Topik 3  Introduction

to Forces

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 INTRODUCTION

A body’s state of being “at rest” or “in motion” can be changed by the action of

some other body. The pushing or pulling effect that this body has and that

causes the changed in termed of a force. Thus, a body at rest can be made to

move when another other body exerts a force on it. Similarly, a body in motion
 TOPIC 3 INTRODUCTION TO FORCE  2

can be slowed, speeded, or have the direction of its motion altered if another

body exerts a force on it.

However, while the introduction of a force can produce or alter motion, not all

forces are sufficiently large to have this effect. Consider again, the heavy barbell

lying on the floor of the weight training room. Two weight lifters take turns to

attempting to lift it. The less strong of the two struggles hard but ultimately fails

to get the barbell off the floor. The stronger weight lifter succeeds in lifting the

barbell from the floor, thereby changing it from a state in which it is lying at rest

to one in which it is in motion. These two different results provide a basis for a

more formal and complete definition of force than that already given – force is

that which alters or tends to alter a body’s state of rest or of uniform motion in a

straight line.

UNIT OF FORCE
3.1

The SI unit of force is the Newton (N), and is defined in terms of the force

required to accelerate a one kilogram (kg) mass at a rate of one meter per second

squared (m/s²).

F = ma

F = 1 kg X m/s²

F = kg·m/s2.

It might also be noted that this last statement can be rearranged to provide a

definition of the unit of mass – namely, a mass of 1 kg is the mass that, when

acted upon by a force will have an acceleration of 1 m/s².

 TOPIC 3 INTRODUCTION TO FORCE  3

SELF CHECK 1.1

(a) Find the mass of your body.

(b) Calculate the force applied if your body has an acceleration of

3.5 m/s.

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL FORCES

3.2

Internal forces

When a snooker player hits a cue ball into a tightly packed triangle of reds at the

start of the game, the cue ball exerts a force on each of the ball with which it

made contact. In turn, this ball exert forces on those they contact. If it is said that

the 16 bodies involved (the 15 red balls and the cue ball) comprice a system, it is

normal to refer to forces that they exert on one another as internal forces – that is,

forces that are internal to the system.

Others example, whenever the contraction of a muscle causes forces to be exerted

on the bones to which it is attached or on the cartilage within a joint or on the

ligaments surrounding a joint, these forces are regarded as internal forces.

External Forces

When the scattering snooker balls make contact with the padded cushions

surrounding the table and exert forces on them, these are termed external force,

because the bodies involved (the cushions and the snooker balls) are not all

within the system. If one of the reds, or the cue ball hit, say, the pink or the blue

ball, the forces exerted would similarly be termed external forces.

 TOPIC 3 INTRODUCTION TO FORCE  4

Other example, the forces due to air resistance, gravity, and contact with the

ground or some other body are regarded as external forces.

THE EFFECT OF FORCES

3.3

Do you know that we cannot see forces?

But we can see and sometimes feel the effects they have on things.

The balloon in the picture is affected by forces.

Can you explain how the balloon is affected by forces?

1. In bowling, the moving object such

as the bowling ball, exerts a
pushing force against anything it
hits. In this case of course - the ten
pins.

Find the tug of war picture

2. In the tug of war game, the players
are exerting a pulling force on his
end of the rope.
 TOPIC 3 INTRODUCTION TO FORCE  5

Find a picture of smeshing in

3. Forces can make things speed up. badminton

When you smesh a shuttlecock in

badminton game, the shuttlecock
will travel at a very high speeds to
the opponent side of the court.

4. Forces can make things slow down

in their movement or stop
immediately.

A parachute can make a parachuter

slow down before they land on the
ground. This is due to the air
resistance.

5. Forces can make objects or things

change direction.

You can make a bowled cricket ball

change its direction by hitting it
with a bat.

