Topic 5 - Forces Flashcards
What is a force?
A push or a pull. Its an interaction between at least 2 bodies.
What 3 things can forces change?
- Change the speed of an object
- Change the direction of an object
- Change the shape of an object
How are forces measured and represented?
Measured in Newtons (N) and represented with arrows.
What is a contact force?
When the two bodies physically touch.
What are 9 examples of contact forces?
- Normal force/ Reaction Force
- Friction
- Air resistance/ Drag
- Water resistance
- Tension
- Spring force
- Thrust
- Upthrust/ Buoyancy
- Lift
What is normal force/reaction force? (3)
- Exists when 2 bodies are touching.
- It is the force that stops objects passing through each other.
- Acts at 90 degrees to the surface of contact.
What is friction? (4)
- Exists when 2 bodies are touching and moving relative to each other.
- It’s the force that resists the motion of the object.
- It acts parallel to the surface of contact and opposes the direction of motion/intended direction of motion.
- An object at rest on a slope must have friction acting up on it => friction acts up the slope.
What is air resistance/drag? (5)
- Type of friction force where it only exists when objects are moving through air.
- It is caused by the collision of air particles with the body in motion.
- It opposes motion.
- Higher speeds = higher air resistance
- Larger cross sectional area = larger air resistance
What is water resistance? (2)
- Similar to air resistance, but water molecules instead of air molecules.
- An object travelling through water always experiences water resistance.
What is tension? (4)
- Tension is the force acting when a material is stretched.
- It is always there when a rope, wire, or spring is attached to a body.
- Always a pull force, as ropes can never be pushed.
- It acts away from the body it is attached to and along the rope.
What is spring force? (2)
- A sprint always wants to restore to its original shape.
- If a spring is being pulled right, then spring force is acting left and vice versa.
What is thrust?
Forward force of an object that has an engine, or one that is launched.
What is upthrust/buoyancy? (2)
- All objects that float in a fluid, e.g, rubber duck, balloon, etc.
- Acts upwards => away from fluid
What is lift?
The force that holds objects with wings up, e.g, planes, butterflies etc.
What is a non-contact force?
Force that acts at a distance.
What are 5 examples of non-contact forces?
- Gravitational force/ Weight
- Electrostatic force
- Magnetic force
- Strong force
- Weak force
What is gravitational force/ weight/
Force of attraction between objects that have mass (acts towards centre of earth).
What is electrostatic force?
Force between objects that have a charge.
What is magnetic force?
Force between objects that have a magnetic field, like a magnet.
What is strong force?
Force that binds neutrons and protons together in the nucleus of an atom.
What is weak force?
Linked to radioactive decay of protons and neutrons.
What is a free body diagram?
A diagram representing all the forces acting on an object, with proportionate arrows and labels of newtons.
What is the resultant force and what does it allow us to do?
- The sum of all forces acting on a body is called the resultant force.
- It allows us to figure out the motion of a body.
What must you do when calculating resultant force?
We need to take the direction of any forces acting when we find the total.