Free Newton's Laws of Motion MCQs with Answers

83 Newton's Laws of Motion MCQs from Physics, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.

Newton’s laws explain inertia, the relation between net force and acceleration, and action-reaction pairs. Questions involve free-body diagrams, balanced and unbalanced forces, F = ma, force as the rate of change of momentum, and identifying genuine third-law pairs, which act on different bodies.

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83 questions · page 1 of 5

  • A. Joule
  • B. Watt
  • C. Newton
  • D. Pascal

Explanation: The SI unit of force is the newton (N), defined as the force that accelerates a one-kilogram mass at one metre per second squared.

Correct answer: Newton
  • A. force equals mass times velocity
  • B. force equals the rate of change of momentum
  • C. force equals mass times distance
  • D. force equals momentum times time

Explanation: The general statement is that the net force equals the rate of change of momentum, which reduces to F equal to ma only when the mass is…

Correct answer: force equals the rate of change of momentum
  • A. a net force acting on it in the direction of motion
  • B. zero net force acting on it
  • C. a net force acting opposite to its motion
  • D. an increasing acceleration

Explanation: Uniform velocity means zero acceleration, and by Newton's second law zero acceleration requires zero net force.

Correct answer: zero net force acting on it
  • A. 0.2 m s-2
  • B. 5 m s-2
  • C. 16 m s-2
  • D. 80 m s-2

Explanation: From F equal to ma, the acceleration is 20 divided by 4, which is 5 m s-2.

Correct answer: 5 m s-2
Hard
  • A. act on the same body and cancel out
  • B. act on different bodies and therefore never cancel
  • C. are unequal in magnitude
  • D. act in the same direction

Explanation: The pair is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction but acts on two different bodies, which is why they cannot cancel each other and…

Correct answer: act on different bodies and therefore never cancel
  • A. the acceleration produced by a force
  • B. inertia, the tendency of a body to resist a change in its state of motion
  • C. action and reaction pairs
  • D. the conservation of energy

Explanation: A body continues at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless a resultant force acts, so the law defines what a force actually…

Correct answer: inertia, the tendency of a body to resist a change in its state of motion
  • A. 4 m per second squared
  • B. 100 m per second squared
  • C. 0.25 m per second squared
  • D. 25 m per second squared

Explanation: From F equals ma, the acceleration is 20 divided by 5, giving 4 m per second squared in the direction of the resultant force.

Correct answer: 4 m per second squared
  • A. act on the same body and therefore cancel
  • B. act on two different bodies, so they never cancel each other
  • C. are unequal in magnitude
  • D. act in the same direction

Explanation: Action and reaction are equal and opposite but act on different objects, which is why a book on a table is held up by the table's push…

Correct answer: act on two different bodies, so they never cancel each other
  • A. greater than their true weight
  • B. less than their true weight
  • C. equal to their true weight
  • D. zero

Explanation: The floor must both support the weight and supply the extra upward force to accelerate the person, so the normal reaction, which is what…

Correct answer: greater than their true weight
  • A. the area of contact only
  • B. the normal force pressing them together and the nature of the surfaces
  • C. the speed only, in all cases
  • D. the volume of the bodies

Explanation: Limiting friction is the coefficient of friction multiplied by the normal reaction, and to a good approximation it is independent of the…

Correct answer: the normal force pressing them together and the nature of the surfaces
  • A. Accelerated frame of reference
  • B. Inertial frame of reference
  • C. Non-inertial frame of reference
  • D. None

Explanation: Newton's first law holds in an inertial frame, where a body with no net force remains at rest or moves with constant velocity.

Correct answer: Inertial frame of reference
  • A. 12N, 5N, 20N
  • B. 4N ,2N, 10N
  • C. 10N, 18N
  • D. 12N, 5N, 15N

Explanation: For three forces to produce equilibrium, their magnitudes must be able to form a closed triangle, so the largest force must not exceed the…

Correct answer: 12N, 5N, 15N
  • A. Moving body
  • B. Body is at rest
  • C. Both have not any inertia
  • D. Both have same inertia because inertia depends upon mass only

Explanation: Inertia is the resistance of a body to a change in its state of motion, and it depends on mass rather than whether the body is moving or…

Correct answer: Both have same inertia because inertia depends upon mass only
  • A. Velocity
  • B. Direction
  • C. Mass
  • D. Time

Explanation: Inertia depends only on mass: a greater mass requires a greater force to produce the same change in motion.

Correct answer: Mass
  • A. Energy
  • B. Work
  • C. Inertia
  • D. Momentum

Explanation: Newton's first law states that an object remains at rest or in uniform straight-line motion unless an unbalanced external force acts on…

Correct answer: Inertia
  • A. Newton
  • B. Pound
  • C. Dyne
  • D. None of these

Explanation: The CGS unit of force is the dyne, defined as 1 g cm/s². In SI units the corresponding unit is the newton (N), while the pound is used in…

Correct answer: Dyne
  • A. Newton
  • B. Erg
  • C. Dyne
  • D. Joule

Explanation: In the CGS system, force is measured in dynes, where 1 dyne = 1 g·cm/s².

Correct answer: Dyne
  • A. Electromagnetic Force
  • B. Gravitational Force
  • C. Centripetal Force
  • D. Nuclear Force

Explanation: The mutual force produced by the masses of two bodies is gravitational force, described by Newton's law of gravitation.

Correct answer: Gravitational Force
  • A. More than the true weight
  • B. More or less the true weight
  • C. Less than the true weight
  • D. Equal to the true weight

Explanation: For an upward-accelerating lift, Newton's second law gives N − mg = ma, so the apparent weight is N = m(g + a), which is greater than the…

Correct answer: More than the true weight
  • A. a frame of reference which is either at rest or moves with a constant velocity is called an inertial frame of reference
  • B. an un-accelerated frame of reference is called an inertial frame of reference
  • C. all the frames of reference in uniform rectilinear motion are equivalent
  • D. Newtons laws of motion are valid in an accelerated (non inertial) frame of reference

Explanation: An inertial frame is unaccelerated, so it is either at rest or moving with constant velocity, and all uniformly moving frames are…

Correct answer: Newtons laws of motion are valid in an accelerated (non inertial) frame of reference

Newton's Laws of Motion MCQs: common questions

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