Source / pinned edition
Newton's Second Law
Source of package openstax.second_law_readings · OpenStax University Physics, ch. 5 Newton's Laws of Motion, module m58297
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- urn:openstax:clir:second-law-readings#M58297
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- OpenStax University Physics, ch. 5 Newton's Laws of Motion, module m58297
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- urn:openstax:clir:second-law-readings#treatise
m58297/index.cnxml at commit d0ed34a (main, 2026-06-11)
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- urn:openstax:clir:second-law-readings#M58297_MAIN
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- en
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- official
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- adopted: 2026-06-11
Publications
| URI | Type | documentHash | Retrieved |
|---|---|---|---|
| https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openstax/osbooks-university-physics-bundle/d0ed34a5851119a42e3d972dfc0ff49e4663977c/modules/m58297/index.cnxml | application/xml; charset=utf-8 | sha256:7e9cace9acb5f28380e058b277fdcaf187baceec9a5d7633893ba352933d4636 | 2026-09-06T00:00:00Z |
Fragments — 2
module/m58297#fs-id1165039477315 · defn · referenced by: 6
en · official · sha256:09f3c30f51a565d75c380e101ff9e0d8efec97100c42a205f277244577baee87
<definition id="fs-id1165039477315">
<term>Newton’s second law of motion</term>
<meaning id="fs-id1165039477320">acceleration of a system is directly proportional to and in the same direction as the net external force acting on the system and is inversely proportional to its mass</meaning>
</definition>Referencing norms: OpenStaxReading/NetForceDisagreesWithMassTimesAcceleration, OpenStaxReading/NetForceEqualsMassTimesAcceleration, PrincipiaReading/ChangeOfMotionAccountsForForce, PrincipiaReading/ReversedMotionAlsoAccountsForForce, acceleration_of, mass_is_constant
module/m58297#fs-id1165039096883 · section
en · official · sha256:e0a056e7c4b8391273562f713547af763c7ab6cca38c69b6430f56f74b00a3c2
<note id="fs-id1165039096883">
<title>Newton’s Second Law of Motion</title>
<para id="fs-id1165038999240">The acceleration of a system is directly proportional to and in the same direction as the net external force acting on the system and is inversely proportional to its mass. In equation form, Newton’s second law is</para>
<equation id="fs-id1165039299982" class="unnumbered"><label/><m:math><m:mrow><m:mstyle mathvariant="bold" mathsize="normal"><m:mover accent="true"><m:mi>a</m:mi><m:mo stretchy="false">→</m:mo></m:mover></m:mstyle><m:mo>=</m:mo><m:mfrac><m:mrow><m:msub><m:mstyle mathvariant="bold" mathsize="normal"><m:mover accent="true"><m:mi>F</m:mi><m:mo stretchy="false">→</m:mo></m:mover></m:mstyle><m:mrow><m:mtext>net</m:mtext></m:mrow></m:msub></m:mrow><m:mi>m</m:mi></m:mfrac><m:mo>,</m:mo></m:mrow></m:math></equation>
<para id="fs-id1165039257622">where <m:math><m:mstyle mathvariant="bold" mathsize="normal"><m:mover accent="true"><m:mi>a</m:mi><m:mo stretchy="false">→</m:mo></m:mover></m:mstyle></m:math> is the acceleration, <m:math><m:mrow><m:msub><m:mstyle mathvariant="bold" mathsize="normal"><m:mover accent="true"><m:mi>F</m:mi><m:mo stretchy="false">→</m:mo></m:mover></m:mstyle><m:mrow><m:mtext>net</m:mtext></m:mrow></m:msub></m:mrow></m:math> is the net force, and <emphasis effect="italics">m</emphasis> is the mass. This is often written in the more familiar form</para>
<equation id="fs-id1165039079819"><m:math><m:mrow><m:msub><m:mstyle mathvariant="bold" mathsize="normal"><m:mover accent="true"><m:mi>F</m:mi><m:mo stretchy="false">→</m:mo></m:mover></m:mstyle><m:mrow><m:mtext>net</m:mtext></m:mrow></m:msub><m:mo>=</m:mo><m:mstyle displaystyle="true"><m:mo>∑</m:mo><m:mrow><m:mstyle mathvariant="bold" mathsize="normal"><m:mover accent="true"><m:mi>F</m:mi><m:mo stretchy="false">→</m:mo></m:mover></m:mstyle><m:mo>=</m:mo><m:mi>m</m:mi><m:mstyle mathvariant="bold" mathsize="normal"><m:mover accent="true"><m:mi>a</m:mi><m:mo stretchy="false">→</m:mo></m:mover></m:mstyle></m:mrow></m:mstyle><m:mo>,</m:mo></m:mrow></m:math></equation>
<para id="fs-id1165039083076">but the first equation gives more insight into what Newton’s second law means. When only the magnitude of force and acceleration are considered, this equation can be written in the simpler scalar form:</para>
<equation id="fs-id1165039009387"><m:math><m:mrow><m:msub><m:mi>F</m:mi><m:mrow><m:mtext>net</m:mtext></m:mrow></m:msub><m:mo>=</m:mo><m:mi>m</m:mi><m:mi>a</m:mi><m:mo>.</m:mo></m:mrow></m:math></equation>
</note>The hash beside the text is the sha256 of its exact bytes. It is the check that the text shown matches the one pinned in the package: a divergence fails the oracle’s static analysis.