Place a book on the table.

Work with a partner. Your

partner will push one side of
the block with his forefinger
while you will push the
opposite side with you
forefinger.
Push the block as hard as you
can at the same time. What
happens ?
•Balanced force
When two forces acting on the block
are balanced, an object will not move.
Material : a heavy table

1. Ask two boys to stand on one side of a

table and another two boys on the
opposite side. All will push the table at
the same time. Does the table move? If
so, in what direction does it move?
• Unbalanced force

When forces acting on an

object are not balanced, the
object will move in the
direction of the greater force.
 Forces

In science, force, usually means

either a push or a pull.
• Think of a game of
ten pin bowling.

• The moving object

- the ball, exerts a
pushing force
against anything it
hits - the ten pins.
 Think of tugging on a rope.

The person in the picture is

exerting a pulling force on his
end of the rope.
 Some facts about forces…

We cannot see forces. We can see and sometimes

feel the effects they have
on things.

The balloons in the picture are affected by forces.

 Some facts about forces…

Forces can make things speed up.

When you hit a tennis ball it speeds up.

Forces can make things slow down or stop.

A parachute can make an object slow down
because of air resistance.

Forces can make things change direction.

You can make a cricket ball change
direction by hitting it with a bat.
 Some facts about forces…

Forces can make things

change shape.

If you squeeze or kick a football, it will be compressed.

Forces can make things

turn.

You can use a spanner to slacken or tighten a nut.

 How do we measure force?
We measure force in Newton (N).
We use an instrument called a spring balance
known as a force meter or a newton-meter.
Forces usually act in pairs.
Forces act in a particular direction.
Some Types of Force
•Gravity
- It is the force that pulls object
toward the center of the Earth.
 Think what
happens when
you throw a ball
up into the air.

The ball goes

up in the air
and then falls
down again.
 Think what
happens
when you
jump up into
the air.

You soon come

down again to
earth.
 Think what
happens to ripe
fruits such as
apples that grow
on trees.
They will fall to the
ground unless they
are picked first.
More About Gravity

What keeps you on the earth

as it spins round?

What does the space shuttle have

to overcome to leave the earth?

What keeps the water in the

seas and the oceans?

What keeps the air in the

atmosphere?

The answer is
GRAVIT
COMMON FORCES
• Wind
-It can push or pull objects along
its path.
• Running water.
- Heavy rain can push rocks on
mountain sides and carry way soil.
• Friction
An unseen force that is always
present between any two rubbing
surfaces.

•Electricity
It is also a force which causes
motion. It can even do some work.
 Turning Forces

You are using a force to

Turn on a tap. turn something round.

You are using a force to

Push open a turn something round.
door.
You are using a force to
Push the turn something round.

pedals on
your bicycle.
 Upthrust

• Upthrust is the force that pushes an

object up
• and makes it seem to lose weight in a
fluid.
• (Remember, a fluid means a liquid or a
gas).
The upthrust, or buoyancy, keeps ships afloat.
The upthrust, or buoyancy, keeps swimmers on top of the water.
Things weigh less in water.

• Look carefully at the

picture.
• 1. The balances show the same weight in
air and in water.
• What do you notice?
• 2. The ruler shows equal weights at each
end, in air and again in water.
• What do you notice?
• 1. You should see that the weight shown
by the balance where the weight is
suspended in water is less.
• 2. You should see that the ruler is lower at
one end than the other. The apparent loss
in weight is caused by the buoyamcy of
the water.
 Friction

• Friction is the
resistance between
two surfaces that are
in contact with each
other.
• There is friction
between a car tyre
and the road with
which it is in contact.
 • Friction can be
reduced between two
surfaces.
•Sometimes we want to increase friction between two
surfaces.

Oil can reduce friction between rotating cogs

 Moments

• Two forces are acting on the

seesaw. They both have
opposite turning effects. These
turning effects are called:
Moments.

In the picture, the moments of the forces are not equal and so are unbalanced forces
 Levers

• Levers use the idea of moments, where

something turns about
• a pivot (also known as a fulcrum) to
make work easier.
 • Think of using a bar
to raise a heavy rock.

There must be a load, an effort and a fulcrum.

Which is which?
• Think of using a
wheelbarrow to move
something

There must be a load, an effort and a fulcrum. Which is which?

 Balanced Forces

• When things are not

moving, the forces are
balanced. Gravity pulls
the table down, but
the table is pushed up
by the ground or floor
it stands on, so the
table does not move.
The forces are
balanced
• The mug stands on a
surface. It does not
move because the
force of gravity acting
downwards is
balanced by the force
from the surface
pushing back up.
• If the upthrust (or
push up) of the air is
equal to the force of
gravity (pull down),
then the balloon
remains suspended in
the air.
 Air Resistance

• Air resistance pushes

against things which
are moving.
Air resistance pushes against a moving car and slows it down
• Air resistance pushes
against falling objects
and slows them
down.

A parachute can be
very useful indeed!
 i
f
Pressure
e

i
s

• How easy is it to cut

m
u
your food with a c It should be
h quite easy!
sharp knife?
g
r
e
a
How easy is it to cut your You might
t not even do
food with the edge of it! e
your fork? r

t
h
a
n
• Even though you apply the same force
each time, the pressure applied on the
food by the knife is much greater than
that applied by the fork. The knife edge
has less area pressing on the food than
the fork
• Pressure is the force that acts on a unit
area of surface.
• All these are linked in a formula:
• Pressure = Force/Area
 More About Pressure

• Some things will

produce a high
pressure by
applying the force
over a small area.
A knife is designed to cut.
• A pair of scissors is
designed to cut.
• Needles and pins are
designed to pierce.
• Stiletto heels apply
the force over a small
area and can cause
damage to floors.
• Some things will reduce the pressure by
applying the force over a large area.

Skis spread the force over a large area of snow, so the skiier does not sink.
• The caterpillar tracks
reduce the pressure
of the heavy vehicle
by applying the force
over a large area
 Unbalanced Forces

• The seesaw is
unbalanced because
the forces are not
equal.