Force
Force- a push or pull on an object.
- not visible but we can sense it because we see its effect on objects
- result of the contact or interaction between two objects; can be through physical or nonphysical
- measured in Newton(N), a unit name in honor of Sir Isaac Newton
Contact Forces- result from physical interaction. Example: Friction and air resistance
Distance Forces or Noncontact Forces- forces act within certain distance. Example: Magnet pulling a
piece of metal or an object falls from above due to gravity
Balanced Forces-two equal forces acting on an object in opposite directions. When forces are balanced,
the objects either stays at rest or continues to move at the same speed and at the same direction.
Balanced forces are present in hanging, floating, standing, or sitting objects.
Unbalanced Forces- two unequal forces acting on an object. Unbalanced forces also make the object
speed up, slow down, change direction, remain in place, or change in shape.
Net Force- total amount of all the forces acting on an object.
Weight- the measure of the force of gravity on an object
Mass- determines the amount of a material in an object
*Mass of an object will not change, but its weight can change based on its location.
*The bigger the mass or weight of an object, the bigger the amount of force required to move it.
Gravity-force that pulls or attracts all objects toward each other. Force of gravity on Earth is what gives
weight to the objects or any physical body that has mass. It is also gravity that keeps the objects on the
ground and causes objects to fall down.
*Distance affects gravity. The closer the distance between two objects, the greater is the pull of
gravity. Gravity gets weaker with increasing distance.
Acceleration- rate of change of the speed of an object with respect to its time.
Friction-occurs between the surfaces of two objects in contact, rubbing or sliding against one another
- opposes an object’s motion
- causes objects to slow down and eventually stop
- always acts opposite the direction of an object’s motion
- also occurs when air particles rub against objects falling down, thrown upward, or flying like
airplanes and kites — called air friction or air resistance
Static Friction- happens when the surface of two objects that are at rest are in contact with each other.
Kinetic Friction- friction that acts between a moving object and the surface where it is moved.
Sliding Friction- type of friction that happens when solid surfaces slide over each other.
Rolling Friction- type of friction that acts on the rolling object and the surface it comes in contact
with
Fluid Friction- acts on objects that are moving through a fluid, such as liquid or gas (air).
How Friction Affects Movement of Objects
Friction varies depending on the type of surface an object comes in contact with.
Friction is affected by:
- Surface area of the object that is in contact with the surface (ex. ball vs. box, flat vs. crumpled
paper)
• Bigger surface area → greater friction → easier to stop → travels a shorter distance
• Smaller surface area → lesser friction → harder to stop → travels a longer distance
- Type of surfaces of the two objects rubbing against each other
• Rough surface → greater friction → object moves more slowly
• Smooth surface → lesser friction → object moves faster
