Module I , Unit 1 , Lesson 3

Forces
How do forces affect motion?

➢ What is a vector? an object with magnitude ( size ) and direction.

➢ How do you describe motion? A change in position

1. What is a force?
Is a push or a pull

2.What can a force do?

1. A force can change the object’s :
▪ Speed ( speeding up, slowing down )
▪ Direction
▪ Position
▪ Shape
2. A force can make an object move.
3. A force can make moving object stop.

• All forces are ( Vector ), that have both size and direction.
• When you see a change in an object’s motion, one or more forces caused the change.
• The unit used to express force is the newton (N).
• Forces exist only when there is an object for them to act on.
• Forces do not always cause an object to move:
For example, When a boy sit in a chair, the chair does not move.

The boy’s force ( weight) on the chair that is pulled downward due to gravity ( gravitational
force ) is balanced by the upward force from the floor .
Friction force horizontal force.
The chair is in equilibrium because the downward force from your weight is balanced by the upward
normal force from the ground supporting the chair.
3. How does force act on an object?
Or What are types of forces ?
✓ A force can act directly on an object :

A force exerted during contact between objects is a “ contact force “.

• Friction is an example of a contact force between two surfaces that are

touching.

Examples :

▪ You slide a book across your desk. The amount

of friction between the surface of the desk and
the book cover determines how easily the book
moves.

▪ Car tires rely on friction to keep a moving

car from sliding off a road.

▪ Cars may slide on icy roads because ice lowers the force of friction on
the tires.

✓ A Force Can Act on an Object from a Distance :

1. Gravity
 Gravity is a force that pulls objects toward Earth.

Invisible force that pulls objects toward each other.

Earth's gravity is what keeps you on the ground and what makes things fall.

Example:
▪ When you jump, gravity pulls you back to the ground even
though you are not touching Earth.

2. Magnetic
Magnetic force can be a push or a pull.

Example:
▪ like poles of two magnets push each other apart.
▪ A magnetic levitation train floats because magnetic forces
push the train away from its track.
▪ Magnets pulls magnetic materials.
▪ Magnetic force can be a pull, as when a magnet holds paper to a metal refrigerator door.

What are some forces that act at a distance? gravity, magnetic force.

4. What happens when multiple forces act on an object?

a. The Forces Can Be Balanced :

▪ Occur when forces acting on an object are equal in size but opposite in direction.
▪ When the forces on an object produce a net force of 0 N.
▪ Result in No change in motion
▪ Balanced forces will not cause a change in the motion of
a moving object
Example:
▪ A light hanging from the ceiling does not move, Why?
Because the force of gravity pulling downward on the light is balanced by the force of
the chain pulling the light upward.

▪ A book on a table. "Why isn’t the book moving?"

Gravity pulls the book down toward the Earth with a force equal to the book's weight
(measured in newtons).

The table pushes up on the book with an equal and opposite force (the normal
force), balancing gravity and preventing the book from falling through the table.

When an individual stands on the floor, it is an example of a balanced force.

The force of gravity pulls the person downward towards the center of the Earth, while the
floor exerts an equal and opposite force known as the normal force. The normal force
counteracts the force of gravity and pushes upward on the person with the same magnitude.
As a result, the individual remains in a state of equilibrium, neither sinking into the floor
nor rising into the air. The balanced force ensures that the person can stand stably on the
floor without any noticeable upward or downward motion.
The Forces Can Be Unbalanced :

▪ Occur when forces are not equal, leading to a change in motion (starting moving ,
stopping, speeding up, slowing down, or changing direction).

▪ When the net force on an object is not 0 N.

▪ This change in motion is called acceleration.
▪ The acceleration is always in the direction of the net
force.
▪ The acceleration is in the direction of the greater force.

Example:
when a big dog and a small dog play with a tug toy, the bigger dog pulls
with greater force, so the acceleration is in the direction of the bigger dog

What happens when unbalanced forces act on an object? They produce a change in
motion, such as change in speed or direction.

5. What is net force?

The combination of all the forces acting on an object.

6. How do you determine net force?

When forces act in the same direction, you simply add them together to determine the net force.
When forces act in opposite directions, you subtract the smaller force from the larger force to
determine the net force.

7. What is Newton’s First Law of Motion?

▪ Newton’s first law describes the motion of an object that has a net force of 0 N
acting on it

▪ The law states: “An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays
in motion at the same speed and direction, unless it experiences an
unbalanced force “.

▪ Newton’s first law is also called the “law of inertia”.

▪ Inertia is the tendency of all objects to resist a change in motion.
What is inertia? the tendency of objects to resist a change in motion

1. An Object at Rest Stays at Rest :

• A chair will not slide across the floor unless a force pushes the chair.
• A golf ball will not leave the tee until a force pushes it off.
• Example 12 page 34, explanation :
Inertia caused the plates to remain in place because the table cloth did not
exert a force on the plates great enough to make the plates move.

