To calculate the acceleration due to gravity at Earth's surface using Newton's second law of motion, you need to know the force acting on an object and the mass of the object.
Newton's second law of motion states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass. Mathematically, it can be expressed as:
F = m * a
Where: F is the net force acting on the object, m is the mass of the object, and a is the acceleration of the object.
In the case of an object near the Earth's surface, the force acting on it is due to gravity. The force of gravity can be calculated using the equation:
F = m * g
Where: g is the acceleration due to gravity.
By comparing the two equations, you can see that the force of gravity acting on an object near Earth's surface is equal to its mass multiplied by the acceleration due to gravity:
m * g = m * a
Since the mass cancels out on both sides of the equation, you find that the acceleration due to gravity at Earth's surface is equal to g:
g = a
Therefore, the acceleration due to gravity at Earth's surface is approximately 9.8 meters per second squared (m/s^2).