FORCES

FORCE
• a push or pull acting on an object
• typically measured in Newtons (kg•m/s 2)
• is a vector
• can be combined to predict motion net force
• Soccer Simulation
 TYPES OF FORCES
• Non-Contact Forces
• Gravity

• Contact Forces • Electromagnetic

• Applied

• Normal

• Friction

• Air Resistance

• Tension

• Spring
 APPLIED FORCE
• any push or pull on an object created from another source (person,
animal, another object, etc.)
 NORMAL FORCE

• the support force exerted on an

object directly related to weight
(gravity) Gravity
Gravity
• consequence of Newton’s 3rd Law
• is always perpendicular to the ox
0
Box 90 90
0
B
surfaces in contact on i
i ct
Fr
Normal
m al
Force r
No rce
Fo
 FRICTION

• exerted by a surface as an object moves

across it or attempts to move across it
• opposes the motion of an object
In which
• depends on the type direction and the
of surfaces
is the force (friction)
normal force (weight)
vector pointing?
• Types
• Kinetic Motion
• Static

Friction
• Friction is the force that opposes motion
between two surfaces that are touching each
other.
• Friction depends on the type of surfaces that
are being pressed together and the force at
which they are pressed together.
• Example: Friction between your shoes and
the floor is what allows us to walk! If there
was no friction, you would be constantly
slipping and falling!
• You can have rolling, sliding, and static friction.

• Static friction is friction between two solid objects that are

not moving relative to each other. The static friction force
must be overcome by an applied force before an object can
move.
• Rolling friction is the resistive force that slows down the
motion of a rolling ball or wheel. This type of friction is
typically a combination of several friction forces at the
point of contact between the wheel and the ground or other
surface.
• Sliding friction is the friction between moving surfaces.
WHAT TYPE OF FRICTION
NOT IS THIS?
MOVING


 AIR RESISTANCE

• friction due to air molecules

• acts upon objects as they travel through the air
• opposes the motion of an object
• most noticeable for objects traveling at fast
speeds
• Examples
• Space shuttle re-entry
• Meteorite in Freehold
• Meteor over Russia
 MINIMIZING AIR RESISTANCE
(DRAFTING)

• used in variety of competitive

events (bicycle and car racing,
Notice how the second biker
swimming, etc.) to reduce air
experiences less air
resistance resistance because he is
shielded by the first biker.
Image taken from:
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-19166035

Although it does not work

exactly the same way, where
is these seen in nature?
 TENSION
• force that is transmitted through a string, rope,
cable or wire when it is PULLED tight by forces
acting from opposite ends
• directed along the length of the wire and PULLS
equally on the objects on the opposite ends of the
wire
 SPRING
• force exerted by a compressed or stretched spring
upon any object that is attached to it
• for most springs, the magnitude of the force is
directly proportional to the amount of stretch or
compression of the spring

If both springs are the same

size when not compressed, which
spring will apply more force to
the ball when released? Explain
your reasoning.
Images taken from:
http://www.lesjoforsab.com/standard-springs/compression-springs.asp
 GRAVITY
• natural force of attraction
between any two objects
• factors:
• distance – increased distance
 less gravitational pull or
vice versa Why does the force of gravity
have more of an impact on
• mass – increased mass  more holding our solar system
together compared to holding
gravitational pull or vice versa the parts of an atom together?
 ELECTROMAGNETIC FORCE

• force that moving charges exert on one

another
• results from the repulsion of like charges
and the attraction of opposites
Notice how the
+ + particles with
the same charge
move apart and
- + the particles
with different
- - charges move
together.
Compare and contrast gravitational force and
electromagnetic force.
 FREE BODY DIAGRAMS

• visuals that help show net force

• use a square and draw all forces acting on the object.
• remember size and direction of vector arrows are
important!
• Practice Fnorm = 5 N

What do you think the

What is the net
symbols w/subscripts
force on this object? Ffric = 3 N Fapp = 3 N
represent?

Fgrav = 5 N
 WHAT’S THE NET FORCE

Fnorm = 10 N

Fapp = 20 N Ffric = 5 N Ffric = 5 N Fapp = 15 N

Fgrav = 10 N Fgrav = 10 N

You throw a baseball to your Your dog pulls you down the
friend who is to your left. street on a skateboard in an
eastward direction.
 WHAT’S THE NET FORCE
(AN INTERESTING CASE)
A skydiver is descending with a The same skydiver is
constant velocity. Consider air descending after 30 seconds.
resistance. Consider air resistance.

Ffric Ffric

Fgrav Fgrav

What has the skydiver

reached in this scenario?
 LAWS

• Newton’s 1st Law

• Newton’s 2nd Law
• Newton’s 3rd Law
 NEWTON’S 1ST LAW

• objects at rest remain at rest, and objects in

motion remain in motion with the same velocity,
unless acted upon by an unbalanced force
• also considered the Law of Inertia

How is this illustrated when riding in a

car? Can you think of other
experiences where this is illustrated?
 INERTIA

• the resistance of an object to a change in the

speed or the direction of its motion
• directly related to mass
 NEWTON’S 2ND LAW

• the acceleration of an object increases with

increased force and decreases with increased mass
• the direction in which an object accelerates is the
same as the direction of the force
• Formula: F = ma (or a = F/m)
• Shopping Cart Simulation
 CENTRIPETAL FORCE

• any force that keeps an object moving in a circle

• directed toward the center of the circle

In this case, the force of the

ball as it accelerates around the
circle is pointing inward, toward
the center.
 PRACTICE PROBLEMS - FORCE

1. What net force is needed to accelerate a 24 kg dogsled

to a rate of 3 m/s2?

72 kg · m/s 2
F = ma F = (24 kg) (3 m/s2) =
or 72 N

2. A 1.5 kg object accelerates across a smooth table at a

rate of 0.5 m/s2? What is the unbalanced force applied
to it?
F = ma F = (1.5 kg)(0.5 m/s2) = 0.75 kg·m/s2
or 0.75 N
 NEWTON’S 3RD LAW

• states that every time one object exerts a force

on another object, the second object exerts a
force that is equal in size and opposite in direction
back on the first object.

How was this illustrated during the

Scooter Games competition? Can you
think of other experiences where this
is illustrated?
 VECTOR
• a quantity that has both direction and magnitude
(size)
• drawn as an arrow which shows direction and
magnitude (length of arrow)
• consists of two parts: tail and head
Head

Tail

Consider the vectors above. Describe the direction and

relative magnitude (force) of each ball based on the vector.
 COMBINING VECTORS

• can be combined/added to help determine net force

• the overall force acting on an object when all of the
forces acting on it are combined What is the hockey
Gravity = 14 N
puck’s net force?
Gravity = 14 N

23 N

Applied Force = 25 N Friction = 2 N Applied Force = 25 N Friction = 2 N

Normal Force = 14 N

Normal Force = 14 N