Question

When a bus makes a sudden stop. passengers tend to jerk forward. Which of Newton's laws can explain this? a) Newton's First Law b) Newton's Second Law c) Newton's Third Law d) It cannot be explained by Newton's laws.

Short answer

Answer: Newton's First Law (Law of Inertia)

Step-by-step solution

Identifying the phenomenon

The passengers are jerking forward when a bus makes a sudden stop.

Analyzing Newton's First Law

Newton's First Law (Law of Inertia) states that an object will remain in a state of rest or constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force. In the case of the passengers, their initial constant velocity is interrupted by the external force of the bus stopping suddenly, causing them to jerk forward as they continue to move at the initial velocity.

Confirming the correct answer

Based on the analysis of Newton's laws, it is clear that the phenomenon of passengers jerking forward when a bus makes a sudden stop can be explained by Newton's First Law (Law of Inertia). Therefore, the correct answer is: a) Newton's First Law

Key concepts

Newton's First Law

Newton's First Law is often called the Law of Inertia. It is a fundamental principle in physics that explains the behavior of objects at rest and in motion. This law states that an object will remain at rest, or in a state of uniform motion in a straight line, unless a force is applied to it. It highlights the concept that objects will not change their motion unless an external force compels them to do so.

For example, when riding in a bus that suddenly stops, the bus itself is acted upon by the brakes to reduce its speed to zero. However, the passengers inside continue moving forward with the initial speed of the bus momentarily, because their body's inertia wants to maintain constant velocity. This is why we feel that forward jolt in our seats.

Law of Inertia

The Law of Inertia, also part of Newton's First Law, describes the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest. This inherent resistance means that more force is needed to change the motion of an object with greater mass. Essentially, the more massive an object, the more it wants to "stay put" or "keep going".

In practical terms, imagine this scenario with passengers on a bus: As the bus is in motion, both the bus and the passengers are moving at the same velocity. When the bus halts abruptly, it is the brakes that apply an external force to stop the vehicle. However, the passengers, due to inertia, need an external force to bring them to a similar halt—this force could be the seatbelt or the physical seat, which exerts a force in the opposite direction to stop the forward motion initiated by their inertia.

Motion Analysis

Motion analysis helps in understanding how and why objects move the way they do. It involves examining the forces acting upon an object and predicting how these will affect its movement. In the context of the bus scenario, motion analysis considers the force exerted by the bus's brakes which is an external force acting against the motion of the bus.

When analyzing this situation, we focus on the transition from smooth motion to a stop. The passengers' continued forward motion, even as the bus ceases moving, is a classic example of analyzing forces—or the lack thereof—on an object in motion. Before the stop, the passengers' forward motion is balanced and constant due to no unbalanced forces acting on them directly. When the bus stops, these forces become unbalanced due to the abrupt deceleration, and without a counteracting force like a seatbelt in place, the passengers' bodies illustrate the effects predicted by Newton's First Law.