FORCES & DRAG
What are forces?
A force can be a push or a pull. For example, when you push open a door you have to
apply a force to the door. You also have to apply a force to pull open a drawer.
You cannot see a force but often you can see what it does. When a force is exerted on
an object, it can change the object’s: Speed, direction of movement, shape (for
example, an elastic band gets longer if you pull it)
A force meter, also called a newton meter, is used to measure forces
Forces can be contact forces, where objects
must touch each other to exert a force. DO NOT DRAW. JUST FOR REFERENCE
Other forces are non-contact forces, where
objects do not have to touch each other.
These include: gravity, magnetism, forces due to static electricity.
Measuring forces
Forces can be measured using a force meter, also called a newton meter.
Force meters contain a spring connected to a metal hook. The spring stretches when a
force is applied to the hook.
The bigger the force applied, the longer the spring stretches and the bigger the
reading.
The unit of force is called the newton, and it has the symbol N.
The greater the force, the bigger the number, so 100 N is a greater force than 5 N.
Balanced forces
When two forces acting on an object are equal in size but act in opposite directions,
we say that they are balanced forces.
If the forces on an object are balanced (or if there are no forces acting on it), this is
what happens:
a stationary object stays still
a moving object continues to move at the same speed and in the same direction
Remember that an object can be moving, even if there are no forces acting on it.
Force diagrams
We can show the forces acting on an object using a force diagram. In a force diagram, an
arrow represents each force. The arrow shows:
the size of the force (the longer the arrow, the bigger the force)
the direction in which the force acts
The arrow should be labelled with the name of the force and its size in newtons.
FORCES & DRAG
Here are some examples of situations involving balanced forces.
Hanging objects
The forces on this hanging crate are equal in size but act in opposite directions.
The weight pulls down and the tension in the rope pulls up.
The weight of the crate is balanced by the tension in the rope
Floating in water:
Objects float in water when their weight is balanced by the upthrust from the water.
The object will sink until the weight of the water it pushes out of the way is the same
as the weight of the object.
The weight of the boat is balanced by the upthrust from the water
DO NOT DRAW. JUST FOR REFERENCE
Standing on the ground
When an object rests on a surface such as the ground, the reaction force from the
ground balances its weight.
The ground pushes up against the object. The reaction force is what you feel in your
feet as you stand still. Without this balancing force you would sink into the ground.
The weight of the book is balanced by the reaction force from the table
Unbalanced forces:
When two forces acting on an object are not equal in size, we say that they are
unbalanced forces.
The overall force acting on the object is called the resultant force. If the forces are
balanced, the resultant force is zero.
If the forces on an object are unbalanced, this is what happens:
a stationary object starts to move in the direction of the resultant force
a moving object changes speed and/or direction in the direction of the resultant force
In the example below, the resultant force is the difference between the two forces:
100 – 60 = 40 N (to the right)
FORCES & DRAG
The truck speeds up in the direction of the resultant force
The change in the motion of an object depends upon:
the size of the resultant force
the direction of the resultant force
The greater the resultant force, the greater the change in the motion of the object. Whether a
moving object speeds up, or slows down, depends on the direction of the resultant force:
the object speeds up if the resultant force acts in the direction of movement
the object slows down if the resultant force acts opposite to the direction of movement
Air resistance
Bikes, cars and other moving objects experience air resistance as they move. Air resistance is
caused by the frictional forces of the air against the vehicle. The faster the vehicle moves, the
bigger the air resistance becomes. The top speed of a vehicle is reached when the force from
the cyclist or engine is balanced by air resistance.
Streamlining
Streamlining reduces air resistance
Racing cyclists crouch down low on their bikes to reduce the air resistance on them. This
helps them to cycle faster. They also wear
streamlined helmets. These have special, smooth DO NOT DRAW. JUST FOR REFERENCE
shapes that allow the air to flow over the cyclist
more easily.
Modern vehicles are also streamlined. Their smooth shapes make the air resistance smaller,
which allows them to travel further on the same amount of fuel.
