Lecture 4

Forces on & in body

 Forces in Nature
1- The gravitational force: (Newton’s laws); these
laws state that there is a force of attraction
between any two objects; our weight is due to
attraction between the earth and our body .
𝑊 = 𝑚. 𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑁𝑒𝑤𝑡𝑜𝑛 = 𝑘𝑔. 𝑚/𝑠 2
Our bones and controlling the contraction of our
muscles, its impact and effects on the given body
are described by Newton’s laws of motion
𝐹 = 𝑚. 𝑎 (𝑁𝑒𝑤𝑡𝑜𝑛 = 𝑘𝑔. 𝑚/𝑠 2
2. The electrical force: The repulsive or attractive
interaction between any two charged bodies is
called as an electric force govern by Coulomb’s law.
Similar to important at molecular and cellular levels
force, e.g. affecting the binding together of cells
3- Nuclear force: Is a force that acts between
the protons and neutrons of atoms. Neutrons and
protons, both nucleons, are affected by the nuclear
force almost identically and short range.
Medical effects of gravitation force
Medical effects of gravitation force is the
formation of varicose vein in the legs as the
venous blood travels against the force of gravity
on it way to the heart and the second effect is
on the bone.
Long term bed rest remove much of the force on
the body weight from bones
 Equilibrium Considerations for the
Human Body
The center of gravity (c.g.) of an erect person with
arms at the side is at approximately 56% of the
person’s height measured from the soles of the feet
(Fig.). The center of gravity shifts as the person
moves and bends. The act of balancing requires
maintenance of the center of gravity above the feet.
A person falls when his center of gravity is displaced
beyond the position of the feet.
When carrying an uneven load, the body tends
to compensate by bending and extending the
limbs so as to shift the cenramter of gravity back
over the feet. For example, when a person
carries a weight in one arm, the other
armswings away from the body and the torso
bends away from the load (Fig.).
This tendency of the body to compensate for
uneven weight distribution often causes
problems for people who have lost an arm, as
the continuous compensatory bending of the
torso can result in a permanent distortion of the
spine. It is often recommended that amputees
wear an artificial arm, even if they cannot
use it, to restore balanced weight distribution.
 skeletal muscles
The skeletal muscles producing skeletal movements
consist of many thousands of parallel fibers wrapped in a
flexible sheath that narrows at both ends into tendons
(Fig). The tendons, which are made of strong tissue, grow
into the bone and attach the muscle to the bone. Most
muscles taper to a single tendon. But some muscles end
in two or three tendons; these muscles are called,
respectively, biceps and triceps. Each end of the muscle is
attached to a different bone. In general, the two bones
attached by muscles are free to move with respect to
each other at the joints where they contact each other.
skeletal muscles
The function of the muscles to pull and not to
push except in the cases of the genital member
and the tongue.
When fibers in the muscle receive an electrical
stimulus from the nerve endings that are
attached to them, they contract. This results in a
shortening of the muscle and a corresponding
pulling force on the two bones to which the
muscle is attached.
To compute the forces exerted by muscles, the
various joints in the body can be conveniently
analyzed in terms of levers. Such a
representation implies some simplifying
assumptions. We will assume that the tendons
are connected to the bones at well-defined
points and that the joints are frictionless.
A lever is a rigid bar free to rotate about a fixed
point called the fulcrum. The position of the
fulcrum is fixed so that it is not free to move with
respect to the bar. Levers are used to lift loads in an
advantageous way and to transfer movement from
one point to another.
There are three classes of levers, as shown in Fig.
1.9. In a Class 1 lever, the fulcrum is located
between the applied force and the load. A crowbar
is an example of a Class 1 lever.
In a Class 2 lever, the fulcrum is at one end of the
bar; the force is applied to the other end; and the
load is situated in between.
A wheelbarrow is an example of a Class 2 lever.
A Class 3 lever has the fulcrum at one end and the
load at the other. The force is applied between
the two ends. As we will see, many of the limb
movements of body are performed by Class 3
levers.
levers
It can be shown from the conditions for
equilibrium that, for all three types of levers, the
force F required to balance a load of weight
W is given by
F = Wd1 / d2
where d1 and d2 are the lengths of the lever
arms, as shown in Fig.
• The mechanical advantage M of the lever is
defined as
M = W /F = d2/d1
the mechanical advantage of a Class 1 lever can be
greater or smaller than one. . In a Class 2 lever, d1 is
always smaller than d2; therefore, the mechanical
advantage of a Class 2 lever is greater than one. The
situation is opposite in a Class 3 lever. Here d1 is
larger than d2; therefore, the mechanical advantage
is always less than one
 The elbow
The two most important muscles producing elbow
movement are the biceps and the triceps (Fig.). The
contraction of the triceps causes an extension,
or opening, of the elbow, while contraction of the
biceps closes the elbow.
In our analysis of the elbow, we will consider the
action of only these two muscles. This is a
simplification, as many other muscles also play a
role in elbow movement. Some of them stabilize
the joints at the shoulder as the elbow moves, and
others stabilize the elbow itself
The elbow
Calculate the force the biceps muscle must exert
to hold the forearm and its load as shown in
previous Figure, and compare this force with the
weight of the forearm plus its load.
the torques created by the weights are
clockwise relative to the pivot, while the torque
created by the biceps is counterclockwise; thus,
the second condition for equilibrium (net τ = 0)
becomes
𝐹𝐵 x r1 = (𝑟2 𝑊𝑎 + 𝑟3𝑥𝑊𝐵 )
𝐹𝐵 = (𝑟2 𝑊𝑎 + 𝑟3𝑥𝑊𝐵 ) /r1
= (16x2.5x10 +38x4x10)/4
FB = 480 N
Now, the combined weight of the arm and its load
is (6.50 kg)(10 m/s2) = 65N ,so that the ratio of the
force exerted by the biceps to the total weight is
480/65 = 7.4
This means that the biceps muscle is exerting a
force 7.4 times the weight supported
 Physics of teeth
• As we grow into adults, our teeth undergo
changes that usually do not concern us, unless
there is pain or expense. Toothaches cause concern,
but most of the time our teeth play passive roles in
our lives. there are many application of physics in
our teeth and jaws, such as forces involved with
biting, chewing, and erosion of teeth.
• Physics of normal teeth, the forces involved in
biting, and the force of bite limited by the jaw
masseter muscles.
• The cross section aria of the incisors vary
from 1mm2 to 2 mm2, the cross section aria of
the molars around 40 mm2
• the maximum force one can exert,
measured at the first molar occlusal surface (
first bicuspid),is about 650N. If the area of
contact is about 10 mm2, the force per unit area
is then nearly 65 N/mm2