Worksheet 1
Name Class Date
Types of forces
Gravitational forces
Gravitational forces act between all objects with mass. They are always attractive.
This means every object attracts every other object.
The gravitational force between objects with ‘small’ masses is tiny. There is very little
gravitational force between you and a bus. To get a force big enough for you to
notice, we need to consider the force between the Earth and you. This is called your
weight.
Electrostatic forces
Electrostatic forces act between all objects that have electrical charge. For example,
you might have rubbed a party balloon on your clothes and then found your hair is
attracted to the balloon or that the balloon is attracted to a wall.
Normal reaction force
Objects touching a surface experience a normal reaction force. This is caused by the
surface pushing back on the object. It is the same size as, but in the opposite
direction to, the force the object applies to the surface.
The word ‘normal’ gives the direction of the force. It tells us the reaction force is
always perpendicular to the surface.
For example, when a ladder leans against a wall the ladder pushes on the wall and
the wall pushes back on the ladder perpendicular to the wall.
Friction
Friction is a force between two solid surfaces trying to move across each other that
tries to stop movement happening.
For example, when a box is pushed across the ground there is friction between the
box and the ground as they rub against each other.
This force is always directed in the opposite direction to the direction of the movement
of the object.
Drag
Drag is also called air resistance. This is a force between a moving object and a fluid
(liquid or gas) in which it is moving.
Just like friction it acts in the opposite direction to the motion of the object.
For example, when a sky diver falls through the air their weight acts downwards but
the drag force acts upwards.
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Upthrust
Upthrust is caused when an object displaces a fluid.
For example, when a toy boat is put into a bath, part of the toy is beneath the level of
the bath water. This means that the toy has displaced (moved) some water. The
weight of this water is the size of the upthrust acting upwards on the boat.
This upthrust acts in the opposite direction to the weight and stops the boat being
pulled down into the water by the weight. Compare this with the explanation for the
normal reaction force.
Lift
Lift is an upwards force acting on the wing of an aeroplane.
It is created by a difference in air pressure between regions above and below the wing
caused by air travelling at different speeds.
Thrust/driving force
Thrust or driving force is the name given to the force provided by the engine of an
aeroplane or car.
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