For a system made of many individual particles, Newton's second law applies to:

Question

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In a composite system built of many particles, understanding where Newton's second law applies requires distinguishing between the whole system and its constituents.
Option 1: 'any point on the system.' This is misleading because Newton's second law, in the form F = Ma, is most cleanly applied to the motion of the system's center of mass, not to an arbitrary point on the body. While you can analyze motion relative to different reference points, the simple external-force-to-acceleration relationship for the entire system is not defined for every point on the object.
Option 2: 'each particle individually.' Although each particle in the system obeys F = ma, the statement refers to the law for the system as a whole. When dealing with a system, the aggregate effect of all external forces acts on the total mass, producing the acceleration of the center of mass, not just the motion of each particle in isolation.
Option 3: 'the system's centre of mass.' Correct. For a system composed of many particles, the net external force equals the total mass times the acceleration of the center of mass, so Newton's second law applies to the motion of the center of mass as a whole rather than to individual points inside the system. This captures the collective effect of all particles and external forces.
Option 4: 'the point at which the external force is being applied.' While the external force acts at a specific location, Newton's second law for the system uses the center of mass to describe the overall acceleration. The instantaneous point of application is not the defining factor for the law's applicability to the system as a whole.

PHYS1001 (ND) Topic 4 Pre-work Quiz

For a system made of many individual particles, Newton's second law applies to:

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