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4 answers
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What does the $F$ in Newton's second law equation mean?

This is a super simple question: does $F$ represent the net force exerted on an object or the force it exerts on another object as a result of momentum? Say a ball is rolling. In this specific ...
user386598's user avatar
0 votes
4 answers
91 views

What are internal and external forces?

what is internal and external force? How do I decide what forces are internal and external? in work-energy theorem and conservation of mechanical energy, do we consider internal, external, or both ...
android's user avatar
  • 91
4 votes
3 answers
614 views

Why isn't work a state function?

I've heard the example, that work is path dependent. But whether I climb a mountain directly or in serpentines, in the end it's the same amount of work, with the one difference that it takes me longer ...
iwab's user avatar
  • 211
0 votes
2 answers
119 views

In physics, what is the difference between a fact and a definition?

For example, I came across this statement: "It is a fact that the components of force are derivatives of potential energy, but it is not a definition." What does this statement mean? I ...
zizaaooo's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
173 views

Definition of generalized force in Lagrangian formalism

In some texts (e.g. Taylor's Classical Mechanics), the generalized force is defined to be (I'll simplify to one particle in one dimension for ease of notation): $Q \equiv \frac{\partial{L}}{\partial{q}...
user1247's user avatar
  • 7,398
0 votes
0 answers
47 views

What exactly is force - apart from "the ability to do work"? [duplicate]

Does force - any kind - have an identity of its own apart from the set of effects it brings about? Or is it just "that which" ... "causes"; does this and that, makes certain ...
Sumwun Yumaynotno's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
66 views

What is difference between normal force and reaction force? [duplicate]

according to my book the perpendicular component of reaction force is called normal force when there is contact between two bodies. I can not understand that how for example when we jump we pushes the ...
user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
175 views

What is normal force and when it acts?

what are contact forces and according to: https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/Lesson-2/Types-of-Forces it says there are 6 types of contact forces. I am having doubt with applied force and ...
user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
56 views

Conditions for a force to be conservative - Does the second condition imply the first? [duplicate]

John Taylor's Classical Mechanics says this... I was wondering if the second condition already implies the first? I mean, are there situations where the first condition is violated even though the ...
user266637's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
404 views

Difference between moment and couple

What is the exact difference between a moment and a couple? In some YouTube channels and books, they say the moment of a force produces a translational as well as rotational motion whereas the concept ...
ARAVINDHAN GK's user avatar
0 votes
5 answers
967 views

What is equilibrium position in a pendulum? Will there be only one equilibrium position in the motion of a pendulum?

Equilibrium position of a pendulum is defined as the position where no external force acts on the body and if no force is applied, it remains at rest. In the image, isn't gravity acting everywhere, ...
TECHY SAN's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
90 views

Relation between Force and Potential in a relativistic context

In a relativistic context we define the four-force as, $$\frac{\mbox{d}}{\mbox{d}s}p=F$$ In the particle frame the four-force must have the form $$F=\left(0,\ \mathbf{f}\right)$$ As it must be ...
vfigueira's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
66 views

Definition of stress (Mechanical Properties of Solids)

See, it's a simple question.What exactly is stress? Is it the restoring force applied by the body in reaction to deformation force or is it the deformation force itself? I had this doubt because in ...
Asmita Kumari's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
87 views

Are the definitions of force and acceleration circular? [duplicate]

Force is defined by acceleration , and acceleration requires the determination of" inertial frames". But an inertial frames also requires the knowledge of forces which requires measuring ...
Gauge's user avatar
  • 93
1 vote
2 answers
557 views

What is actually the clear, precise and world-wide accepted definition of TENSION FORCE?

This is a long post, but only because I have explained the scenario very very clearly,90 percent of this post is explaining you a simple situation,my doubt is only 5-6 lines at the very end of this ...
Aakash's user avatar
  • 161
0 votes
2 answers
102 views

How can work be a function of position when non-conservative forces don't act the same way at each point?

My textbook and wiki/online articles all claim that work is given by the integral $$W=\int_\gamma\vec{F}\boldsymbol{\cdot}\text{d}\vec{s}$$ where the $\text{d}\vec{s}$ is some infinitesimal step along ...
Max0815's user avatar
  • 179
1 vote
2 answers
1k views

What is the difference between work done against gravity and work done by gravity?

Work done "BY" a force,from my understanding,is: •positive when the direction of displacement is same as the direction of force. •negative when the direction of displacement is opposite to ...
Arghya Deb's user avatar
-1 votes
2 answers
99 views

Motivation for definition of work [closed]

Why do we take the dot product in the work energy theorem? Consider the integral $$\int\vert\vec F\vert\vert d\vec r\vert$$ Why don't we define this to be work done for example, instead of $\int\vec F\...
GedankenExperimentalist's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
76 views

${}$Conservative and Non-Conservative Forces

For work done by conservative forces ($W = F.S$), we consider $S$ as the displacement and not the actual path travelled. However for non conservative forces we consider the total path length and not ...
nerdygeek's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
605 views

Why does small work done mean $dw=f.ds$ and why not $dw=df.ds$ and why not $dw=s.df$? [duplicate]

Work, power and energy questions. Why does small work done mean: $$dw=f.ds$$ and why not: $$dw=df.ds$$ and why not: $$dw=s.df \ \ ?$$
instagram viral reels's user avatar
5 votes
6 answers
2k views

What actually is impulse?

In my textbook it is mentioned that “impulse is used to get an idea of about the change in dynamical state of a moving particle”,but what does impulse actually mean?
Ayush Sharma's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
198 views

Work done by non-continuous force

How work done is really understood? I know that $W=F\cdot d$. I am interested in the meaning of force here i.e. Is it a continuous force applied till displacement? like the case of pulling trolley ...
Level1's user avatar
  • 101
-1 votes
3 answers
60 views

Definition on type of work [closed]

A man carries a bag hanging it in his hand and he moves horizontally. The bag does not move up or down. What is the work done on the bag? The man gets tired after some time of the movement. Why?
Samuel Onoso's user avatar
2 votes
4 answers
667 views

The definition of Electric field?

In Raymond Serway's physics textbook, the definition of the electric field vector, was that it's force vector acts on a positive test charge, given as force divided by the test charge: $$\...
amin's user avatar
  • 597
6 votes
9 answers
1k views

Are Newton's laws just definitions?

I have read a bunch of articles online regarding my question but none have helped. Newton's Laws: In an inertial reference frame, an object's momentum doesn't change unless the object is acted upon ...
royaljelly's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
101 views

Meaning of "$=$" in $\vec{F}=m\vec{a}$ (for example)

I don't understand how the two could really be one and the same. E.g. we can exert forces $\vec{F}$ and $-\vec{F}$ on a body and it's acceleration will not change. I don't think it makes sense to say ...
Mebious's user avatar
  • 21
8 votes
5 answers
607 views

Why is torque defined as $\vec{r} \times F$?

Here I cannot convince myself myself that it is units because the torque is defined to be in units of Newton meter is a reiteration of the law stated above. Why was it not $r^2 \times F$ or $r^3 \...
realanswers's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
635 views

Formula for work done for both conservative and non-conservative force are different?

We know that the formula for Work Done by an constant force is W.D = Force x displacement x (cosine of angle between force and displacement). Situation: A mass m travels 10 meters towards  +ve axis ...
csebks's user avatar
  • 1
5 votes
7 answers
2k views

Even at an elementary level, can "force" be defined as "cause of motion"?

In Leçons de physique (Lessons On Physics) (auth. Perez, De Boeck editor) can be found this informal definition of force: "forces are what cause motion". Is this definition accurate? What I ...
Vince Vickler's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
239 views

How exactly IS Newton’s second law verified experimentally?

In R. Shankar’s “Fundamentals of Physics : Vol 1” while discussing Newton’s Second Law of Motion, Prof. Shankar raises the question : how do we know Newton is right? I quote from the book : Take ...
NiceGuy's user avatar
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