- #1
Girix
Let's say a shovel carrying a pile of dirt is moving right and then make a sudden stop. The dirt then falls off the shovel moving in the same direction as the shovel was moving. This is an example of Newton's first law of motion. For this to happen, the net force must equal 0 on the object, so when does the net force on the object (dirt) equal zero? Is the net force of the dirt pile zero when it is on the shovel? If so, then how would it fall off the shovel if the shovel makes a sudden stop? The net force would equal zero because the applied force is canceled out by the force of friction on the shovel. Or is the net force unequal to zero when it is flung off the shovel, which means the applied force overcomes the frictional force?