📘 FORCE AND LAWS OF MOTION

1. What is a Force?

 A force is a push or pull on an object.

 It can cause:
o A stationary object to move.
o A moving object to stop or change direction.
o A change in shape.
o A change in speed
 According to Newton Force is directly proportional to rate of change of linear
momentum.
 Momentum is the product of mass and velocity. Greater the momentum , greater is the
force.
 F=(Change in momentum)/Time
. = (mv-mu)/t
. = m(v-u)/t
but a=(v-u)/t
Hence F= ma
 SI Unit of force: Newton (N)
 1N may be defined as the force required to accelerate an object of 1kg mass through
1m/s2
 1N=1kg * 1m/s2

2. Types of Forces

On the basis of touch force may be defined into two types (a) Contact force

(b) Non contact force

 Contact Forces: The forces which are caused due to physical touch.
 (e.g., friction, tension, mechanical force).
 Non-contact Forces: The forces which do not require the physical touch and can act
from a certain distance.
 (e.g., gravitational force (Earth attracts object even without touching from a distance),
magnetic force (magnet attracts another magnet or iron even without touching from a
distance , electrostatic force (charges attract or repel each other even without touching
from a distance).
3. Balanced and Unbalanced Forces

 Balanced forces: When equal and opposite forces are exerted on a body and the total
force becomes zero , it is said to be in the balanced condition.
 No change in motion (net force = 0).
 Eg: In tug of war , if both the teams are equally powerful then the rope will not move.
This is balanced force condition
 Note : Balanced force can never move any object but it can change the shape of the
object , if the object is not rigid. Eg rubber band stretched from both ends.
 Unbalanced forces: When the resultant force on an object is not zero.
 Eg: In tug of war if Team A is more powerful than the Team B, then the rope goes
towards Team A
 Object moves (net force ≠ 0).

4. Newton’s Laws of Motion

Newton gave three important laws of motion:

First Law (Law of Inertia)

An object continues in the state of rest or of motion until and unless an external force is applied

OR
An object will keep moving or be at rest until and unless you apply an external force

This law is also called Law of inertia .

Inertia: It is the tendency of an object to continue its state of rest or of motion.

Or

Inertia may be defined as the property due to which an object tends to oppose the change in
state of rest or motion

Inertia is of three types:

(a)Inertia of rest (b) inertia of motion.

Note: Inertia depends upon the mass of an object. More the mass of an object, more is the
inertia.

INERTIA OF REST: Tendency of an object to continue its state of rest is called inertia of rest. OR
The tendency to resist any change in the stationary state ( either of rest)
Example(a) If a bus driver suddenly starts the bus, then we get a jerk backwards because of
inertia of rest.

(b)When a hanging carpet is beaten with a stick, the dust particles start coming out of it. This is
because the force of stick makes the carpet move to-and-fro slightly but the dust particles tend
to remain at rest (or stationary) due to their inertia and hence separate from the carpet.

(c)When a tree (having flexible stem) is shaken vigorously, its fruits and leaves fall down. This is
due to the fact that when the tree is shaken, it moves to-and-fro slightly but its fruits and leaves
tend to remain at rest (or stationary) due to their inertia and hence detach from the tree and fall
down.

(d)Initially, both, the card and the coin, are in the state of rest. Now, when we hit the card with
our fingers, a force acts on the card and changes its state of rest to that of motion. Due to this,
the card moves away from the mouth of the glass tumbler. The force of our flick, however, does
not act on the coin, so the coin continues to be in its state of rest due to its inertia. And when the
card (on which the coin had been placed) moves away, the coin falls into the glass tumbler
because it prefers to maintain its state of rest due to inertia.

INERTIA OF MOTION The tendency to continue the state of motion is called the inertia of motion
Applications:

(a)An athlete runs a certain distance before taking a long jump , it is due to inertia of motion.
(b) If a bus is suddenly stopped , our body get a jerk forwards due to inertia of motion.
(c)A moving fan keeps on moving even after switching it off because of inertia of motion.
(d) Runners continue to run even after crossing the finishing line due to inertia of motion.
(e) It is not advised to get off from the running bus, because when the bus was in motion, our
body also develops the inertial of motion and when we come out of moving bus , the bus stops
but our body keeps on moving , due to which we may face any sort of accident.

Newton’s Second Law Of Motion

Force may be defined as the rate of change of linear momentum. where momentum is the product of
mass and velocity

Momentum is the deciding factor of force. Greater the momentum , greater is the amount of force.

