The three laws of motion, also known as Newton's laws of motion, are fundamental principles that describe how objects move and interact with each other. The first law states that an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will continue in motion with constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force. The second law states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on the object and inversely proportional to its mass. The third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object, while weight is a measure of the force of gravity acting on an object. Mass is constant and does not change, while weight can vary depending on the strength of the gravitational pull. Mass is measured in kilograms, while weight is measured in newtons.
Forces are represented by arrows in a free-body diagram. The length of the arrow represents the magnitude of the force, while the direction of the arrow indicates the direction in which the force is acting. The arrows must be drawn to scale in order to accurately represent the forces at play.
According to Newton's second law, the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on the object. This means that the greater the force applied to an object, the greater its acceleration will be. Additionally, the direction of the acceleration is in the same direction as the net force.
Forces can cause an object to change its speed, direction, or both. If the net force acting on an object is zero, the object will remain in its current state of motion. However, if there is an unbalanced force, the object will accelerate in the direction of the net force. The type of force also plays a role in the object's motion, as some forces, such as friction, can slow down or stop an object's motion.