Newton's laws of motion
Physics' fundamental principles
Newton's laws of motion are three foundational principles of classical physics that describe how objects move and interact with forces.
The first law states that objects remain at rest or in uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force.
The second law relates force, mass, and acceleration (F=ma).
The third law holds that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
These laws, formulated by Isaac Newton in the 17th century, govern most everyday mechanical phenomena and remain essential to physics and engineering.
Strength or compulsion
- pushForce something away
- pullForce toward oneself
- tensionStretched or strained state
- compressionForcing into smaller space
gravity · weight · friction · thrust · pressure · net force · normal force · centripetal
Directed rate of motion
- speedRate of motion
- changeTo make different
- rateMeasured speed or charge
- F=maForce-mass-acceleration relationship
second law · proportional · inverse · net force · mass · direction · magnitude · deceleration
Sudden urge to act
- collisionForceful contact between objects
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- massQuantity of matter
- velocityDirected rate of motion
elastic · inelastic · transfer · change · impact · recoil · angular momentum · linear momentum
Quantity of matter
- restCessation of activity
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
- momentumProduct of mass, velocity
- tendencyInclination toward a behavior
sluggishness · persistence · unchanged · constant velocity · stationary · Galileo · reference frame · passive resistance
Launched airborne object
- freefallUnimpeded downward motion
- terminal velocityMaximum speed during freefall
- orbitCurved celestial path
- rocketPropulsion-driven spacecraft
pendulum · pulley · inclined plane · elevator · car crash · seatbelt · airbag · sports
Laws governing macroscopic motion
- lawsEnforceable societal rules
- principlesFoundational moral beliefs
- Newtonian physicsTraditional laws of motion
- determinismDoctrine of causal necessity
scientific revolution · equations · predictions · macroscopic · universal gravitation
force
Strength or compulsion
compression · gravity · weight · friction · thrust · pressure · net force · normal force · centripetal · action-reaction
velocity
Directed rate of motion
F=ma · second law · proportional · inverse · net force · mass · direction · magnitude · deceleration · speeding up
impulse
Sudden urge to act
- collisionForceful contact between objects
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- massQuantity of matter
velocity · elastic · inelastic · transfer · change · impact · recoil · angular momentum · linear momentum · before and after
mass
Quantity of matter
- restCessation of activity
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
- momentumProduct of mass, velocity
tendency · sluggishness · persistence · unchanged · constant velocity · stationary · Galileo · reference frame · passive resistance
projectile
Launched airborne object
- freefallUnimpeded downward motion
- terminal velocityMaximum speed during freefall
- orbitCurved celestial path
rocket · pendulum · pulley · inclined plane · elevator · car crash · seatbelt · airbag · sports · billiards
classical mechanics
Laws governing macroscopic motion
- lawsEnforceable societal rules
- principlesFoundational moral beliefs
- Newtonian physicsTraditional laws of motion
determinism · scientific revolution · equations · predictions · macroscopic · universal gravitation
Newton's laws of motionquantum mechanics
Physics at nanoscopic scales
general relativity · special relativity · quantum theory · modern physics · Schrödinger equation
Newton's laws of motionHeisenberg uncertainty principle
Fundamental quantum measurement limit
Copenhagen interpretation · quantum superposition · chaos theory
Newton's laws of motionAristotelian physics
Ancient Greek motion theory
animism · vitalism · divine intervention · celestial spheres
Newton, lawful, lawless, bylaws, motion, motions, motive, emotion, emotional