Identifying Forces

Front

What is the force usually exerted by a surface that an object is on?

Back

Normal force is the force exerted by a surface to support the weight of an object resting on it, acting perpendicular to the surface.

Front

What type of force is gravity?

Back

Gravity is a noncontact attractive force that pulls objects toward each other, such as the Earth pulling objects toward its center.

Front

What force resists motion between two surfaces?

Back

Friction is the force that opposes the relative motion of two surfaces in contact.

Front

What does the amount of gravitational force between objects depend on?

Back

The amount of gravitational force depends on the distance between the objects and the mass of each object.

Front

What force does your chair exert on you to prevent you from falling?

Back

The chair exerts a normal force on you, counteracting the force of gravity.

Front

Define friction.

Back

Friction is a force that resists the sliding motion of two surfaces that are in contact.

Front

What is the relationship between mass and gravitational force?

Back

Gravitational force increases with the mass of the objects involved.

Front

What is an example of a contact force?

Back

Friction is an example of a contact force, as it requires physical contact between surfaces.

Front

What is a noncontact force?

Back

A noncontact force is a force that acts at a distance, such as gravitational force or magnetic force.

Front

How does distance affect gravitational force?

Back

Gravitational force decreases as the distance between two objects increases.