What is FORCE?

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You have probably heard the
word "force" before in conversations.
Here are a few examples: "the rocket had a
lot of force at blast off" or "the force of the
storm blew the roof off the building.“
Force is defined as a push or pull on an
object.
When you ride a bike, your
foot pushes against the When an apple falls from
pedal. The push makes the a tree, it is pulled to the
ground by gravity.
wheels of the bike move.
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Forces affect how objects move. They may
cause motion; they may also slow, stop, or
change the direction of motion of an object
that is already moving.
Since force cause changes in the speed or
direction of an object, we can say that
forces cause changes in velocity.
Remember that acceleration is a change in
velocity. So forces cause acceleration.
 Remember the following
things about forces:
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Forces are measured in Newtons (N).
Forces act in pairs.
Forces act in a particular direction.
Forces usually cannot be seen, but their
effects can.
 Types of Forces
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There are several types of forces that act
on you and objects around you all the
time. There are two main groups of forces:
contact forces and distance forces.
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 Balanced Forces

Often, more than one force can act upon
an object at a time, and the forces can
push or pull in any direction. What
happens to the object when forces act
upon it depends on the following two
things:
The strength of the forces
The direction of the forces
When more than one force acts on an object, the
forces combine to form a net force.
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The combination of all the forces acting on an
object is the net force.
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If two forces of equal strength act on an
object in opposite directions, the forces
will cancel, resulting in a net force of zero
and no movement. Two or more opposite
forces are balanced forces if their effects
cancel each other and they do not cause a
change in an object's motion.

 Incorrect. This picture
does not show
balanced forces. In
order for a force to be
balanced, they must be
equal and in the
opposite direction.
These forces are equal,
but are not opposite.
The two forces are
working together.
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 Incorrect. This picture
does not show
balanced forces. In
order for a force to be
balanced, they must be
equal and in the
opposite direction.
These forces are
opposite, but they are
not equal.
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 Correct. This picture
shows balanced forces.
In order for a force to
be balanced, they must
be equal and in the
opposite direction.
 Unbalanced Forces
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If the effects of the forces do not cancel
each other, or if one force is stronger than
the other, the forces are unbalanced forces.
Unbalanced forces cause a change in
motion, speed, and/or direction.
 When two forces act in the same direction
on an object, the net force is equal to the sum
of the two forces.
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In the example below, the net force would
be 900 Newtons (450 + 450 = 900), and the
object would move to the right.
When two unequal forces act in opposite
directions on an object, the net force is the
difference of the two forces.
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In the example below, the net force would
be 50 Newtons (500 - 450 = 50), and the
object would move to the left because the
force pulling to the left is greater.
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 Net Force = Mass times
Acceleration
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Isaac Newton, whom you have learned
about in other lessons, studied the motion
of objects. He developed three laws of
motion, which are now called Newton's
laws of motion.
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In Newton's second law of motion, he
described the relationship of force, mass,
and acceleration mathematically. Force
can be calculated by multiplying the mass
of an object by the acceleration of the
object.
The formula is:
Net Force= (mass)(acceleration) or F = ma
 
In honor of Newton's contribution to the
understanding of force and motion, the
standard unit of force is called the newton
(N). A newton is defined as the amount of
force that it takes to accelerate one
kilogram (1 kg) of mass one meter per
second squared (1 m/s2). So 1 N is the
same as 1 kg • m/s2.
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When solving net force problems, make
sure that the mass in in kilograms and the
unit for acceleration is m/s2.
If you are given the mass in grams, make
sure and convert to kilograms (move the
decimal three places to the left.) For
example,
5g = .005kg
 Practice Problem 1
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 What force is needed to accelerate a 10 kg shopping
cart 3 m/s2?

F = ma
F = 10kg • 3 m/s2
F = 30 kg • m/s2 or 30
N
 Practice Problem 2
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 The Space Shuttle has a lift off mass of 2,041,000 kg
and accelerates at a rate of 16 m/s2. Calculate the
force (thrust) that is accelerating the Space Shuttle.

F = ma
F = 2,041,000 kg • 16 m/s2
F = 32,656,000 kg • m/s2 or
32,656,000 N
 Practice Problem 3
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 A person on a scooter is accelerating 2 m/s2. If the
person has a mass of 50,000 g, how much force is
acting on that person?

In this problem the mass is in grams so you

must convert to kg first.
50,000 g = 50 kg
F = ma
F = 50 kg • 2 m/s2
F = 100 kg • m/s2 or 100 N
 Challenge Problem
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 Which of the following requires more force?
Moving a 500 kg box at an acceleration of 1 m/s2

Or
Moving a 50 kg box at an acceleration of 1 m/s2
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 Calculate the force needed to move each box.
F = ma
F = 500kg • 1 m/s2
F = 500 kg • m/s2 or 500 N

F = ma
F = 50kg • 1 m/s2
F = 50 kg • m/s2 or 50 N

So we can say the greater the objects mass, the greater the
force needed to move the object.