What is Newton's second law?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When approaching a question about Newton's laws, it helps to match each option to the fundamental statements.
Option a: 'The acceleration of the object is proportional to the net force and inversely proportional to its mass' aligns exactly with Newton's second law, F = m a, which states that acceleration is directly proportional to net force and inversely proportional to mass. This describes how force and mass determine how quickly an object speeds up.
Option b: 'An object remains at rest or moves at a constant velocity when the net force is zero' describes Newton's first law (the law of inertia), not Newton's second law. It emphasizes equilibrium in the absence of net force rather than the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration.
Option c: 'If two objects interact, each exerts a force of the same magnitude and opposite direction to the other object' captures Newton's third law about action-reaction pairs, not about how force causes acceleration given mass. It’s about pairwise forces, not the acceleration-m with mass relation.
Option d: 'The reaction force is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the action force' again states the third law concept of action-reaction forces being equal and opposite, not the quantitative link between force, mass, and acceleration that defines the second law.
Thus, evaluating each choice against the core definitions clarifies that only option a expresses Newton's second law in its standard form.

UCIC 202503 PHYS101 Quiz 2

What is Newton's second law?

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