Sir Isaac Newtons three laws of motion describe the relationship between the motion of an object and the forces acting on it. The three laws can be paraphrased as follows:
- A body remains at rest, or in motion at a constant speed in a straight line, unless acted upon by a force.
- When a body is acted upon by a force, the time rate of change of its momentum equals the force.
- If two bodies exert forces on each other, these forces have the same magnitude but opposite directions.
Newton's first law is also known as the law of inertia, which states that if a body is at rest or moving at a constant speed in a straight line, it will remain at rest or keep moving in a straight line at constant speed unless acted upon by a force. Newton's second law states that the acceleration of an object depends on the mass of the object and the amount of force applied. Finally, Newton's third law states that for every action (force) in nature, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
