<h2>Integrating Concepts: Newton's Laws of Motion and Kinematics</h2>
<p>Physics is most interesting and most powerful when applied to general situations that involve more than a narrow set of physical principles. Newton's laws of motion can also be integrated with other concepts that have been discussed previously in this text to solve problems of motion.</p>
<p>For example, forces produce accelerations, a topic of kinematics, and hence the relevance of earlier tutorials. When approaching problems that involve various types of forces, acceleration, velocity, and/or position, use the following steps to approach the problem:</p>
<h2><strong>Problem-Solving Strategy</strong></h2>
<h3>Step 1. <em>Identify which physical principles are involved</em>.</h3>
<p>Listing the givens and the quantities to be calculated will allow you to identify the principles involved.</p>
<h3>Step 2. <em>Solve the problem using strategies outlined in this tutorial</em>.</h3>
<p>If these are available for the specific topic, you should refer to them. You should also refer to the sections of the text that deal with a particular topic. The following worked example illustrates how these strategies are applied to an integrated concept problem.</p>
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<h3>Example: What Force Must a Soccer Player Exert to Reach Top Speed?</h3>
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<p>A soccer player starts from rest and accelerates forward, reaching a velocity of 8.00 m/s in 2.50 s. (a) What was his average acceleration? (b) What average force did he exert backward on the ground to achieve this acceleration? The player's mass is 70.0 kg, and air resistance is negligible.</p>
<p><strong>Strategy </strong></p>
<ol type="1">
<li>To solve an <em>integrated concept problem</em>, we must first identify the physical principles involved and identify the tutorials in which they are found. Part (a) of this example considers <em>acceleration</em> along a straight line. This is a topic of <em>kinematics</em>. Part (b) deals with <em>force</em>, a topic of <em>dynamics</em> found in this tutorial.</li>
<li>The following solutions to each part of the example illustrate how the specific problem-solving strategies are applied. These involve identifying knowns and unknowns, checking to see if the answer is reasonable, and so forth.</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Solution for (a)</strong></p>
<p>We are given the initial and final velocities (zero and 8.00 m/s forward); thus, the change in velocity is \(\Delta v=8.00\text{ m/s}\). We are given the elapsed time, and so \(\Delta t=2.50 s\). The unknown is acceleration, which can be found from its definition:</p>
<p>\(a=\frac{\Delta v}{\Delta t}.\)</p>
<p>Substituting the known values yields</p>
<p>\(\begin{array}{lll}a&amp; =&amp; \frac{8.00\text{ m/s}}{2\text{.}50 s}\\ &amp; =&amp; 3\text{.}{\text{20\text{ m/s}}}^{2}.\end{array}\)</p>
<p><strong>Discussion for (a)</strong></p>
<p>This is an attainable acceleration for an athlete in good condition.</p>
<p><strong>Solution for (b)</strong></p>
<p>Here we are asked to find the average force the player exerts backward to achieve this forward acceleration. Neglecting air resistance, this would be equal in magnitude to the net external force on the player, since this force causes his acceleration. Since we now know the player's acceleration and are given his mass, we can use Newton's second law to find the force exerted. That is,</p>
<p>\({F}_{\text{net}}=\text{ma}.\)</p>
<p>Substituting the known values of \(m\) and \(a\) gives</p>
<p>\(\begin{array}{lll}{F}_{\text{net}}&amp; =&amp; \left(\text{70.0 kg}\right)\left(3\text{.}{\text{20 m/s}}^{2}\right)\\ &amp; =&amp; \text{224 N}.\end{array}\)</p>
<p><strong>Discussion for (b)</strong></p>
<p>This is about 50 pounds, a reasonable average force.</p>
<p>This worked example illustrates how to apply problem-solving strategies to situations that include topics from different tutorials. The first step is to identify the physical principles involved in the problem. The second step is to solve for the unknown using familiar problem-solving strategies. These strategies are found throughout the text, and many worked examples show how to use them for single topics.</p>
<p>You will find these techniques for integrated concept problems useful in applications of physics outside of a physics course, such as in your profession, in other science disciplines, and in everyday life. The following problems will build your skills in the broad application of physical principles.</p>
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</div>
<h2>Summary</h2>
<ul>
<li>Newton’s laws of motion can be applied in numerous situations to solve problems of motion.</li>
<li>Some problems will contain multiple force vectors acting in different directions on an object. Be sure to draw diagrams, resolve all force vectors into horizontal and vertical components, and draw a free-body diagram. Always analyze the direction in which an object accelerates so that you can determine whether \({F}_{\text{net}}=\text{ma}\) or \({F}_{\text{net}}=0\) .</li>
<li>The normal force on an object is not always equal in magnitude to the weight of the object. If an object is accelerating, the normal force will be less than or greater than the weight of the object. Also, if the object is on an inclined plane, the normal force will always be less than the full weight of the object.</li>
<li>Some problems will contain various physical quantities, such as forces, acceleration, velocity, or position. You can apply concepts from kinematics and dynamics in order to solve these problems of motion.</li>
</ul>
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Integrating Concepts: Newton's Laws of Motion and Kinematics

Physics is a science discipline concerned with the nature and properties of matter and energy. Physics topics include mechanics, heat, light and radiation, sound, electricity, magnetism, the structure of atoms, and so on.

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Discover the development of the force concept, explore Newton&#8217;s first, second, and third laws of motion, and learn about problem-solving strategies and further applications in this tutorial on dynamics and the four basic forces.


Integrating Concepts: Newton's Laws of Motion and Kinematics

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