Newton's Second Law of Motion

The Newton's Second Law Video Tutorial discusses Newton's Second Law of motion. The relationship between acceleration and net force and acceleration and mass are explained in detail using words, equations, and numerical data. The magnitude and direction of the acceleration and their dependency upon mass and net force are detailed.

The video lesson answers the following questions:

1. What claims does Newton’s second law make regarding the acceleration of objects?
2. How can Newton’s second law be used to make comparisons of acceleration values, to predict an acceleration value, or to predict how an object will move?

Video

You can watch the video below, or click here to watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab).

To improve the effectiveness of the learning experience, The Physics Classroom has provided the following tools:

Additional and Related Learning Tools

Concept Builder: Net Force (and Acceleration) Ranking Tasks
Students love Concept Builders. They provide a great way to solidify your learning on a topic. This one will cause you to think hard about the effects of net force and mass upon acceleration. There are varying levels of difficulty and instant feedback ... and hopefully plenty of dataways.

Concept Builder: Newton's Second Law - Equations as a Guide to Thinking
Let the equation be your guide as you predict the acceleration that results from a change in net force, a change in mass, or a change in both. Like all our Concept Builders, feedback is provided to your answers and there is a Help buton with question-specific help.

Concept Builder: Fnet = m•a
Use Newton's second law equation to drag out a force of a specific strength and in a specific direction in order to give an object a specified acceleration. When you're done, click a button and see how you did.

Minds On Physics, Part 2: Newton's Laws Module, Missions NL7-NL8
If you're serious about learning Physics, there may be no better tool than Minds On Physics. This rigorous program is available on phones and tablets and will give you the workout you need to strengthen your Physics muscles.

Physics Classroom Tutorial - Newton's Laws Chapter, Lesson 3: Newton's Second Law
Our wirtten Tutorial is a reliable location to quickly brush up on a topic. Our Newton's Second Law page complements this video very nicely.

Teacher Resources

Teacher Toolkits: Newton's Second Law
Teacher Toolkits provide teachers a collection of annotated links to vetted resources on the internet that are standards-based and multimedia reliant. This particular Toolkit is on Newton's Second Law and should assist a teacher in finding resources for planning lessons that are next steps to this video.

Curriculum Corner: Newton's Laws Chapter
The Curriculum Corner provides classroom-ready Think Sheets that fuel great in-class discussions. The think sheets on Newton's Second Law of Motion, Net Force and Acceleration, and Newton's Second Law might be great follow-ups to this video tutorial.

Physics Interactive: Force
Our Interactives section provides short simulations that allow students to manipulate a variable and observe its impact upon a motion. This one is perfect for helping students view the connection between mass, net force, and the resulting acceleration. It comes with two classroom-ready activity sheets.

Concept Builder: Net Force (and Acceleration) Ranking Tasks
Students love Concept Builders. Teachers do also. They provide a great way to solidify your learning on a topic. This one will cause students to think hard about the effects of net force and mass upon acceleration. There are varying levels of difficulty and instant feedback ... and hopefully plenty of dataways.

Concept Builder: Newton's Second Law - Equations as a Guide to Thinking
Students use the Newton's Second Law equation as a guide to thinking in order to predict the acceleration that results from a change in net force, a change in mass, or a change in both. Like all our Concept Builders, feedback is provided to student answers and there is a Help buton with question-specific help.

Concept Builder: Fnet = m•a
Students use the Newton's second law equation to drag out a force of a specific strength and in a specific direction in order to give an object a specified acceleration. When done, a click of a button will provide feedback. There are three levels of difficulty to allow you to differentiate to the needs of all learners.

Minds On Physics, Part 2: Newton's Laws Module, Missions NL7-NL8
For serious learners of Physics, Minds On Physics will provide a rigorous mental challenge. This program is available on phones and tablets and will give students the workout they need to strengthen your Physics muscles and wrap their mind securely around concepts.

Physics Classroom Tutorial - Newton's Laws Chapter, Lesson 3: Newton's Second Law
Our written Tutorial is a reliable location to quickly brush up on a topic. Our Newton's Second Law page complements this video very nicely. Teachers often include a link to our Tutorial on their course page.

Lesson Notes

Download (opens in a new tab) or view below

Slides

Do you like the slides we used? They are available in our low cost Teacher Presentation Pack, along with other updated materials used in our presentation.