is a vector equation that relates the magnitude and direction of the force vector, to the magnitude and direction of the acceleration vector. In the previous lecture we derived expressions for the acceleration vector expressed in cartesian coordinates. This expressions can now be used in Newton's second law, to produce the equations of motion expressed in cartesian coordinates
We will start by studying the motion of a particle. We think of particle as a body which has mass, but has negligible dimensions. Treating bodies as particles is, of course, an idealization which involves an approximation. This approximation may be perfectly acceptable in some situations and not adequate in some other cases. For instance, if we want to study the motion of planets it is common to consider each planet as a particle
In this course we will study Classical Mechanics. Particle motion in Classical Mechanics is governed by Newton's laws and is sometimes referred to as Newtonian Mechanics. These laws are empirical in that they combine observations from nature and some intuitive concepts. Newton's laws of motion are not self evident. For instance, in Aristotelian mechanics before Newton, force was thought to be required in order
