Forces in action _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. What is a force?
“FORCES ARE INVOLVED WHENEVER OBJECTS INTERACT”
• A force is just a push or pull that one object exerts on another object. Examples: – an object’s weight – friction – tension in a rope – attraction between an electron and proton.
• Bodies do not have to be in contact to exert forces on each other, e.g., gravity.
• The SI unit of force is the newton (N).
THE EFFECT OF A FORCE:
Force is an action or agency that causes a body of mass m - a deformation - a rotation - an acceleration - or an increase in pressure for the body.