 F=(Change in momentum)/Time
. = (mv-mu)/t
. = m(v-u)/t
but a=(v-u)/t
Hence F= ma

SI unit of force is Newton(N). 1N may be defined as the force applied to 1Kg object to accelerate is
through 1m / sec 2
EXAMPLES OF NEWTON SECOND LAW

(i) Greater the mass means greater is the force required, hence a heavier object requires more
force.
(ii) Greater the velocity, greater is the force required, the bullet cause so much destruction because
of its high speed
(iii) Greater the time, lesser force is required to stop the object.: hence the cricketer lowers his
hand in order to catch the ball, so as to increase the time and reduce the impact of force on his
hand. Similarly if a person falls on the cushion, he gets less injury as compared to when he falls
to a cemented floor, because if we fall on the cushion, it depresses a bit hence increasing the
time, and hence reducing the impact of the force.

The acceleration of an object depends on the force applied and its mass.

 Formula: F = m × a
o F = Force (N), m = Mass (kg), a = Acceleration (m/s²)

Newton’s Third Law Of Motion:

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. If we hit a wall, our hand also gets the
same reaction

Note(a): Action and reaction occur simultaneously.

(b) Action and reaction occurs on different bodies, that is why the resultant force is not equal to zero

Example:

 When you jump off a boat, the boat moves backward.

 Rockets propelled according to Newton’s Third law. Because as the smoke gets downward, the
rocket faces the reaction in the upward direction.

LAW OF CONSERVATION OF MOMENTUM: Momentum can neither be created,

nor be destroyed. Total momentum remains conserved.

M1U1+M2U2= M1V1+M2V2

5. Friction

 A force that opposes motion.

 Types:
o Static friction (prevents movement)
o Sliding friction (between moving surfaces)
o Rolling friction (e.g., wheels)
 o Fluid friction (air or water resistance)

📝 Worksheet: Force and Laws of Motion

A. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

(Choose the correct answer)

1. Which of the following is not a contact force?

a) Friction
b) Magnetic force
c) Air resistance
d) Tension
Ans: b) Magnetic force
2. What is the SI unit of force?
a) Joule
b) Pascal
c) Newton
d) Watt
Ans: c) Newton
3. A force can change the __________ of an object.
a) Color
b) Weight
c) Motion
d) Temperature
Ans: c) Motion
4. Which law explains why we wear seatbelts?
a) Newton’s First Law
b) Newton’s Second Law
c) Newton’s Third Law
d) Law of Gravitation
Ans: a) Newton’s First Law
5. If a 10 kg object accelerates at 2 m/s², the force applied is:
a) 5 N
b) 10 N
c) 20 N
d) 25 N
Ans: c) 20 N
6. Which of the following best describes friction?
a) A force that moves objects forward
b) A force that helps things fly
c) A force that opposes motion
 d) A magnetic force
Ans: c) A force that opposes motion
7. What happens when forces on an object are balanced?
a) It speeds up
b) It slows down
c) It changes direction
d) It stays at rest or moves at constant speed
Ans: d) It stays at rest or moves at constant speed
8. The formula F = m × a belongs to:
a) Newton’s First Law
b) Newton’s Second Law
c) Newton’s Third Law
d) Law of Inertia
Ans: b) Newton’s Second Law
9. What does inertia depend on?
a) Volume
b) Temperature
c) Mass
d) Speed
Ans: c) Mass
10. Jumping off a boat pushes it backward. This shows:
a) Newton’s First Law
b) Newton’s Second Law
c) Newton’s Third Law
d) Friction
Ans: c) Newton’s Third Law
11. The rockets work on the principle of conservation of :
(a) mass (b) energy (c) momentum (d) velocity
12. An object of mass 2 kg is sliding with a constant velocity of 4 m/s on a frictionless horizontal
table. The force required to keep this object moving with the same velocity is :(a) 32 N ' (b) ON
(c)2N (d) 8 N
13. The physical quantity which makes it easier to accelerate a small car than a large car is
measured in the unit of :
(a) m/s (b) kg (c)kg.m/s (d) kg.m/s2
14. According to third law of motion, action and reaction
(a)always act on same body but in opposite directions (b) always act on different bodies in
opposite directions (c) have same magnitudes and directions (d) act on either body at normal to
each other
15. The unit of measuring momentum of a moving body is :
(a) m s_1 (b) kg.m s-1 (c) kg.ms-2 (d) Nm2 kg-2
16. A boy of mass 50 kg standing on ground exerts a force of 500 N on the ground. The force
exerted by the ground on the boy will be
(a) 50 N (b) 25000 N (c)10N (d) 500 N
17. A Honda City car, a Maruti Alto car, a Tata Nano car and a Mahindra Scorpio car, all are running
at the 4 same speed of 50 m/s under identical conditions. If all these cars are hit from behind
with the same force and they continue to move forward, the maximum acceleration will be
 produced in :
(a) Honda City(b) Maruti Alto (c) Tata Nano(d) Mahindra Scorpio
18. The acceleration produced by a force of 5 N acting on a mass of 20 kg in m/s2 is :
(a) 4 (b) 100 (c) 0.25 (d) 2.5
19. Which of the following situations involves the Newton's second law of motion ?
(a) a force can stop a lighter vehicle as well as a heavier vehicle which are moving (b) a force can
accelerate a lighter vehicle more easily than a heavier vehicle which are moving (c) a force
exerted by a lighter vehicle on collision with a heavier vehicle results in both the vehicles coming
to a standstill
(d) a force exerted by the escaping air from a balloon in the downward direction makes the
balloon to go upwards
20. A fielder pulls his hands backwards after catching the cricket ball. This enables the fielder to :
(a) exert larger force on the ball (b) reduce the force exerted by the ball (c) increase the rate of
change of momentum (d) keep the ball in hands firmly