6. Forces can make things change Find a picture of a golf ball being hit by
shape. a driver.

If you squeeze or kick a football, it

will be compressed. The same thing
will happen if any ball is being
bitten.
 TOPIC 3 INTRODUCTION TO FORCE  6

7. Forces can make things turn.

You can use a spanner to slacken or

tighten a nut.

THE TYPE OF FORCES

3.4

1. Gravity 2. Friction
The attraction that the earth has for Friction is the resistance between
all bodies. It varies directly with the two surfaces that are in contact with
mass of the body and inversely each other.
with its distance from the earth. Example: Car tyre and the road
Example: The ball goes up in the surface.
air and then falls down again

3. Moment 4. Pressure
The opposite turning effects Pressure is the force that acts on a
produced when two forces are unit area of surface.
acting. Pressure = Force/Area
Example: Two boys sitting on the Example: Area of the shoe’s sole.
seesaw.

5. Turning 6. Uptrust
Force is used to turn something Upthrust is the force that pushes an
round. object up and makes it seem to lose
Example: turn on tap, push open a weight in a fluid (liquid or gas).
door, pushing pedals on bicycle. Example : afloat ship.

7. Balanced Forces 8. Unbalanced Forces

When things are not moving or The unbalanced seesaw is because
static, the forces are balanced. the forces are not equal.
Gravity pulls the table down, but the
table is pushed up by the ground.
 TOPIC 3 INTRODUCTION TO FORCE  7

9. Air Resistance
Air resistance pushes against
things which are moving and slow
them down.

FORCE COMPONENT
3.5

A force is a vector unit. Any vector directed in two dimensions can be thought of as
having an influence in two different directions or having two parts. Each part of a two-
dimensional vector is known as a component. The components of a vector show the
influence of that vector in a final given direction. The influence of the two components
which is combined together is equivalent to the influence of the single two-dimensional
vector. Or another word, the single two-dimensional vector could be replaced by the two
components.

Vertical component
Final Resultant

Horizontal component

If biceps is contract, the lower arm will be reflexes towards the upper arm. Then the force
in the biceps has two components - an upward component or vertical component and
rightward component or horizontal component. This shows that the influence of the force
in the biceps is equivalent to the influence of two forces on his biceps. The first one is
upward contraction and the other rightward or horizontal contraction. If the single force
 TOPIC 3 INTRODUCTION TO FORCE  8

from the biceps were replaced by two forces with each force having the magnitude and
direction of the components, then it hard to know the difference. Thus, the combined
influence of the two components is equivalent to the influence of the single two-
dimensional vector.

MUSCLE FORCE
3.6

In biomechanics it is generally regarded as convenient to consider the constituent

parts of the human body as “the system” and any force exerted by one part on

another as an internal force. For example, whenever the contraction of a muscle

causes forces to be exerted on the bones to which it is attached or on the cartilage

within a joint or on the ligaments surrounding the joint, these forces are regarded

as internal forces.

Force produce
by biceps

PRESSURE
3.7
 TOPIC 3 INTRODUCTION TO FORCE  9

When the boy stand erect, his body weight of 600 N is supported on the soles of

his feet, an area of some 0.69 m². If he lies down, his body weight is, of course,

still 600 N, but the area over which this weight is supported in increased to 4.57

m². If the force exerted on a body (the ground-reaction force equal to the boy’s

weight, in this example) is divided by the area involved, the average pressure or

force per unit area is obtained.

Get picture on the boy standing erect and lying down
As on page 94...

Thus, when the boy is standing, Pressure = force

area

Pressure = 600 N
0.69 m²

Pressure = 870 N/m² (or pascals (Pa))

And when he is lying, Pressure = 600 N

4.57 m²

Pressure = 131 N/m² (or pascals (Pa))

This concept of pressure is of particular importance with respect to safety

measures in sports, and failure on the part of athletes to minimize the pressure

that any part of their bodies must withstand can lead to very serious injuries

indeed.

Other example:

How easy is it to cut your food with a sharp knife?

