Newton's second law of motion

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Newton's second law of motion is a fundamental principle stating that the net force acting on an object equals the rate of change of its momentum, commonly expressed as F = ma for constant mass.


Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf classical mechanics law
physical law
appliesTo point particles
rigid bodies
systems of particles
appliesUnderCondition constant mass
assumes inertial reference frame
category laws of motion
contrastsWith impulse-momentum formulation as integral form
defines relationship between force and acceleration
describedIn Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica
domain macroscopic scales
expressedIn SI units
formulatedBy Isaac Newton
generalizedBy F = d(γmv)/dt in special relativity
relativistic mechanics
hasAlternativeStatement change of motion is proportional to the impressed motive force and takes place along the straight line in which that force is impressed
hasConsequence heavier objects require more force for same acceleration
motion changes only under nonzero net force
hasDimensionForForce M L T^-2
hasMathematicalForm F = dp/dt
F = ma
hasOrder second
hasScalarForm ΣF = ma along a given axis
hasUnitForForce newton
hasVectorForm ΣF⃗ = m a⃗
implies acceleration is inversely proportional to mass
acceleration is proportional to net force
zero net force gives zero acceleration
introducedInCentury 17th century
isBasisFor Newtonian mechanics
surface form: Newtonian dynamics

equations of motion
partOf Newton's laws of motion
relatedTo Newton's first law of motion
Newton's third law of motion
relatesQuantity acceleration
mass
momentum
net force
statesThat net force on a body equals the time rate of change of its momentum
usedIn Newtonian mechanics
surface form: classical mechanics

dynamics
engineering
orbital mechanics
structural analysis
vehicle motion analysis
validWhen speeds much less than speed of light

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Newtonian mechanics includes Newton's second law of motion
Newton's first law of motion relatedTo Newton's second law of motion