Newton's Second Law

Part A:

I learned about Newton's Second Law about acceleration and forces. Newton stated that "for a particular force, the acceleration of an object is proportional to the net force and inversely proportional to the mass of the object." In an equation, this would be a=∑F/m, which could also be seen as ∑F=ma. Newton's Second Law provides a concrete connection between force and acceleration. Also, the directions of acceleration and the force are the same. Also, in this unit, we worked with friction a lot. In order to get the net force used in Newton's Second Law, we sometimes need to know friction. There are two types of friction, static and kinetic. Static friction occurs when objects are at rest, and kinetic friction occurs when an object is in motion. With this information, it was possible to solve problems pertaining to forces and acceleration.

What I have found difficult is knowing what equation to use. I find it challenging to set up an equation sometimes because it confuses me on when to set the equation to equal zero or m×a. Once I figure out the correct equation, though, I can solve the problem without much confusion.

I feel that my problem-solving skills are accurate enough to succeed in honors physics. In other words, my problem-solving skills are average. As mentioned in reflection 1, I sometimes get impatient and frustrated when I can't figure out how to solve a problem. I do, however, feel confident in drawing FBDs and solving for the unknown once I have figured out the equation to use. My weaknesses include occasionally forgetting to multiply the mass by 9.8 in order to get the weight of an object, or visa-versa. I do feel, though, that I can solve the majority of problems without a hitch.