In today's free Physics 1 video on Newton's Second Law, Professor Pollock uses an air track to demonstrate once more Newton's First Law: basically an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion. If you haven't seen one before, an air track is a structure where air is pumped through a hollow track with holes along it that allows air track carts to glide relatively friction-free. The concept is similar to an air hockey table as the air removes friction so objects move more freely. With the track he shows that when you add force to an object you increase its acceleration. Weights are then added to the cart to demonstrate acceleration is inversely proportional to mass. The goal of all these demonstrations is to prove Newton's Second Law, an equation, F = ma, which explains why objects accelerate and is the centerpiece of Physics 1. ![]()
Physics 1: Introduction to Newton's Second Law
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