10 Real life examples of newton’s second law of motion

Law of acceleration examples in daily life
Examples of Newton’s Second Law of Motion

Here are the top 10 real-life examples of Newton’s second law In Physics & Everyday Life.

1. A car accelerating on a highway

2. Ball being thrown

3. Weightlifter lifting weights

4. Rocket launching into space

5. Skydiver jumping out of a plane

6. Boat being towed

7. A person pushing a shopping cart

8. A person riding a bicycle

9. Train starting or stopping

10. Boat moving through water

In this article, I have covered 10 examples of Newton’s Second Law of Motion (also known as the Law of Acceleration examples) that you can find in everyday life.

From a car speeding up to a boat moving through the water, these laws of acceleration examples will give you a better understanding of this fundamental and one of the most important laws in physics.

But before you read any further, it might be a good idea to briefly understand Newton’s second law of motion. It will help you to understand the law of acceleration examples better. If you want to skip, you can skip by clicking on the link below.

Skip to examples:

What is Newton’s second law of motion? (Brief)

It states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the force applied to it, and inversely proportional to its mass.

This means that if you apply a greater force to an object, it will accelerate faster, and if the object has more mass, it will accelerate slower for the same force applied.

Note: Newton’s Second Law of motion is also known as Law of acceleration

The mathematical equation for Newton’s Second Law is: F = ma Where: F is the net force acting on an object m is the mass of the object a is the acceleration of the object

 

• This equation means that the force applied on an object is directly proportional to the object’s mass and acceleration.
• In other words, if you apply a larger force to an object with a certain mass, it will accelerate more quickly than if you apply a smaller force to the same object with the same mass.
• Similarly, if you apply the same force to two objects with different masses, the object with the smaller mass will accelerate more quickly than the object with the larger mass.

For example, if you push a small ball with your hand, it will accelerate quickly because it has less mass. But if you push a larger ball with the same force, it will accelerate more slowly because it has more mass.

Similarly, if you push a heavy box with a light force, it will move slowly, but if you push the same box with a greater force, it will move faster. This is because the greater force overcomes the object’s inertia and causes it to accelerate.

Now let’s move on to our examples of the law of acceleration in real life.

10 Real-life Examples Of Newton’s Second Law of Motion Explained
(law of acceleration examples)

5 Examples Of Newton’s Second Law Of Motion In Physics & In Daily Life

I hope you understood the concept of Newton’s second law given above. Now let’s look at the daily life examples of this law of acceleration to understand more clearly.

Examples

1. A car accelerating on a highway:
   
   
   
   When a driver presses the gas pedal, the car’s engine generates a force that propels the car forward.
   
   The acceleration of the car depends on the force applied to it. If the driver applies a small force to the gas pedal, the car will only accelerate slowly.
   
   But if they apply a greater force, the car will accelerate faster. This is why sports cars can accelerate quickly because their engines can generate a greater force.

2. A ball being thrown:
   
   
   
   When a person throws a ball, the force applied to the ball determines how fast and how far it will travel.
   
   The acceleration of the ball depends on the force applied to it. If the person throws the ball gently, it will only travel a short distance and at a slow speed.
   
   But if they throw it harder, it will travel a greater distance and at a faster speed. This is why professional athletes can throw objects further and faster because they can generate a greater force.

3. Weightlifter lifting weights:
   
   When a weightlifter lifts weights, the amount of weight it can lift depends on the force it can exert.
   
   The acceleration of the weights depends on the force applied to them. If the weightlifter can only apply a small force, it will only be able to lift a small amount of weight.
   
   But if they can apply a greater force, they will be able to lift a greater amount of weight. This is why professional weightlifters can lift heavier weights because they can generate a greater force.

4. Rocket launching into space:
   
   
   
   When a rocket launches into space, the rocket’s engines generate a force that propels the rocket forward.
   
   According to Newton’s Second Law, the acceleration of the rocket depends on the force applied to it. If the rocket’s engines generate a small force, the rocket will only accelerate slowly.
   
   But if they generate a greater force, the rocket will accelerate faster. This is why rockets are able to travel at high speeds and reach outer space because their engines can generate a very large force.

5. Skydiver jumping out of a plane:
   
   
   

   
   When a skydiver jumps out of a plane, the force of gravity causes them to accelerate toward the ground.
   
   According to Newton’s Second Law, the acceleration of the skydiver depends on its mass and the force of gravity. The greater the mass of the skydiver, the greater the force of gravity and the faster it will accelerate.
   
   This is why skydivers need to deploy their parachutes before they hit the ground, to slow down their acceleration and avoid injury.

6. Boat being towed:
   
   
   
   When a boat is being towed, the force of the tow vehicle pulling the boat determines the boat’s acceleration.
   
   According to Newton’s Second Law, the acceleration of the boat depends on the force applied to it. If the tow vehicle applies a small force, the boat will move slowly. But the boat will move faster if the vehicle applies a greater force.
   
   Similarly, when the vehicle needs to slow down or stop, it needs to apply a force in the opposite direction to decelerate the boat.

   It’s important to note that the boat being towed also has its own mass, which affects the amount of force required to accelerate it. The greater the mass of the boat, the greater the force required to accelerate it at the same rate as a smaller boat.
   
   This is why larger boats may require more powerful tow vehicles to move them at the same speed as smaller boats.

7. The person pushing a shopping cart:
   
   When a person pushes a shopping cart in a supermarket, the cart will only move if the person applies force to it. According to Newton’s Second Law, the acceleration of the shopping cart depends on the force applied to it. If the person applies a small force to the cart, it will only move slowly.
   
   But if they apply a greater force, the cart will move faster. This is why it’s easier to push a cart when it’s empty because the mass of the cart is less and it requires less force to accelerate it.

8. A person riding a bicycle:
   
   
   
   When a person pedals a bicycle, the force they apply to the pedals determines the speed of the bicycle.
   
   The acceleration of the bicycle depends on the force applied to it. If the person pedals slowly, the bicycle will move slowly. But if they pedal harder, the bicycle will move faster.
   
   This is why professional cyclists are able to travel at high speeds because they can apply a greater force to the pedals.

9. Train starting or stopping:
   
   
   
   When a train starts moving or stops, the force generated by the train’s engine determines how quickly it can accelerate or decelerate.
   
   The acceleration of the train depends on the force applied to it. If the train’s engine generates a small force, it will only move slowly. But if the engine generates a greater force, the train will accelerate faster.
   
   Similarly, when the train needs to stop, the engine needs to generate a force in the opposite direction to decelerate the train.

10. Boat moving through water:
    
    
    
    When a boat moves through the water, the force generated by the boat’s engines propels it forward.
    
    The acceleration of the boat depends on the force applied to it. If the boat’s engines generate a small force, the boat will only move slowly.
    
    But if they generate a greater force, the boat will move faster. This is why speedboats can travel at high speeds because their engines can generate a greater force.

References

• “Newton’s Second Law of Motion” by Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/forces-newtons-laws/newtons-second-law/a/what-is-newtons-second-law

This link leads to a video tutorial on Newton’s second law of motion, which provides a clear and detailed explanation of the concept.

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