Changes in Motion

Force: an action exerted on an object that may change the object’s

state of rest or motion.
-Forces can cause accelerations.
A force exerted on an object can change the object’s velocity with
respect to time. A force can cause a stationary object to move. Force
can also causes moving objects to stop. A force can also cause moving
object to change direction.
The SI unit of force is Newton.
-Forces can act through contact or at a distance.
Field forces does not involve physical contact between two objects. One
example of this kind of force is gravitational force. Earth exerts a force
on the object even when Earth is not in immediate physical contact
with the object.
The theory of fields, according to the theory, masses create
gravitational fields in the space around them. An object falls to Earth
because of the interaction between the object’s mass and earth’s
gravitational field.
Force Diagrams
The acceleration of the car depends on the force’s magnitude. The
direction in which the car moves depends in the direction of the force.
-Force is a vector
Because the effect of a force depends on both magnitude and direction,
force is a vector quantity.
-A free-body diagram helps analyze a situation
A free-body diagram is used to analyze only the force affecting the
motion of a single object. Free-body diagrams are constructed and
analyzed just like other vector diagrams.
Questions:
Why is force a vector quantity?
Because the effect of a force depends on both magnitude and direction.

What is the SI unit for force?

Newton.

What is a free-body diagram?

Is used to analyze only the forces affecting the motion of a single object.