Force

What is Force?

Force can be defined as a push or a pull that changes or tends to change the state of rest or uniform motion of an object or changes the direction or shape of an object.  It causes objects to accelerate or add to their overall pressure. In simple terms, it is a push or a pull on an object that takes place when two objects interact. It is the basic cause of motion from rest.

Unit of Measurement

It is measured in ‘Newton’ (N). Newton measures the force needed to move, accelerate or speed up objects. The basic formula for it is, F = m.a, where, ‘m’ stands for the mass in kilograms and ‘a’ stands for acceleration in m/sec2.

 It may also be measured in Pounds.

Force is a Vector Quantity

Types of Forces

There are different types of forces in the Universe. Based on the nature of the interaction between two bodies, they  can be classified into two main categories viz.

• Contact Forces.
• Non-Contact Forces (Field Forces or Action at a Distance Forces).

Newton’s First law of Motion: Also called the law of inertia, this law states that an object remains in a state of rest or of uniform motion unless compelled to change that state by an external force. In other words, the law states two things.

• A stationary object will only move if there is an unbalanced force acting upon it.
• A moving object will only change speed or direction if there is an unbalanced force acting upon it.

en stated as F=ma, which means ‘F’ acting on an object is equal to the mass (m) of an object times its acceleration (a). Therefore, the more mass an object has the more ‘F’ you need to accelerate it. And the greater the F is, the greater is the object’s acceleration.

Newton’s Third Law of Motion: This law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Therefore, if one object exerts a force on another object, the second object exerts an equal and oppositely directed force on the first one.

There are other very important concepts that we come across in our day-to-day life. Understanding these concepts will give you much better insights and its various implications. Let’s take a look at some of these important concepts.