K Hinds | 4th Form Physics :: STATICS 1

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Forces, F
3.1 explain the effects of A force can cause a Use plasticene and
forces; change in the size, marbles to demonstrate
shape or motion of a effect of forces.
body. Biology, Movement,
Chemistry, Bonding

20. Describe the effects of forces; Start motion, stop motion, change speed, change
direction, remain the same (balance). Gravity - keeps us
earthbound. Friction enables safe movement.
21. State the types of forces. Contact (pull, push, twist), for example, friction. At a
distance (gravity, magnetic, electrostatic).
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Definition
A Force is either a Push or a Pull that causes a change in motion of a body:

F = ma

Where
F = Force measured in Newtons (N)
m = mass in kg
a = Acceleration in ms-2 which is due to some body;
For example;
Acceleration due to gravity.
Acceleration of a car due to Friction: Friction helps in movement of a wheel by
rolling motion. The point touching the surface stays at rest which causes the rest of
the wheel to move forward. This is caused due to friction. Now, if you don't have
friction, nothing would be there to stop the wheel from spinning around its axis.
Acceleration cannot occur on its own, rather it must be applied by a body.
Effects of a Force
The Effects of Forces. A force acting on an object may cause the object to change shape, to
start moving, to stop moving, to accelerate or decelerate. When two objects interact with each
other they exert a force on each other, the forces are equal in size but opposite in direction.
Types of Forces
There are many types of forces:

Nuclear Forces: The Atom

NOTE:
Protons are
+ve charged
Electrons are
-ve charged
Neutrons are
Neutral
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The nuclear force acts between all of the particles in the nucleus, i.e., between two
neutrons, between two protons, and between a neutron and a proton. It is attractive
up to a certain distance if the particles are moved apart. The electrical force
however, is acting against the positively charged Protons in the nucleus. This force
of repulsion is less than the nuclear force of attraction.

Gravitational Force
The gravitational force is a force that attracts any two objects with mass. We call the
gravitational force attractive because it always tries to pull masses together, it never pushes
them apart. In fact, every object, including you, is pulling on every other object in the entire
universe! This is called Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation. Admittedly, you don't have a
very large mass and so, you're not pulling on those other objects much. And objects that are
far apart from each other don't pull on each other noticeably either. But the force is there, and
we can calculate it; however the formula is outside the scope of our work.
Frictional Forces
These are forces that act in the opposite direction of motion.
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Magnetism
A magnetic field is generated around a charged object. The magnetic field direction is usually
said to naturally flows outward from the N-pole and inward at the S-pole.

Magnetic Force
A magnetic force is a force that arises due to interacting magnetic fields. The magnetic force
is exerted onto a charged object placed inside an interlapping magnetic field. We can find this
direction of force using Flemings right hand rule as shown below:

Electric Force
The attractive or repulsive interaction between any two charged objects is an electric force
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Upthrust (buoyancy)
Upthrust is the force that pushes an object up and makes it seem to lose weight in a fluid.
(Remember, a fluid means a liquid or a gas). The Upthrust, or buoyancy, keeps ships afloat.

Weight
Weight is a force caused by gravity and it is measured in Newtons (N). It is the gravitational
force between the object and the Earth. An object will have greater weight if it has more
mass.
All over the world, people read the weight of objects with kilograms. That is not correct. It is
done only because it is easy for people to grasp. The proper scientific unit of measurement is
Newton, and it is written as N
The weight of an object is the same everywhere on earth because the object is under the same
pull of gravity. In Space, there is no gravity, so the object will not even sit on the scale at all.
It will just stay in suspense. Technically speaking, there is no weight on the Space.
Gravity on the Moon is less and that means an object will weigh less on Moon than on earth.
An object's weight (W) can be determined by the product of its' mass (m) and the magnitude
of the local gravitational field strength (g), thus

W = mg

W is the Weight (measured in Newtons, N)

Exercise