Newton's Second Law

Physical Law

Newton's second law of motion is one of three physical laws that forms the basis for classical mechanics.

Statement of Law

The total force applied on a body is equal to the derivative with respect to time of the linear momentum of the body:

$\mathbf F = \dfrac{\mathrm d}{\mathrm d t} \left({m \mathbf v}\right)$

Also see

• At velocities near the speed of light, see Einstein's Law of Motion.

• Newton's First Law
• Newton's Third Law

Source of Name

This entry was named for Isaac Newton.

As he put it:

"The acceleration produced by a particular force acting on a body is directly proportional to the magnitude of the force and inversely proportional to the mass of the body."

Sources

• Isaac Asimov: Understanding Physics (1966): $\text{I}$: Chapter $3$