Why is “F = ma” still the most important equation in physics?

From high school through the professional ranks, physicists still take incredible lessons away from Newton’s second law.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• What seems like a simple, three-letter equation contains an enormous amount of information about our Universe.

  
  

• The physics within it is vital for understanding all of motion, while the mathematics is the most important application of calculus to our reality.

  
  

• By thinking about it properly, this equation can even lead us to relativity, and remains eternally useful to physicists of all levels.