Written by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 examโขWritten by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Definition
Newton's Second Law states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force applied to it and inversely proportional to its mass. It can be mathematically expressed as F = ma (force equals mass times acceleration).
Related terms
Mass: The amount of matter in an object. It determines how much inertia and resistance to acceleration the object has.