B. Subjective Questions

Very Short Answer Type Questions

1. What is inertia? Give one example from daily life.

(Expected: Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion.
Example: passengers lurch forward when a car stops suddenly.)
2. Differentiate between balanced and unbalanced forces with examples.
(Expected: Balanced – no motion change, e.g., a book resting on a table. Unbalanced –
causes motion, e.g., pushing a chair.)
3. Explain Newton’s Second Law of Motion with a numerical example.
(Expected: Statement of law and calculation using F = m × a, such as 2 kg × 3 m/s² = 6
N.)
4. Which physical quantity corresponds to the rate of change of momentum ?
5. State the relation between the momentum of a body and the force acting on it.
6. What is the unit of force ?
7. Define one newton force.
8. .What is the relationship between force and acceleration ?
9. If the mass of a body and the force acting on it are both doubled, what happens to the
acceleration ?
10. Name the physical quantity whose unit is 'newton'.
11. Which physical principle is involved in the working of a jet aeroplane ?
12. Name the principle on which a rocket works.
13. Is the following statement true or false: A rocket can propel itself in a vacuum.
14. What is the force which produces an acceleration of 1 m/s2 in a body of mass 1 kg ?
15. Find the acceleration produced by a force of 5 N acting on a mass of 10 kg.
16. A girl weighing 25 kg stands on the floor. She exerts a downward force of 250 N on the floor.
What force does the floor exert on her ?
17. Name the physical quantity which makes it easier to accelerate a small car than a large car.
18. Fill in the following blanks with suitable words : (a) To every action, there is an ............................
and................. (b) Momentum is a .......................... quantity. Its unit is............. (c) Newton's
second law of motion can be written as Force = mass ×or Force
=............................................................... (d) Forces in a Newton's third law pair have
equal ..................... but act in opposite........................................................................ (e) In
collisions and explosions, the total ................................... remains constant, provided that no
external…………acts. Short Answer Type Questions
19. Derive F = m × a
20. To take the boat away from the bank of a river, the boatman pushes the bank with an oar. Why
21. .Why does a gunman get a jerk on firing a bullet ?
22. If action is always equal to reaction, explain why a cart pulled by a horse can be moved. A
gunman gets a jerk on firing a bullet
23. . Explain how a rocket works.
24. . Do action and reaction act on the same body or different bodies ? How are they related in
magnitude and direction ? Are they simultaneous or not ?
25. . If a man jumps out from a boat, the boat moves backwards. Why ?
26. . Why is it difficult to walk on a slippery road ?
27. . Explain why, a runner presses the ground with his feet before he starts his run.
28. A 60 g bullet fired from a 5 kg gun leaves with a speed of 500 m/s. Find the speed (velocity) with
which the gun recoils (jerks backwards)
29. . A 10 g bullet travelling at 200 m/s strikes and remains embedded in a 2 kg target which is
originally at rest but free to move. At what speed does the target move off ?
30. . A body of mass 2 kg is at rest. What should be the magnitude of force which will make the
body move with a speed of 30 m/s at the end of 1 s ?
31. . A body of mass 5 kg is moving with a velocity of 10 m/s. A force is applied to it so that in 25
seconds, it attains a velocity of 35 m/s. Calculate the value of the force applied.
32. . A car of mass 2400 kg moving with a velocity of 20 m s-1 is stopped in 10 seconds on applying
brakes. Calculate the retardation and the retarding force.
33. . For how long should a force of 100 N act on a body of 20 kg so that it acquires a velocity of 100
m/s ?
34. . How long will it take a force of 10 N to stop a mass of 2.5 kg which is moving at 20 m/s ? 32.
The velocity of a body of mass 10 kg increases from 4 m/s to 8 m/s when a force acts on it for 2
s. (a) What is the momentum before the force acts ? (b) What is the momentum after the force
acts ? (c) What is the gain in momentum per second ? (d) What is the value of the force ?
35. . A gun of mass 3 kg fires a bullet of mass 30 g. The bullet takes 0.003 s to move through the
barrel of the gun and acquires a velocity of 100 m/s. Calculate : (i) the velocity with which the
gun recoils. (ii) the force exerted on gunman due to recoil of the gun
36. . Draw a diagram to show how a rocket engine provides a force to move the rocket upwards.
Label the diagram appropriately.
37. . Name the laws involved in the following situations :
(a) the sum of products of masses and velocities of two moving bodies before and after their
collision remains the same.
(b) a body of mass 5 kg can be accelerated more easily by a force than another body of mass 50
kg under similar conditions
(c) when person A standing on roller skates pushes another person B (also standing on roller
skates) and makes him move to the right side, then the person A himself gets moved to the left
side by an equal distance.
 (d) if there were no friction and no air resistance, then a moving bicycle would go on moving for
ever.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. (a) State and explain Newton's second law of motion.

