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Newton’s second law of motion
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What is second Newton's law of motion?
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Second Newton's law of motion states
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that the rate of change of momentum of
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an object is directly proportional to
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the applied force and occurs in the
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direction of the force. This law
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explains how the motion of an object
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changes when a force acts on it. It
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shows that the greater the force
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applied, the greater the acceleration
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produced. It also shows that heavier
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objects require more force to achieve
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the same acceleration as lighter
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objects. The law can also be understood
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in terms of momentum where force causes
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a change in momentum over time. Second
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Newton's law is very important in
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analyzing motion because it connects
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force, mass, and acceleration in a
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simple relationship. Imagine pushing two
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carts, one empty and one loaded. The
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empty cart accelerates quickly with a
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small force while the loaded cart
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requires more force to achieve the same
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acceleration. Examples: a car
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accelerating when the accelerator is
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pressed. Pushing a light object versus a
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heavy object. A football moving faster
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when kicked harder. A truck requiring
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more force to accelerate than a bicycle.
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Objects speeding up when force is
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applied.