Newton's Second Law Notes

Open Ended

A mother and daughter press their hands together and then push apart while ice skating.

Immediately after they push away from each other, how does the motion of the mother and daughter differ? Please use the RACE strategy.

• Fuerza: Un empujón o un tirón sobre un objeto.

• Masa: La cantidad de materia en un objeto.

• Aceleración: la velocidad a la que un objeto cambia de velocidad o dirección

FÓRMULA: F=ma

*La fuerza se mide en Newtons (N)

Multiple Choice

What is the formula for calculating force?

• F = ma

• F = mv

• F = mg

• F = m/a

Multiple Choice

Why is Newton's Second Law of Motion important in understanding how objects move?

• It explains why objects stay at rest.

• It helps us predict how objects will accelerate when a force is applied.

• It describes how gravity works.

• It tells us why objects float.

La aceleración es un cambio en el movimiento;

La aceleración es un cambio en el movimiento;

cada vez que un objeto acelera,

La aceleración es un cambio en el movimiento;

cada vez que un objeto acelera,

se ralentiza,

La aceleración es un cambio en el movimiento;

cada vez que un objeto acelera,


se ralentiza,



o cambia de dirección.

Multiple Select

Acceleration can occur when an object:

• Speeds up

• Slows down

• Changes direction

• Stays at rest

Multiple Select

Which of the following are examples of acceleration?

• A car speeding up

• A person walking at a constant speed

• A ball slowing down

• A cyclist turning a corner

Open Ended

Explain what is meant by acceleration in your own words.

Cuanto mayor sea la masa de un objeto, mayor será la fuerza necesaria para acelerarlo (ponerlo en marcha, detenerlo, aumentar su velocidad, disminuir su velocidad o cambiar su dirección).

Multiple Choice

What happens to the force required to accelerate an object as its mass increases?

• The force required increases

• The force required decreases

• The force required stays the same

• The force required becomes zero

​¿Qué roca rodante será más difícil de detener?

Multiple Choice

Which rolling rock will be harder to stop?

• The larger rock

• The smaller rock

• Both are equally hard to stop

• Neither can be stopped

Open Ended

Explain why it is harder to stop a larger rolling rock compared to a smaller one.

Multiple Choice

A person is trying to push a large truck and says, 'I need help.' What does this suggest about the relationship between mass and force?

• More mass requires more force to move

• Less mass requires more force to move

• Mass does not affect the force needed

• Force is not related to mass

Open Ended

Compare the effort needed to push a real truck versus a toy truck. Why is there a difference?

Cuanto mayor sea la fuerza aplicada a un objeto, mayor será su aceleración. (Cuanto más fuerte patees una pelota, más lejos llegará).

Open Ended

Reflecting on today's lesson, what questions do you still have about force, mass, or acceleration?

Open Ended

Explain how the mass of an object affects the amount of force needed to accelerate it, using an example from everyday life.

Multiple Choice

According to Newton's Second Law of Motion, what will happen if you apply a greater force to an object?

• It will accelerate more

• It will slow down

• It will not move

• It will change color

Multiple Choice

Carts of different masses are pulled along a flat surface. The table shows some variables for each cart.

Which two carts experience the same net force?

• Carts 1 and 2

• Carts 1 and 3

• Carts 2 and 3

• Carts 2 and 4

Multiple Choice

Four students designed and built air propelled rockets that were lauched into the air. Their data are recorded in the table.

Which rocket had the greatest acceleration?

• Rocket 1

• Rocket 2

• Rocket 3

• Rocket 4

Multiple Choice

How does Newton's Second Law of Motion relate force, mass, and acceleration?

• Force equals mass times acceleration.

• Force equals mass divided by acceleration.

• Force equals acceleration divided by mass.

• Force equals mass plus acceleration.

Multiple Choice

The diagram shows a duck swimming in a stream in the opposite direction the stream is flowing. The duck pushes against the water, so the water pushes the duck forward with 20 newtons of force. The water also exerts 15 newtons of resistive forces against the duck.

Which statement best describes the resulting motion of the duck?

• The duck will stop moving.

• The duck will stop and then start moving again.

• The duck will continue moving in its current direction.

• The duck will move in the direction that the stream is flowing.

Open Ended

Bonus: How do the concepts of force, mass, and acceleration work together to explain the motion of objects? Please answer using the RACE strategy.