Newton's Laws of Motion
Sir Isaac Newton published Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica in 1687. This text contains the three basic laws on which mechanics is based
- Newton's First Law
- Every body continues in its state of rest or of uniform motion in a straight line unless acted on by some external force.
- No force = no acceleration
- Newton's Second Law
- The rate of change of momentum of a body is directly proportional to the external force acting on the body and takes place in the direction of the force.
- where
- F = force acting on the body [N]
- m = mass of the body [kg]
- v = velocity of the body [ms-1]
- m = mass of the body [kg]
- the rate of change of velocity is the acceleration
- where
- a = acceleration of the body [ms-2]
- Newton's Third Law
- If a body A exerts a force on body B, then B exerts an equal and oppositely directed force on A.
- Weight is the magnitude of the force of gravity.
See also: Equations of Motion, Inertial Reference System, Keplers Laws, Newton, Isaac, Noninertial Reference System, Special Theory of Relativity.
Subjects: Physics
- Weblinks:
- Newtons Castle A stimulating journey into the revelations of Sir Isaac Newton. Learn about his discovery of Gravity and Optical Theories.