This introduction covers The Laws That Run the Universe within Newton's Laws of Motion for GCSE Physics. Revise Newton's Laws of Motion in Forces for GCSE Physics with 24 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 1 of 15 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📖 The Laws That Run the Universe
In 1687, Isaac Newton published three laws that explain virtually ALL motion — from falling apples to orbiting planets to crashing cars. These laws are so fundamental that NASA still uses them to calculate spacecraft trajectories. Law 1: Things keep doing what they're doing unless forced to change. Law 2: Force equals mass times acceleration. Law 3: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Simple to state, but they explain everything!
Practice questions for Newton's Laws of Motion
According to Newton's First Law, what happens to an object when there is no resultant force acting on it?
A spaceship is travelling through deep space far from any planets. The engines are switched off. Explain what will happen to the motion of the spaceship and why.
Quick recall flashcards
Key Concepts
A moment is the turning effect of a force
Key Concepts
Unit: Newton metres (Nm)