Home › AP Physics C: Mechanics › Physics › Newton's Laws of Motion › When a situation involves more than one object, …
When a situation involves more than one object, it is important to analyse the motion of:
AEach part in isolation
BThe whole system
COnly the largest part
DOnly the smallest part
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. The whole system
1. Multi-object problems need the right choice of system.
2. Newton's laws apply to a defined system.
3. When a situation involves more than one object, it is important to define the system.
4. The motion of a whole system is analysed, not its elements.
5. That analysis is based on external forces on the system.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics for AP Courses 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 4 'Dynamics: Force and Newton's Laws of Motion', sections 4.1-4.8_
Related questions
Doubling the mass while holding the net force fixed changes the acceleration to:Doubling the net external force on a fixed mass changes the acceleration to:The velocity of the centre of mass of a system changes only if there is:Contact forces such as tension, friction and the normal force are said to result from:Combining the two proportionalities for acceleration yields which law?Acceleration is described as exactly linearly proportional to which quantity?Acceleration is described as exactly inversely proportional to which quantity?Inertial mass is described as a property of an object or a: