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7K. Forces

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Keril Mason
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16 views

7K. Forces

Uploaded by

Keril Mason
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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7K.

Forces
Forces are pushes or pulls. Forces can:

 change the shape or size of an object


 change the speed things are moving (make them move faster or slower)
 change the direction of a moving object.

The unit for measuring force is the newton (N) and measuring devices of forces are called Force meter. .

Types of Forces

There are different types of forces. These different types of forces can be classified into contact
and non-contact forces.

Contact forces only act when two objects or materials are touching. Examples of contact forces are:
friction, air resistance, water resistance, upthrust.

Non-Contact Forces: are forms of forces that can have an effect without objects touching or from the
distance. There are three non-contact forces:

i. magnetism: attracts objects made of iron and some other metals. Magnets can also repel
each other.
ii. Gravity: is a force that that pulls objects downwards to the surface of the Earth.
iii. static electricity: attract things.

Weight and mass

Mass is the amount of substance contained in the given substance. Mass is measured in kilograms (kg).
mass of an object cannot be changed wherever it is. Wherever you take an object, its mass will not
change.

Weight is a force caused by gravity pulling on an object vertically to the center of the Earth. The newton
(N) is the scientific unit used to measure forces, and so it is also used as the unit for weight. Weight
depends on the force of gravity. An object on the Moon would have a smaller weight than on Earth,
because the Moon’s gravity is not as strong as Earth’s.
Measuring forces

Elastic materials will stretch with a force and then return to their original shape when the force is taken
away. Springs are elastic. The extension of a spring is the difference between its original length and its
stretched length. The extension of a spring is proportional to the force on it. This is called Hooke's law. If
the spring is stretched too far, the extension stops being proportional to the force. If it is stretched even
further, it goes beyond its elastic limit. The spring will no longer return to its original length when the
force is removed. Force meters have springs inside them.

Friction is a contact force between two touching objects caused by two things rubbing together. Air
resistance and water resistance are kinds of friction.

Solid things, like your chair, push up on you when you sit on them. Upwards forces from water or air are
called upthrust. Things float in water because of upthrust.

Friction can:

 slow things down or make things stay still  Enables us to abseiling by controlling how
 produce heat fast we go down the cliff.
 wear things away 
 cause a noise.
 Enables us to walk without sliping and
sliding

Friction can be increased by using rough surfaces, or by using materials such as rubber that have a lot of
friction.
Friction can be reduced by using smooth surfaces, or by lubrication. Oil and grease are examples of
lubricants, and help things to move past each other easily.

Pressure: is the amount of force pushing on a certain area. For a certain area, the bigger the force, the
bigger the pressure. For a certain force, the bigger the area, the smaller the pressure.

We can work out the pressure under an object using this formula:

Force
pressure = force ÷ area (Pressure = Area )

Balanced and unbalanced forces

Balanced forces are forces on an object that are the same size but work in opposite directions. If forces
are balanced:

 a stationary object stays stationary


 a moving object continues to move at the same speed and in the same direction.

If there are unbalanced forces on an object:

 a stationary object will start to move


 a moving object will change its speed or direction.
A car or motorbike uses the energy stored in fuel to move at a steady speed because it needs a
force from the engine to balance the forces of air resistance and friction.

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