2. An Object in Motion Stays in Motion :

Example : you are in a car moving straight forward with a speed ,that comes to a sudden
stop.
a. Before stopping:
✓ The car is moving with a speed .
✓ You are moving with the same speed , because there is no unbalanced force acting on
you to change motion .

b. During the stopping :

✓ The car applies brakes that will exert friction force to the wheels , making the forces
acting on the car unbalanced and so it will stops
✓ You will continue moving forward , because there is no force acting on you ,making you
stop and this is because of inertia.

c. You will remain moving until an unbalanced force act on you:

➢ The forces that will stop you from moving are:
• Seatbelt, it will exerts a backward force that slows down your motion till you
completely stop moving .
• Dashborad or Airbag , these will exert a backward force to stop your motion .
8. What is Newton’s Second Law of Motion?

▪ When an unbalanced force acts on an object, the object accelerates.

Newton’s second law describes this motion.

▪ The law states:

“ The acceleration of an object depends on the mass of the object and the
amount of force applied “.

▪ In other words, objects that have different masses will have

different accelerations if the same amount of force is used.

▪ Imagine pushing a shopping cart :

a. When the cart is empty, you need only a small force to accelerate it.

b. But if the cart is full of groceries, the same amount of force causes a much smaller
acceleration.

▪ What is mass? the amount of matter in an object.

▪ What is acceleration? a change in motion over time; a change in speed or

direction over time.

▪ F = m × a,

F stands for applied force

m stands for mass
a stands for acceleration.

▪ This equation tells us that a given force applied to a large mass will
result in a small acceleration.

▪ When the same force is applied to a smaller mass, the acceleration will be larger.
9. What is Newton’s Third Law of Motion?

▪ The law states:

“Whenever one object exerts a force on a second object, the second
object exerts an equal and opposite force on the first”.

▪ So when you push against a wall, Newton’s law tells you that
the wall is actually pushing back against you.

▪ Newton’s third law also can be stated as: All forces act in pairs.

➢ What are force pairs?

When an object exerts a force on another object , the second object exerts an equal and
opposite force on the first.
▪ In other words, all forces act in pairs.

➢ Objects Exert Force on Each Other :

▪ Action and reaction forces are present even when there is no motion.

For example: you exert a force on a chair when you sit on it.
a. Your weight is pushing a force down on the chair, this is the Action force.
b. The Reaction force is the force exerted by the chair that pushes up on your body.

➢ Forces in Pairs Have Equal Size but Opposite Directions :

For example page 38:

a. In the pool the swimmer’s feet push against the wall as he moves forward. This push is
the action force.
b. The wall also exerts a force on the swimmer body. This is the reaction force, and it
makes the swimmer move forward.
c. The forces do not act on the same object.so the forces aren’t balanced thus not cancelling
each other.
Another example:
▪ If the person in a boat pushes the paddle against the water,this is Action force.
▪ The water pushes the paddle (and the boat) in the opposite direction, this is Reaction force.
The force from the paddle acts on the water, and the force from the water pushes the
boat forward.

➢ Forces Acting in Pairs Can Have Unequal Effects :

▪ Even though action and reaction forces are equal in size, their effects are often different.
▪ Gravitation is a force pair between two objects.
▪ If you drop a ball, gravity in an action force pulls the ball toward Earth.

But the reaction force pulls Earth toward the ball!

▪ It’s easy to see the effect of the action force. Why don’t you see the effect of
the reaction force—Earth being pulled upward? Newton’s second law
answers this question.
▪ The force on the ball is the same size as the force on earth. However, Earth has much more
mass than the ball. So Earth’s acceleration is much smaller than that of the ball.

➢ Forces Can Act in Multiple Pairs :

▪ An object can have multiple forces acting on it at once. When this happens, each force is
part of a force pair.
▪ For example, when a baseball bat hits a baseball.
▪ There is a force is exerted on the ball by the bat , but the bat does not fly backward,
why ?
because the player’s hands are exerting another force on the bat.
▪ What then keeps the player’s hands from flying backward when the bat hits the ball?
The bones and muscles in the player’s arms exert a force on the hands.
As you can see, a simple activity such as playing baseball involves the action of many
forces at the same time.
Questions:

1. Which of the following is a non-contact force?

a) Friction
b) Magnetism
c) Air resistance
d) Tension

2. What happens when forces on an object are balanced?

a) The object changes direction.
b) The object accelerates.
c) The object remains stationary or continues moving at constant speed.
d) The object slows down.

