Types of Forces

Front

What is a force?

Back

a push or pull on 1 object by another.

Front

What are the two broad categories of forces?

Back

Contact Forces and Field Forces.

Front

What is an applied force?

Back

a force exerted on an object by a person or another object.

Front

What is weight?

Back

the gravitational force that the earth exerts on an object.

Front

What is normal force?

Back

the support force exerted on an object from contact with another object. It is always perpendicular to the surfaces.

Front

What is friction force?

Back

the force exerted by a surface as an object slides (kinetic) or tries to slide (static) across it. It is always parallel to the surfaces.

Front

What is air resistance (drag)?

Back

a special type of friction that acts on objects as they travel through the air.

Front

What is tension force?

Back

the force from a string, rope, cable, or wire when it is pulled tight by forces acting from opposite ends.

Front

What is spring force?

Back

the force exerted by a compressed or stretched spring on any object attached to it.

Front

How is weight different from mass?

Back

Weight is the force of gravity acting upon an object, while mass is the amount of matter contained in the object.