Question

State Newton's Second law of motion. Under what conditon does it take the form F = ma?

Answer 1

Newton's second law of motion - The rate of change of momentum of a body is directly proportional to the force applied on it and this change in momentum takes place in the direction of the applied force, i.e.,

`F ∝ (Δp)/(Δt)`

where p denotes momentum and is the change in momentum in time.

When mass m of the body is constant at velocity v (which is much smaller than the velocity of light c) then a rate of change of momentum is:

`F = (Δp)/(Δt) = m (Δv)/(Δt) = ma`

F = ma