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Define Newton's Second Law.
An object's acceleration is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass.
What is 'net force'?
The vector sum of all forces acting on an object.
Define 'acceleration'.
The rate of change of velocity of an object with respect to time.
What is 'mass'?
A measure of an object's resistance to acceleration (inertia).
Define 'external force'.
A force that originates from outside the system being considered.
Define Newton's Second Law.
The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass: $\vec{a}_{sys} = \frac{\sum \vec{F}}{m_{sys}}$
What is 'net force'?
The vector sum of all forces acting on an object or system. It determines the acceleration of the object.
Define acceleration in the context of Newton's Second Law.
The rate of change of velocity of an object, directly proportional to the net force and inversely proportional to the mass.
What are unbalanced forces?
When the net force acting on a system is not zero, causing the system to accelerate in the direction of the net force.
Define 'net external force'.
The sum of all forces acting on a system from outside the system, determining if the velocity of the system's center of mass will change.
What is the effect of an unbalanced force?
Causes the system to accelerate in the direction of the net force.
What is the effect of doubling the net force on an object?
The object's acceleration doubles, assuming mass remains constant.
What is the effect of doubling the mass of an object, with the same net force applied?
The object's acceleration is halved.
What happens when the net external force on a system is zero?
The system's center of mass maintains a constant velocity (or remains at rest).
What is the effect of friction on a moving object?
Friction opposes the motion, resulting in a net force that is reduced, and thus a smaller acceleration.