Is physics making your life difficult and confusing you with tons of theories and formulas for calculating force? Then you don’t need to worry anymore. We have provided a complete guide on how to calculate force using Newton’s Second Law, along with some examples to help you better understand.
What Is Force?
An action that moves or accelerates a body is called force. In simple words, the action of “pushing” or “pulling” is called force. Force is present everywhere, whether it’s a force applied by the air to move feathers or the gravitational force applied to a falling object. In accordance with physics, force is a vector quantity and has both a magnitude and a direction. We can understand and calculate force using Newton’s Laws of Motion, specifically the Second Law.
Newton’s Second Law Of Motion
The Second law of Newton states that
“The force is equal to the product of Mass and Acceleration.”
In accordance with the above equation, the relation between mass and acceleration is used to measure force. Generally, the greater the object’s mass, the greater the force required to move it.
Formula to Calculate Force
The force formula can be used to calculate the net force acting on a body with mass (m) and acceleration (a).
Where F is the net force acting on the body or the Force applied,
m is the mass of the body,
And a is the acceleration produced.
SI Units
The International System Of Units (SI units) are standardized for every quantity. The SI unit of mass is kilogram (Kg), while the SI unit of acceleration is meter per second square (m/s2). When we combine both these units, we get the SI unit of Force, which is Newton and is denoted by (N) and is equal to kg. m/s2.
| Note: It is important to convert all the values according to the SI units to obtain the correct resultant values. |
How To Calculate Force
We have provided some examples for you to measure Force and gain help in using the formula properly.
Example no 1
Calculate the Force required to move an object of mass 15 kg from its rest position to 5 m/s2.
m = 15 kg
a = 5 m/s2
F =?
F = m × a
F = 15 kg × 5 m/s2
F = 75 N
Example no 2
Find the Force that is required for a kid to accelerate an 800g toy car to 120 m/s2.
m = 800g m = 800g ÷ 1000 = 0.8 kg
a = 120 m/s2
F =?
F = 0.8kg × 120 m/s2
F = 96 N
Example no 3
We can also calculate the mass or acceleration by Newton’s second law. To calculate either of them, rearrange the formula according to the given data and convert the values if necessary.
What is the acceleration of an object of 500kg pushed by applying 9500 N of Force?
m = 500kg
F = 9500 N
a = ?
F = ma
a = F/m
a = 9500N ÷ 500kg
a = 19 m/s2
FAQs
Q: How to calculate force having no acceleration?
To calculate the force having no acceleration, we are still going to use the formula of force F=ma. In such cases, the net force is equal to zero.
Q: How much force is equal to 1 kg?
9.80665 N is equal to 1 kg as it is a weight of kg under standard gravity.
Q: Is mass and weight the same?
Mass and weight are two different things. Mass is the amount of matter present in a body, while weight is the gravitational force acting on an object.
Q: Is force a vector quantity?
Yes, force is a vector quantity as it has both a magnitude and direction.
Wrap Up
Force is a quantity present in every aspect of life. We can calculate force using different formulas, but here, we have discussed only Newton’s second formula, F=ma. I hope this article was helpful enough, and now you know how to calculate force.
