Explain Newton's laws of motion

The first law is that an object will remain at a constant velocity or stationary (which is just a constant velocity of zero) unless acted upon by an external force.

Once acted upon by this force, then the second law comes into play. This says that F = ma, or Force equals mass times the acceleration of the object.

The third law is easily stated as every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This means the sizes of the forces on the objects will be the same, but the forces will be in opposite directions.

HM
Answered by Harry M. Physics tutor

4193 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

A car accelerates (at a constant acceleration) from a velocity of 25m/s to 34m/s in 6s. Calculate the cars acceleration.


A car is travelling at 10m/s. It then accelerates at a constant rate.Find the time taken for the car to travel 1km if the car’s final velocity is then 22m/s .


The teacher quickly inverts the can containing boiling water into a bowl of cold water, as shown in the diagram. When the can is inverted in the cold water, the can collapses. Use ideas about particles and pressure to explain why the can collapses.


Explain the process of nuclear fission.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning