Practice question · Put in order
Order the standard procedure for solving a dynamics problem.
- Draw a free-body diagram showing every force acting on the object
- Choose axes and resolve each force into components
- Integrate the acceleration to obtain the velocity and the position
- Apply F = ma along each axis to find the acceleration
- Add the components to obtain the net force along each axis
Hints
- You cannot resolve forces you have not yet identified, and you cannot sum components you have not yet resolved.
- Newton's second law is applied component by component, after the summing.
Show the answer
- Draw a free-body diagram showing every force acting on the object
- Choose axes and resolve each force into components
- Add the components to obtain the net force along each axis
- Apply F = ma along each axis to find the acceleration
- Integrate the acceleration to obtain the velocity and the position
Why
The second law is a vector equation, so it is applied one axis at a time, which is why resolving into components comes before summing and before F = ma. Only once the acceleration is known does calculus take over and produce the trajectory.
Practise Newton's Laws and Dynamics
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