Why “F = ma” is the most important equation in physics
From high school through the professional ranks, physicists never tire of Newton’s 2nd Law.
If there’s one equation that people learn about physics — and no, not Einstein’s E = mc² — it’s Newton’s F = ma. Despite the fact that it’s been in widespread use for some ~350 years now, since Newton first put it forth in the late 17th century, it rarely makes the list of most important equations. Yet it’s the one that physics students learn more than any other at the introductory level, and it remains important as we advance: through our undergraduate educations, through graduate school, in both physics and engineering, and even when we move on to engineering, calculus, and some very intense and advanced concepts.
F = ma, despite its apparent simplicity, keeps on delivering new insights to those who study it, and has done so for centuries. Part of the reason for why it’s so undervalued is because it’s so ubiquitous: after all, if you’re going to learn anything about physics, you’re going to learn about Newton, and this very equation is the key statement of Newton’s 2nd law. In addition, it’s just three parameters — force, mass, and acceleration — related through an equals sign. While it might seem like there’s very little to it, the truth is that there’s a fantastic world…
