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Mathematics

Newton's Laws: The Rules of Motion

An intuitive exploration of Newton's three laws of motion, illustrating how objects resist change, respond to forces based on their mass, and why forces always occur in pairs.

Inertia: Constant VelocityPuck slides at constant velocity
Fnet=0  ⟹  v=constantF_{net} = 0 \implies v = \text{constant}
Imagine a hockey puck on perfectly smooth ice. If you give it a push, it just keeps gliding forever at the same speed. It keeps doing what it's already doing until something else pushes it.
Step-by-step solver
1

(a) First Law

If the total force on an object is zero, its velocity does not change.

Fnet=0⇒Δv=0F_{net} = 0 \Rightarrow \Delta v = 0
2

(b) Second Law

Acceleration is directly proportional to the net force and inversely proportional to the mass.

F=maF = ma
3

(c) Third Law

Forces between two objects are always equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.

F⃗AB=−F⃗BA\vec{F}_{AB} = -\vec{F}_{BA}

Original question

''Newton's laws animated'

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