speed.
Answer

4. Newton’s laws of motion

First law
If there is no resultant force acting on an object,
(i) if it is at rest, it will stay at rest,
(ii) if it is moving, it keeps on moving at a constant velocity.

The law tells us that a force is something which changes the state of rest or uniform motion of a
body. Law 1 expresses the idea of inertia, which is the resistance of an object to a change of
velocity.
Force is the rate of change of momentum.

Second law
The rate of change of momentum of an object is directly proportional to the resultant force acting
on it. The change in momentum takes place in the direction of the force.

The second law tells us how to measure a force. One newton (1N) is the resultant force needed to
cause a rate of change of momentum of 1 kg m s -1, or the resultant force needed to give a mass of
1 kg an acceleration of 1 m s-2.

Third Law
If an object A exerts a force on an object B, then B exerts an equal but opposite force
on A.

The law tells us that

(a) Forces always occur in pairs,
(b) Both forces are always of the same type, i.e. both gravitational, both electrostatic, etc.
(c) The forces are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.
( FAB = - FBA )
(d) The forces do not cancel out because they act on different objects.

Examples.
1. Book on a table

What two forces act on the book?

Answer
1. The pair of forces are not R and W
where, R = reaction force of the table on the book and W = weight of the book.

They are not a Newton’s third-law pair – they are not the same type of force, and they act on the
same object. When you take away the table the weight of the book remains.

2. There are two Newton pairs here:

(i) The pull of the Earth on the book and the pull of the book on the Earth (gravitational forces) and
 Dynamics 8
(ii) the push of the book on the table and the push of the table on the book (contact forces).
Notice that in each case removing one force makes the other vanish.

2. One roller skater pushing on another

The force is equal and opposite, but the acceleration will be different since they have different
masses. The person with the smaller mass gains the greater velocity.

3. Masses in contact
a
B
A
F m 3m smooth floor

Two blocks, A of mass m and B of mass 3m, are side by side and in contact with each other.
They are pushed along a smooth floor under the action of a constant force F applied to A. Find (a)
the acceleration of the blocks,
(b) the force exerted on B by A.

Answer

4. Hovering helicopter

RESCUE

A helicopter hovers by forcing a column of air downwards. The force down on the air produces an
equal force up on the helicopter, by Newton’s third law, which must balance its weight.

What is the maximum weight of the helicopter if the rotors force 1 000 kg of air downwards at 15 m
s-1 each second?
Answer

5. Weight and mass

1. The weight of an object is the force of gravity acting on it.
2. An object falling freely (i.e. in the absence of air resistance) accelerates because of the pull of
gravity. If g is the acceleration of the object, then from
F=ma
we can substitute F = W and a = g, hence
W =mg
3. The acceleration due to gravity, g, is the same for all bodies, no matter what their mass.
4. Weight is a force, measured in newtons, whereas mass is measured in kilograms.
Mass is a measure of the inertia of a body. The mass of a body is the same everywhere, whereas
weight varies according to the pull of gravity at that place.
 Dynamics 9
6. Conservation of momentum
1. The law of conservation of momentum states that:
The total linear momentum of a system of interacting (e.g. colliding) bodies remains constant
provided no external resultant external force acts on the system.
2. Consider the example below of two billiard ball in collision.
u1 u2 v1 v2

A B A B

u1 › u2 - F 2 = F1 v 2 › v1

We combine Newton’s second and third law.

A collides with B. During the collision, the forces are equal and opposite.
F1 acting on B in time t during the collision changes the momentum of B, while F 2 acting on A in
the same time changes the momentum of A.
F 1 t = - F2 t
change in momentum of B = - change in momentum of A
(m2 v2 – m2 u2) = - (m1 v1 – m1 u1)
m1 u1 + m2 u2 = m1 v1 + m2 v2
So
total final momentum = total initial momentum
The total momentum is unchanged by the collision.

Investigating conservation of momentum

u1 u2

m1 = 0.3 kg m2 = 0.2 kg

A linear air track can be used. The air track helps to eliminate the external force of friction. Light
gates can be used to measure the speeds of the gliders.
(motion to the right taken as positive,
and to the left as negative.)

Before After
u1 u2 m1u1 m2u2 v1 v2 m1v1 m2v2
0.50 0 0.15 0 0.30 0.30 0.09 0.06
0.50 -0.50 0.15 -0.10 -0.30 0.70 -0.09 0.14
0 0 0 0 -0.40 0.60 -0.12 0.12
0.40 0.20 0.12 0.04 0.30 0.35 0.09 0.07

( pg 54 Adv Phys for You)

In each case it can be seen that:

m1 u1 + m2 u2 = m1 v1 + m2 v2

Example - Momentum
A B
3 m s-1 4 m s-1

2 kg 1 kg

An object A of mass 2 kg is moving with a velocity of 3 m s -1 and collides head on with an object B
of mass 1 kg moving in the opposite direction with a velocity of 4 m s -1. After the collision both
objects stick, so that they move with a common velocity v. Calculate v.
 Dynamics
10
Answer

Example – Momentum in two dimensions

Z
90° 2 m s -1

30°
X Y
5 m s-1
X θ

A snooker ball X of mass 0.3 kg, moving with velocity 5 m s -1, hits a stationary ball Y of mass 0.4
kg. Y moves off with a velocity of
2 m s-1 at 30° to the initial direction of X.
Find the velocity v of X and its direction after hitting Y.
Answer

7. Elastic and inelastic collisions

1. A perfectly elastic ball is one that bounces back to the same height. Its kinetic energy just
before impact equals the kinetic energy just after impact.

2.
A B

Consider a moving trolley A of mass mA colliding with a second identical stationary trolley B of
mass mB. Possible outcomes are:

(a) an elastic collision.

A come to rest, and B moves off with the velocity that A had initially.

(b) a totally inelastic collision.

The trolleys stick together during the collision and move with half the velocity that A had.
Momentum is conserved.

(c) inelastic collision

The trolleys do not stick together and some kinetic energy is lost. Momentum is conserved.
(You can do the calculation using
m1 u1 + m2 u2 = m1 v1 + m2 v2
for trolley A of mass of say 2 kg and velocity of 2 m s -1.)
 Dynamics
11
3. In an elastic collision, kinetic energy is conserved. The relative velocity of approach always
equals the relative velocity of separation.
u1 – u2 = - (v1 – v2)
2 – 0 = - (0 – 2)
4. In an inelastic collision some of the initial kinetic energy is changed into other forms of energy,
such as sound. The kinetic energy is less after the collision than before it. Momentum is
conserved. There are degrees of inelastic collision- from nearly perfectly elastic to two bodies
sticking together.
5. In a totally inelastic collision, the relative velocity of separation is zero. A large amount of
kinetic energy is lost as heat and sound.
3. An explosion is an inelastic situation because there is no kinetic energy before the explosion
but there is after the explosion.

The Relative Velocity Rule

In a perfectly elastic collision:

(the relative velocity before the collision)

= - (the relative velocity after the collision)
u1 – u2=−( v 1 – v 2)

Examples
1. An elastic collision
A 2.0 kg object moving with velocity 6.0 m s-1 collides with a stationary object of mass
1.0 kg.
Assuming that the collision is perfectly elastic, calculate the velocity of each object after the
collision.
Answer

2. Momentum and explosive forces

A bullet of mass 50 g is fired from a rifle of mass 2 kg with a velocity of 100 m s -1.
(a) What is the recoil velocity of the rifle?
(b) What fraction of the total energy produced by the explosion does the bullet have?
Answer