Name: Principle of Conservation of Linear Momentum
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 8 min 41 s
Description: Explosion, collision, and any event that happens too fast can be explained using the concept of conservation of linear momentum. Let’s explore this concept i...

Question

Explain Newton's laws of motion with examples.

Accepted Answer

Newton's first law of motion states that every body continues in its state of rest or of uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change that state by an external unbalanced force (applied force). It is also known as the law of inertia.

Example:- When a motor car makes a sharp turn at high speed, we tend to get thrown outwards i.e. to one side. This is due to the law of inertia since we are tending to continue in our straight-line motion. The change in direction of motion of the motor car is brought by the unbalanced force generated by the engine.

The second law of motion states that the rate of change of momentum of a body is proportional to the applied unbalanced force in the direction of the force.

Example:- The athletes participating in high jump are made to fall either on a thick cushion of sponge or on a sand bed. This is to increase the time of the athelete’s fall to stop after the jump. As a result, the rate of change of momentum is decreased and hence the force also.

Newton’s third law of motion states that when one body exerts a force on another body, the other body also exerts a force on the first body. These forces are always equal in magnitude but opposite in direction. These forces act on different bodies and never act on the same body. This means that forces always occur in pairs.

Example:- In a football match a player looking at the football and trying to kick it with a greater force sometimes collide with a player of the opposite team. Both feel hurt because each of them applies a force on the other, thereby indicating a pair of forces. These two opposing forces are known as action and reaction forces. In simple words we can say that to every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction as the statement of Newton's third law.

Explain Newton's laws of motion with examples.

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