How easy is it to cut your food with the edge of your fork?
 AKTIVITI 1.1

TOPIC 3 INTRODUCTION TO FORCE  10

Even though you apply the same force each time, the pressure applied on the

food by the knife is much greater than that applied by the fork. The knife edge

has less area pressing on the food than the fork.

AKTIVITY 1.1

Is it better to be stepped on by a woman wearing a spike heel or by a woman

wearing a smooth-soled court shoe?
If a woman’s weight is 550 N, the surface area of the spike heel is 4 cm², and
the surface area of the court shoe is 175 cm², how much pressure is exerted by
each shoe. FRICTION
3.8
Discuss in your small group to find the answer.

The Force of attraction athat the earth exerts on a body is called the body’s

weight. A number of other forces are similarly given special names. One of these

is the force that arises whenever one body moves or tends to move across the

surface of another. The resistance between two surfaces that are in contact with

each other is known as friction.

Since there are some quite distinct differences in the nature of the friction that

arises under varying circumstances, two types of friction will be considered here.

a. Sliding friction

Friction acts only when a body is in motion or has some tendency to start moving

across the surface of another body. Another important characteristic of friction is

that, until sliding actually commences, the magnitude of the friction is exactly

equal to that of the force tending to cause the body to slide.

Friction can be reduced between two surfaces. For example, in ice skating sport

event, the blades of ice skates must be sharp and able to slice through the surface
 TOPIC 3 INTRODUCTION TO FORCE  11

of the ice, leaving a small water channel. This shows that friction is lessened. Oil

can also be used to reduce friction between rotating cogs.

b. Rolling friction

Experienced golfers carefully study the approach, the path that the ball will

follow, before making a putt. They look closely at the length of the grass and the

way it is lying ( the so-called “grain”). They look too at wheter the grass is wet or

dry, for they know that all these things have bearing on how easily the ball will

roll across the green towards the hole.

Find pictures on golf putting while on the green

In order to keep the car always stable on the road, there must be a very high

friction between a car tyre and the road with which it is in contact. Less friction

will cause the car to skip and might cause an accident.

Sometimes we need and want to increase friction between two surfaces. When

we want to slow a car quickly, we need to have a lot of friction between the

brake blocks and the wheels they touch. We need spike to get more friction on

the track.
Find picture on car while having emergency brake.....

AKTIVITY 1.2

1. Explain how friction contribute to the athletes’ performance.

2. What type of sport that does not need friction at all?
Discuss with your classmate.
 TOPIC 3 INTRODUCTION TO FORCE  12

SEMAK
SEMAK KENDIRI
KENDIRI 1.5
1.1

• The SI unit of force is the Newton (N), and is defined in terms of the force
required to accelerate a one kilogram (kg) mass at a rate of one meter per
second squared (m/s²).
• The two type of forces are internal and external forces.

• The force cannot be seen but we can see and sometimes feel the effects they
have on things.

• There are so many type of forces ; pressure, friction, gravity, moment,

turning, uptrust, balanced forces, unbalanced forces, and air resistance.

• To find the final resultant of the force, there must be horizontal component
of force and vertical component of force.

• Pressure is of particular importance with respect to safety measures in

sports, and failure on the part of athletes to minimize the pressure that any
part of their bodies must withstand can lead to very serious injuries.

• The resistance between two surfaces that are in contact with each other is
known as friction and there are two type of friction – sliding and rolling.
 TOPIC 3 INTRODUCTION TO FORCE  13

KEY TERMS
Newton Moment
Force Uptrust
Internal force Resistance
External force Horizontal component
Pressure Vertical component
Friction Sliding friction
Gravity Rolling friction

• Hall, S. J. (2007). Basic biomechanics (6th ed.). NY : McGraw Hill

• Hay, J. G. (1985). The biomechanics of sports techniques (3rd ed.). New Jersey :
Prentice-Hall Inc.