Newton's Laws of Motion Quiz

What does Newton's First Law of Motion state?

• An object in motion will eventually stop unless acted upon by a force.

• An object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an external force.

• For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

• Force equals mass times acceleration.

Answer explanation

Newton's First Law states that an object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion continues in motion at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force. This is accurately described in the correct answer.

Which of the following is an example of Newton's First Law?

• A car accelerating when the gas pedal is pressed.

• A book remaining on a table until someone moves it.

• A rocket launching into space.

• A ball thrown into the air coming back down.

Answer explanation

Newton's First Law states that an object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by an external force. A book remaining on a table until someone moves it exemplifies this law, as it stays still without any force applied.

According to Newton's Second Law, what is the formula for force?

Answer explanation

According to Newton's Second Law, force (F) is defined as the product of mass (m) and acceleration (a), represented by the formula F = ma. This makes the first choice the correct answer.

What does Newton's Third Law of Motion state?

• An object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon by a force.

• Force equals mass times acceleration.

• For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

• An object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an external force.

Answer explanation

Newton's Third Law of Motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This means that forces always occur in pairs, making the correct choice the one that describes this principle.

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates Newton's Third Law?

• A car accelerating on a highway.

• A person pushing against a wall and the wall pushing back with equal force.

• A ball rolling down a hill.

• A satellite orbiting the Earth.

Answer explanation

Newton's Third Law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When a person pushes against a wall, the wall exerts an equal force back, perfectly illustrating this principle.

What is inertia?

• The tendency of an object to change its state of motion.

• The tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion.

• The force required to move an object.

• The acceleration of an object due to gravity.

Answer explanation

Inertia is defined as the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion. This means that an object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an external force.

Which of the following is an application of Newton's First Law?

• A rocket launching into space.

• A car stopping suddenly and the passengers lurching forward.

• A ball thrown into the air coming back down.

• A person swimming in a pool.

If a force of 20 N is applied to a 4 kg object, what is the acceleration of the object?

Answer explanation

To find acceleration, use Newton's second law: F = ma. Rearranging gives a = F/m. Here, a = 20 N / 4 kg = 5 m/s². Thus, the correct answer is 5 m/s².

Which of the following is an example of Newton's Second Law?

• A book resting on a table.

• A car accelerating when the gas pedal is pressed.

• A person sitting in a chair.

• A ball rolling at a constant speed.

Answer explanation

Newton's Second Law states that force equals mass times acceleration (F=ma). A car accelerating when the gas pedal is pressed demonstrates this law, as the force from the engine causes the car to speed up.