Plain English Meaning

If you push on something, how fast it speeds up depends on how hard you push and how heavy it is. A bigger push makes it accelerate faster. A heavier object needs a bigger push to get the same acceleration.

Full Definition

A principle of classical mechanics stating that the acceleration of a body is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass, expressed as Force = Mass × Acceleration (F = ma). In its momentum form, it states that the net force on a body equals the rate of change of its momentum (where momentum is mass times velocity).

Context Anchor

Seen in aerodynamics discussions that explain how thrust, drag, lift, weight, and control inputs change an ’s motion.