Newton’s laws of motion Flashcards
What do we mean by Inertia?
The tendency of an object to remain in a steady state (at rest or in uniform motion)
What does Newton’s first law say?
The velocity of an object will only change if a resultant force is acting on it.
What is the resultant force of a stationary object?
Zero
What is the resultant force on an object moving at a steady speed in a straight line?
Zero
What will an object experience if the resultant force on it is not zero?
Acceleration / change in velocity
What forces are balanced when an object travels at a steady speed?
Resistive forces and Driving forces.
According to Newton’s second law, what is the acceleration of an object proportional to?
The force acting on it
According to Newton’s second law, what is the acceleration of an object inversely proportional to?
Mass
What is the inertial mass of an object?
How difficult it is to change an object’s velocity.
What does Newton’s third law say?
When two objects interact they exert equal and opposite forces on each other.
What is the name given to the distance a vehicle travels to safely come to a stop after a driver has spotted a hazard?
Stopping distance
What is thinking distance?
Distance a vehicle travels during a driver’s reaction time.
What is breaking distance?
Distance a vehicle travels once the brakes have been applied.
What is the relationship between stopping distance, thinking distance and breaking distance?
Stopping distance = Thinking distance + Braking distance.
What are the three factors that can affect the braking distance of a vehicle?
Speed, road conditions, and condition of tyres and brakes.
