Many think they understand Newton's Second Law which mathematically put
asserts that
Force = mass x acceleration
This is not an expression of cause and effect. It is an expression of the equivalence of Force and Inertia (as measured by mass).
It does not imply that force causes acceleration nor that acceleration causes force.
Consider the following:
A heavy ball is suspended by a string from a beam B. The ball is set swinging in a circle, as described by the dashed line in the plan view. Without friction the ball would go on swinging round for ever.
The elevation describes the forces acting on the ball. There are three.
The weight of the ball is balanced vertically by the vertical component Tcosθ of the tension T in the string. The ball is in vertical equilibrium.
Is the ball also in horizontal equilibrium, since it neither gets nearer to nor further from the centre line?
If so what force balances the horizontal component of the string Tsinθ, which is definitely a force acting upon the ball?
asserts that
Force = mass x acceleration
This is not an expression of cause and effect. It is an expression of the equivalence of Force and Inertia (as measured by mass).
It does not imply that force causes acceleration nor that acceleration causes force.
Consider the following:
A heavy ball is suspended by a string from a beam B. The ball is set swinging in a circle, as described by the dashed line in the plan view. Without friction the ball would go on swinging round for ever.
The elevation describes the forces acting on the ball. There are three.
The weight of the ball is balanced vertically by the vertical component Tcosθ of the tension T in the string. The ball is in vertical equilibrium.
Is the ball also in horizontal equilibrium, since it neither gets nearer to nor further from the centre line?
If so what force balances the horizontal component of the string Tsinθ, which is definitely a force acting upon the ball?
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