3. Which force is an example of a contact force?

a) Gravity
b) Magnetic force
c) Friction
d) Electric force

4. Gravity is a contact force. (_false____)

5. Balanced forces result in no change in motion. ( True_____)
6. Friction always opposes the direction of motion. (_True____

7. _Contact _________ forces occur when two objects physically touch each other.
8. Forces that act at a distance, such as gravity and magnetism, are called _Non-
contact_________ forces.
9. An object with unbalanced forces acting on it will __move________.

10. Define the difference between contact and non-contact forces. Provide one example of each.
11. Explain how balanced and unbalanced forces affect the motion of an object.

12. Observe the diagram below of two people pushing a box.

• Person A applies a force of 10 N to the left.

• Person B applies a force of 10 N to the right.

a. Are the forces balanced or unbalanced? Explain your answer. Balanced , because the 2 forces
are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction

b. What will happen to the motion of the box? Will not move
13. A magnet is used to pull a metal object across a table.
a. Identify the non-contact force in action. Magnetic force
b. Name one contact force opposing the motion of the object. Friction force

14. A toy car is pushed with a force of 5 N to the right and experiences a frictional force of 3 N to
the left. What is the net force acting on the car? In which direction will it move?

15. Two people are pulling on a rope in opposite directions. Person A pulls with a force of 50 N to
the right, and Person B pulls with a force of 60 N to the left. Calculate the net force and state the
direction of the resulting motion.

16. A box is being pushed by two forces: 15 N to the right and 10 N to the right. Calculate the net
force acting on the box and describe its motion.

17. A book rests on a table. The downward force due to gravity is 20 N, and the upward normal
force exerted by the table is also 20 N. What is the net force acting on the book? What does this
indicate about its motion?

18. A ball is subjected to two forces: 8 N upward and 5 N downward. What is the net force acting
on the ball, and in which direction will it move?

19. Forces in Action: Conduct a simple experiment by pushing a book across a table. Observe and
answer the following:
a. What contact force slows down the motion of the book?
b. What happens when you stop applying force to the book? Why?
c. What non-contact force acts on the book at all times?

20..A rope is used in a game of tug-of-war. Team A pulls with a force of 200 N, and Team B pulls
with a force of 180 N.
a. Which team wins the game?
b. By how much force do they win?
c. Is the force balanced or unbalanced? Explain.

21. __________ is the tendency of all objects to resist a change in motion.

a. Inertia
b. Acceleration
c. Speed
d. Velocity
22. A soccer ball will not move until it is kicked is an application of ____________
a. Newtons 1st law
b. Newtons 2nd law
c. Newtons 3rd law
 d. None of the above

23. Pushing a child on a swing is easier than pushing an adult on the same swing is an application
of ____________
a. Newtons 1st law
b. Newtons 2nd law
c. Newtons 3rd law
d. None of the above

24. Which law states: “The acceleration of an object depends on the mass of the object and
the amount of force applied”?
a. Newtons 1st law
b. Newtons 2nd law

c. Newtons 3rd law

d. None of the above

25. What is the net force, and direction?

a. 1 N left
b. 1 N right
c. 11 N right
d. 11 N left
26. Calculate the Net Force for each of the following and mention the direction :
.
27. Calculate the following :
a. A boy pulls a wagon with a force of 6 N east as another boy pushes it with a force of 4 N
east. What is the net force?
Net force = 6 + 4 = 10 N east

b. The classes are playing tug of war. Ahmed pulls with a force of 50 N. Mahmoud pulls with a
force of 45 N in the opposite direction. What is the net force? And who won?
Net force = 50 - 45 = 5 N / Ahmed

c. A 12 kg object experiences a net force of 120 N. What acceleration will this object
experience?
a = f/m = 120/12= 10 m/s2

d. A 400 N force makes an object accelerate at 5 m/s2. What is the mass of the object?
m = f/a = 400/5= 80 m/s2

e. A 20 kg box is accelerating at 10 m/s2. What is the force exerted on the box?

F = m X a = 20 X 10 = 200 N

28. Mention which Newton’s law apply to the following :

a. Two people are playing baseball. The first person hits the ball very hard and the second person
lightly bunts the ball. The first person’s ball accelerates more than the second person’s ball.
(__________Newton’s 2nd law __________________)

b. A student leaves a pencil on their desk and the pencil stays in the same spot until another student
picks it up. (__Newton’s 1st law__________________________)
c. A bird flaps its wings down and the air pushes the bird upwards.(_ Newton’s 3rd law __)

d. You kick a bowling ball and a tennis ball with the same amount of force. The tennis ball travels
farther than the bowling ball. (__Newton’s 2nd law ______________________)

e. The bowling pins were motionless at the end of the alley. They were scattered in all directions
when the bowling ball collided with them (__Newton’s 1st law __________________)

f. Mary pulled the rope to the left. Joudy pulled the rope to the right. The force of tension through
the rope to the left was equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force through the rope to
the right (__Newton’s 3rd law _____________________)