(b) A 1000 kg vehicle moving with a speed of 20 m/s is brought to rest in a distance of 50 metres
Find acceleration and imbalanced force acting on the vehicle.

2. (a) Explain why, a cricket player moves his hands backwards while catching a fast cricket ball.
(b) A 150 g ball, travelling at 30 m/s, strikes the palm of a player's hand and is stopped in 0.05
second. Find the force exerted by the ball on the hand.

3. (a) State Newton's third law of motion and give two examples to illustrate the law.
(b) Explain why, when a fireman directs a powerful stream of water on a fire from a hose pipe,
the hose pipe tends to go backward. (b)A fireman directing a powerful stream of water on a fire
from a hose pipe.

4. (a) State the law of conservation of momentum. (b) Discuss the conservation of momentum in
each of the following cases :(i) a rocket taking off from ground. (ii)flying of a jet aeroplane.

5. (a) If a balloon filled with air and its mouth untied, is released with its mouth in the downward
direction, it moves upwards. Why ?
(b) An unloaded truck weighing 2000 kg has a maximum acceleration of 0.5 m/s2 . What is
maximum acceleration when it is carrying a load of 2000 kg ?

HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS QUESTIONS [HOTS]

1. Why are car seat-belts designed to stretch somewhat in a collision ?

2. The troops (soldiers) equipped to be dropped by parachutes from an aircraft are called paratroopers.
Why do paratroopers roll on landing ?

3. Why would an aircraft be unable to fly on the moon

4. Explain why it is possible for a small animal to fall from a considerable height without any injury being
caused when it reaches the ground.

5. A boy of mass 50 kg running at 5 m/s jumps on to a 20 kg trolley travelling in the same direction at 1.5
m/s. What is their common velocity ?

6. A girl of mass 50 kg jumps out of a rowing boat of mass 300 kg on to the bank, with a horizontal
velocity of 3 m/s. With what velocity does the boat begin to move backwards ? Paratroopers being
dropped from an aircraft.
7. A truck of mass 500 kg moving at 4 m/s collides with another truck of mass 1500 kg moving in the
same direction at 2 m/s. What is their common velocity just after the collision if they move off
together ?

8. A ball X of mass 1 kg travelling at 2 m/s has a head on collision with an identical ball Y at rest. X stops
and Y moves off. Calculate velocity of Y after the collision.

9. A heavy car A of mass 2000 kg travelling at 10 m/s has a head-on collision with a sports car B of mass
500 kg. If both cars stop dead on colliding, what was the velocity of car B ?

10. A man wearing a bullet-proof vest stands still on roller skates. The total mass is 80 kg. A bullet of
mass 20 grams is fired at 400 m/s. It is stopped by the vest and falls to the ground. What is then the
velocity of the man

CASE STUDY: “PUSH THE CART”

Scenario:
Ravi and Maya are playing with a toy cart. Ravi pushes the cart gently, and it starts moving
slowly. Then Maya pushes harder, and the cart speeds up. They both notice that the empty cart
moves faster than when it’s filled with books.

Questions:

1. Which of Newton’s laws is observed when the cart accelerates more when Maya pushes
harder?
Ans: Newton’s Second Law
2. Why does the cart move faster when empty than when filled with books?
Ans: It has less mass, so for the same force, it accelerates more.
3. What would happen if Ravi pushes the cart and then suddenly stops applying force?
Ans: The cart would continue to move due to inertia (First Law), then slow down due
to friction.