Mechanics

Newton's second law - formula in LaTeX

The net force gives a body an acceleration in the same direction. The arrow comes from \vec; many textbooks set vectors in bold instead (\mathbf{F}). Pick one convention and keep it throughout the document.

\vec{F} = m\vec{a}

LaTeX code

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$$
\vec{F} = m\vec{a}
$$

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What the symbols mean

$\vec{F}$: net force (N)
$m$: mass (kg)
$\vec{a}$: acceleration (m/s²)

A classical mechanics formula - it shows up in kinematics and dynamics problems and in physics lab reports.

Worked example

A 1200 kg car pulls away with an acceleration of 2 m/s². Once numbers go in, the arrows go away: magnitudes are written as plain F and a.

F = m a = 1200\,\mathrm{kg} \cdot 2\,\mathrm{m/s^2} = 2400\,\mathrm{N}

LaTeX commands in this formula

\vec: vector

How to use this formula in LaTeX?

Copy the code with the button above - $$…$$ is centered display math.
Paste it into the CamteX editor, Overleaf or any LaTeX document.
Inside a sentence, use single $…$ instead of double.
The formula works without extra packages.

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