FORCES

-----------------------------------------------------------Objectives-------------------------------------------------------------------
Students should be able to:
 Identify the types of forces
 Situations in which tension, reaction, electric, magnetic, nuclear or gravitational forces act.
 Determine the weight of objects
 Use the formula Weight = mass * gravitational field strength.

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What is a Force?

A force is defined as:

A push or a pull that acts on an object due to the interaction with another object

 Forces can have an effect on bodies in several different ways:

o They can change their speed

o They can change their direction
o They can change their shape
o They can change their size

 Some examples of these changes are:

o An engine can increase the speed of a vehicle due to a force called thrust
o A comet’s direction can be affected by gravitational attraction
o A spring can have its shape changed by the force from a heavy load

Diagram showing the effects of forces on different objects

 Important forces to be familiar with:

o Weight – the name given to the force of gravity on a mass

o Electrostatic force – the force between two charged objects
o Thrust – the force causing an object to move (such as the force from a rocket engine)
o Air resistance (or drag) – the friction of the air on a moving object
o Upthrust – the force of a fluid (such as water) pushing an object upwards (making it float)
o Compression – forces that act inward on an object, squeezing it
o Tension – force transmitted through a cable or a string when pulled on by forces acting on its
opposite ends
o Reaction force – a force due to contact between two objects

Diagram showing several different types of forces acting on objects

  All forces can be categorised into one of two types:
o Contact forces
o Non-contact forces

Contact Forces

 A contact force is defined as:

A force which acts between objects that are physically touching

 Examples of contact forces include:

o Friction
o Air resistance
o Tension
o Reaction force

 Friction:
o Is a force that opposes motion
o Occurs when objects rub against each
 Air resistance:
o Is a type of friction
o Occurs when an object moves through air
 Tension:
o Is a force that pulls two objects connected by a length, such as a string or rope
o Occurs when a stretching force is applied to an object
 Reaction force:
o Is a force that pushes touching objects apart
o Occurs when objects are supported by a surface

Examples of contact forces

Non-Contact Forces

 A non-contact force is defined as:

A force which acts at a distance, without any contact between bodies, due to the action of a field

 Examples of non-contact forces include:

o Gravitational force
o Electrostatic force
o Magnetic force

 Gravitational attraction:
o The attractive force experienced by two objects with mass
o For example, the force between a planet and a comet
 Electrostatic force:
o A force experienced by charged objects which can be attractive or repulsive
o For example, the attraction between a proton and an electron
 Magnetic force:
o A force experienced between magnetic poles that can be attractive or repulsive
o For example, the attraction between the North and South poles of magnets

Examples of non-contact forces

WORKED EXAMPLE

Ben drags a sledge behind him across a frozen lake. Describe the contact and non-contact forces involved in
this scenario.

Step 1: Identify the contact forces

o Ben pulls on a rope attached to the sledge producing tension in the rope
o The ground supports Ben and the sledge with a reaction force
o There is friction between the sledge and the ground which opposes the motion
o There is also friction between Ben’s shoes and the ground allowing Ben to walk without slipping
o A very small force due to air resistance slows Ben’s motion

Step 2: Identify the non-contact forces

o The gravitational attraction between the Earth and Ben pulls Ben and the sledge downwards
WEIGHT

 Weight is defined as:

The force acting on an object due to gravitational attraction

 Planets have strong gravitational fields

o Hence, they attract nearby masses with a strong gravitational force
 Because of weight:
o Objects stay firmly on the ground
o Objects will always fall to the ground
o Satellites are kept in orbit

Some of the phenomena associated with gravitational attraction and the weight force

 Mass (measured in kilograms, kg) is related to the amount of matter in an object

o The more mass an object has the larger the weight force it will experience
 Since weight is a force, it is measured in newtons (N)
 The weight that an object experiences depends on:
o The object's mass
o The gravity of the planet attracting it
Measuring Weight

 Mass is commonly measured using a top pan balance

o The weight can then be indirectly found through calculation
 Weight can be measured directly using a calibrated spring-balance, also known as a newton-meter
o This device is a type of weighing scale which measures force in newtons
o It consists of a spring fixed at one end with a hook to attach an object at the other

Weight can be measured using a top-pan balance or a newton-meter

 Mass (measured in kilograms, kg) is related to the amount of matter in an object

 Weight (measured in newtons, N) is the force of gravity on a mass
o The weight of an object and the mass of an object are directly proportional
o The size of this force depends on the gravitational field strength (often called gravity, g, for
short)

Calculating Weight

 Weight, mass and gravitational field strength are related using the equation:

 g is known as the acceleration due to gravity or the gravitational field strength

 On Earth, this is equal to 9.81 N/kg (m/s2 ) which is often rounded to 10 N/kg
Worked Example 1

Calculate the weights of the following: Use g = 10 N/kg

i. A boy of mass 75 kg
ii. A ball of mass 84.5 g
iii. A pin of mass 57 mg

SOLUTIONS

i. Write down the information given: Mass (m) = 75 kg, g = 10 N/kg

Write down the formula to be used: W = mg

Substitute the values into the formula and evaluate: W = 75 kg * 10 N/kg = 750 N

ii. Write down the information given: Mass (m) = 84.5g, g = 10 N/kg

Since the mass is given in grams, it must be converted to kg by dividing by 1000

Mass in kg = 84.5/1000 = 0.0845 kg

Write down the formula to be used: W = mg

Substitute the values into the formula and evaluate: W = 0.0845 kg * 10 N/kg = 0.845 N

iii. Write down the information given: Mass (m) = 57 mg, g = 10 N/kg

Since the mass is given in milligrams, it must first be converted to grams by dividing by 1000
and then from grams to kilograms by further dividing by 1000

Mass in grams = 57/1000 = 0.057 g

Mass in kg = 0.057/1000 = 0.000057 kg

Write down the formula to be used: W = mg

Substitute the values into the formula and evaluate: W = 0.000057 kg * 10 N/kg = 0.00057 N
Class Questions

During a class exercise the masses of certain objects were measured and are listed as follows:

Item Mass/g
D-sized battery 135.1
Aluminium cube 86.4
Brass Cube 285.4
Cylindrical Magnet 37.7
Irregularly shaped magnet 77.4

Taking g as 10 N/kg, calculate the weights of the items.

D-sized battery:

Mass (m) = 135.1 g = 0.1351 kg

g = 9.81 N/kg

W = mg

W = 0.1351 * 10 = 1.351 N

W = 1.33 N (3 sig figs)

Mass v Weight

 An object’s mass always remains the same, however, its weight will vary depending on the strength of
the gravitational field on different planets
 For example, the gravitational field strength on the Moon is 1.63 N/kg, meaning an object’s weight will
be about 6 times less than on Earth
 On the moon, your mass will stay the same but your weight will be much lower

 The value of g (gravitational field strength) varies from planet to planet depending on their mass and
radius
 A few examples of varying gravitational field strength are shown below:

Gravitational field strength of the planets in our solar system