A force (in this case, water) is applied to a waterwheel that turns and lifts a small weight that is attached to a string that is attached to the waterwheel's axle. How do Newton's 3 laws of motion describe this event?
Newton's three laws of motion can be applied to describe the event of a waterwheel being turned by a force and lifting a weight attached to a string. Let's break down each law and see how they apply:
1. Newton's First Law of Motion (Law of Inertia): An object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion, with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force.
In this case, before the force is applied to the waterwheel, it would be at rest. According to Newton's first law, the waterwheel will remain at rest until a force is applied to it.
2. Newton's Second Law of Motion (Law of Acceleration): The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the force applied to it and inversely proportional to its mass.
When the force of the water is applied to the waterwheel, it would cause the waterwheel to accelerate. According to Newton's second law, the acceleration of the waterwheel depends on the force of the water and the mass of the waterwheel. If the force is greater, the waterwheel will accelerate faster. If the mass of the waterwheel is greater, it will accelerate slower.
3. Newton's Third Law of Motion (Law of Action and Reaction): For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
When the water exerts a force on the waterwheel, the waterwheel exerts an equal and opposite force back on the water. This is an example of Newton's third law. The action is the force applied by the water to the waterwheel, and the reaction is the force applied by the waterwheel back onto the water.
Overall, Newton's three laws of motion describe the event by explaining how the waterwheel behaves in response to the force applied by the water, and how the water reacts to the force exerted by the waterwheel.