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II: Kinematics

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    164545

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    • Chapter 2: Newton’s first law
      This page explains Newton's first law of motion, highlighting inertia as the resistance of objects to changes in motion, affected by mass. It emphasizes that heavier objects have more inertia and discusses the difference between mass and weight. The concept of force is introduced as a vector quantity that alters motion, measured in newtons.
    • Chapter 3: Linear motion
      This page provides a comprehensive overview of kinematics, covering linear motion, path versus displacement as scalar and vector quantities, and the distinctions between average and instantaneous speed and velocity. It explains how acceleration affects motion, including constant and variable acceleration, with examples and equations of motion under constant acceleration.
    • Chapter 4: Newton’s second law
      This page covers Newton's second law of motion and the four fundamental forces: gravity, electromagnetism, strong force, and weak force. It explains how these forces interact with mass and acceleration, emphasizing key concepts like friction, inertia, and weight differences. The page also includes calculations of net force and gravitational effects while presenting hands-on experiments to illustrate air resistance and electromagnetic forces.
    • Chapter 5: Newton’s third law
      This page explains Newton's third law, highlighting that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, which is evident in everyday activities like walking and rocket propulsion. It discusses how identifying action-reaction pairs enhances understanding of motion. The page also covers the significance of defining system boundaries in physics, using examples like a horse and cart to illustrate how external forces affect motion.
    • Chapter 6: Momentum
      This page covers fundamental concepts of momentum and impulse, defined as inertia in motion and influenced by mass and velocity. It examines experiments on impulse and conservation of momentum, illustrating impacts in various collision scenarios, distinguishing between elastic and inelastic collisions. Practical applications, such as safer landing techniques and collision engineering (like airbags), underscore the relevance of momentum conservation and the effects of impact time on force.
    • Chapter 7: Work and energy
      This page covers the concepts of work and energy, defining energy as the capacity to do work and emphasizing the principle of energy conservation. It explains different energy forms, mechanical energy conservation, and the distinction between elastic and inelastic collisions. The work-energy theorem and power are introduced, alongside an exploration of simple machines and their mechanical advantage.
    • Chapter 8: Rotational motion
      This page covers the fundamentals of rotational motion, differentiating it from translational motion and introducing key concepts like rotational speed, tangential velocity, and rotational inertia. It explains torque and its significance in rotational dynamics, as well as the importance of mechanical equilibrium in terms of net force and torque.
    • Chapter 9: Gravity
      This page explores gravity as a fundamental force influencing weight and motion, detailing the relationship between mass and gravitational attraction. It describes how apparent weight changes with motion, such as in elevators, and introduces the inverse-square law. Newton's law of universal gravitation is discussed, including its formula and the effects of Earth's shape on gravitational force.
    • Chapter 10: Projectile and satellite motion
      This page covers projectile motion and satellite orbits, highlighting key principles such as the optimal launch angle of 45 degrees for maximum range and the effects of gravity on vertical movements. It explains kinematic calculations for projectiles and introduces satellite orbits, detailing Kepler's laws and the relationship between a planet's orbit and its distance from the sun.

    Thumbnail: Billiard balls on billiard table. (Unsplash License; Joey Genovese via Unsplash)

    This page titled II: Kinematics was last modified on Wed, 14 Oct 2026 20:59:25 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Alyssa J. Pasquale, David R. Fazzini, and Carley Bennett via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.