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Force and Motion: Facts
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Model
Motion makes the world go 'round. Motion
makes the moon go 'round too. In fact, motion
makes lots of things go. When we think of
motion we often think of cars, bicycles, kids
running, basketballs
bouncing and airplanes
flying. But motion is so
much more. Motion is
important to our lives and impacts so
many things that we do. Motion is the
changing of position or location. But motion
requires a force to cause that change. Let's
learn about force and motion and the effects of
these physical laws in our world.
What is Force?
Falling
Force is just a fancy
word for pushing or
pulling. If I push on
something or pull on
it, then I am applying a
force to it. Force makes
things move or, more
accurately, makes things change their motion.
Two natural forces that we have experienced
are the force of gravity and magnetic forces
magnetic forces.
These two forces act at a distance and do not
require direct contact between the objects to
function. Gravity produces a force that pulls
objects towards each other, like a person
towards the ground. It is the force that keeps
the Earth revolving around the sun and it's what
pulls you toward the ground when you trip. See
Science Trek's site on Gravity.
Magnet
Magnetism produces a
force that can either pull
opposite ends of two
Helen’s frozen class
magnets together or push the matching ends
apart. A magnet also attracts objects made of
metal.
Types Of Contact Forces
There are 6 kinds of forces which act on objects
when they come into contact with one another.
Remember, a force is either a push or pull. The
6 are:
normal force
applied force
frictional force
tension force
spring force
resisting force
Normal Force
Book
A book resting on a
table has the force of
gravity pulling it toward
the Earth. But the book is
not moving or accelerating, so there must be
opposing forces acting on the book. This force is
caused by the table and is known as the normal
force. You can “see” the normal force in some
situations. If you place a thin piece of wood or
plastic (a ruler works) so that it is supported by
both ends (by books perhaps) and place a small
heavy object in the center, the piece of wood
will bend. Of course it wants to straighten out
so it exerts an upward force on the object. This
upward force is the normal force. You can feel
the force yourself if you push down in the
center of the piece of wood. The harder you
push, the more the wood bends and the harder
it pushes back.
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Applied Force
Moving Chair Resisting Forces
Applied force refers Leaf
to a force that is Resisting force, like
applied to an object air resistance or
such as when a friction, change
person moves a motion. Whether the forces
piece of furniture actually stop or slow something depends upon
across the room or your point of view. Air friction makes a leaf
pushes a button on travel along in the wind. When you pick up a
the remote control. pencil, it's friction with your fingers that gets
A force is applied. the pencil in motion. In each case, the friction
makes the two things (like the air and the leaf)
Frictional Force move together.
Fan
Frictional force is the What is Inertia?
force caused by two Inertia is actually not a force at all, but rather a
surfaces that come property that all things have due to the fact that
into contact with they have mass. The more mass something has
each other. Friction the more inertia it has. You can think of inertia
can be helpful as in as a property that makes it hard to push
the friction that something around.
allows a person to walk
across the ground without sliding or it can be What is Friction?
destructive such as the friction of moving parts
in a motor that rub together over long periods
of time.

Tension Force
Wire Toy Train
Tension force is the Friction is a force that happens when objects
force applied rub against one another. Say you were pushing
to a cable or a toy train across the floor. It doesn't take much
wire that is effort or force, because the toy is light. Now say
anchored on you try to push a real train. You probably can't
opposite ends to opposing walls or other do it because the force of friction between the
objects. This causes a force that pulls equally in train and the ground is more intense. The
both directions. heavier the object, the stronger the force of
friction.

Spring Force Velocity

Wire Spring Car
The spring force is the
force created by a
compressed or stretched spring.
Depending upon how the spring is attached, it
can pull or push in order to create a force.
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Velocity is the speed of an object in one Newton's Second Law

direction. If an object turns a corner, it changes
its velocity because it is no longer moving in its Blue Two Newton's second
original direction. law of motion states that a
force, acting on an object, will
Newton's Laws of Motion change its velocity by
Newton changing either its speed or
Some consider Sir Isaac its direction or both.
Newton to be the greatest If your basketball goes rolling into the street
English mathematician of and is hit by a bike, either the ball will change
his time and perhaps one direction or its speed or both. It will also be true
of the greatest scientists for the bike.
the world has known.
According to a story, Newton's Third Law
Newton saw an apple fall
to the ground and he Blue Three
figured out that the same The third law is probably
force which caused the apple to fall also the best known of
governed the motion of the Moon and the Newton's laws. It states
planets. In 1687 Newton published his three that for every force and
laws of motion in the “Principia Mathematica action, there is an equal
Philosophiae Naturalis.” His three laws and opposite reaction.
explained how the concepts of force and
motion work. This is what causes a cannon to recoil when it
fires. The 'kick' from the firing of the
ammunition is what makes the cannon jump
Blue One backwards.
Newton's First Law

Newton's first law of motion

states: A body in motion
tends to remain in motion,
a body at rest tends to
remain at rest unless acted
on by an outside force.

Satellite
So, if an object is moving
– its inertia (mass) will
tend to keep it in motion,
and if something is at
rest, its inertia will tend to
keep it at rest.
.