Forces

Part 1: What are Forces?

What Is A Force?
A force is either a push or a pull.

Forces are examples of vectors.

They have a magnitude and a direction.
What Do Forces Do?
Forces can have 4 effects on an object.

Make it speed up.

Make it slow down.

Make it change direction.

Make it change shape.

Names of Forces
Contact Forces Distance Forces

Normal Gravity

Buoyancy Electrical

Friction (+ Air Resistance) Magnetic

Tension

Spring

Applied
Measuring Forces
Forces are measured
using a spring scale.

The strength of a force is

measured in newtons (n).

One newton (1 n) is the

roughly amount of force
used to pick up an apple
off the floor.
Any Questions?
Forces
Part 2: How to Use a Spring Scale
WHAT IS A SPRING SCALE?
A spring scale is a simple device used to
measure force or weight (not mass).
2 TYPES OF SPRING SCALES
We have 2 types of spring scales. They look
different but operate exactly the same.

Hanger

Adjustment

Indicator

Scale
(Newtons & Grams)

Hook
WHAT DO SPRING SCALES MEASURE?
•Spring scales
measure the size
of a force in
newtons (n)
•1 newton = 100
grams 10 n
 USING A SPRING SCALE

1. Make sure the bottom of the

indicator lines up with the top
of the zero line.

2. If it doesn’t, use the metal tab

or the nut on the spring scale
to adjust the scale.

3. Frequently check your scale

for accuracy while you are
taking measurements.
Any Questions?
Forces
Part 3: How Forces Interact
Interacting Forces
Forces usually act together.

When 2 forces act in the same direction,

the forces add together.

80
40NN
Interacting Forces
Forces can be balanced or unbalanced.

When 2 forcesforce,
The resulting act inor
equal and opposite
net force, is zero.
The directions, they are
object’s motion balanced.
does not change.

15 N

no net force
Interacting Forces
Forces can be balanced or unbalanced.

SinceButthe
when
net two forces
force is notare unequal,
zero, the object
will movethein
forces are unbalanced.
the direction of the net force.

5 20
N N

net force of 5 N to the right

Drawing Forces
Forces are shown with arrows.
The length of the arrow is the size of the force

The direction of the arrow is the direction of the force

NORMAL

FRICTION APPLIED
GRAVITY
Drawing Forces
Forces are drawn using free-body diagrams.

Free-body diagrams show the object as

an empty box with the forces acting on it.

What forces are FNormal

acting on this crate?

FGravity
Drawing Forces
The skydiver is falling at a constant speed.

F Air resistance

FGravity
Drawing Forces
A car is moving at a constant speed left.

FNormal

FApplied FFriction

FGravity
Any Questions?
Forces
Part 4: Friction
Introduction
Friction is caused when 2 surfaces rub together.

Friction is a force that acts in the opposite

direction of a moving object.

Friction will cause an

object to slow down or
stop moving completely.
How Friction Works
Friction is caused by rough surfaces.

No surface is perfectly smooth.

Under a microscope, most

surfaces have rough edges

When surfaces rub together,

these edges catch on each
other, creating friction!
Showing Friction
Friction can be shown on a force diagram:
Showing Friction
Friction can be shown on a force diagram:

FNormal

FApplied FFriction

FGravity
Types of Friction
The ear is divided into
1. Static 3 major sections:
Friction
Occurs between objects that aren’t moving.
Types of Friction
The ear is divided intoFriction
2. Sliding 3 major sections:
When solid objects slide over a surface.
Types of Friction
The ear is divided intoFriction
3. Rolling 3 major sections:
When objects roll over a surface.
Types of Friction
The ear is divided into
4. Fluid 3 major sections:
Friction
When an object moves through a fluid.
Fluid Friction = Air Resistance
The fluid friction created when an object
moves through the air is called air resistance.

friction

FApplied FAir Resistance

Fluid Friction = Air Resistance
The fluid friction created when an object
moves through the air is called air resistance.
friction FAir Resistance

FGravity
Good & Bad Friction
Friction can be helpful or unhelpful.

“Good” Friction “Bad” Friction

Brakes Engine damage

Shoes Tire wear

Pencils Running on sand

Sand paper
Reducing Friction
Friction always occurs, but it can be reduced.

There are 2 ways to reduce

friction between surfaces.

Make the surfaces

smoother, such as
using sand paper.
Reducing Friction
Friction always occurs, but it can be reduced.

There are 2 ways to reduce

friction between surfaces.

Add a liquid lubricant to

make the surfaces
smoother and slide easier.
Example: oil
Any Questions?
Forces
Part 5: Mass, Weight, and Gravity
Weight
If you wanted to know how much you weigh,
you would just step on a scale.

Metric scales give

measurements in
several units:
Weight
If you wanted to know how much you weigh,
you would just step on a scale.

Milligrams (mg)

Grams (g)

Kilograms (kg)

Metric Tons (t)

A Game
Pick the correct measurement unit!

Millgrams

Grams

Kilograms

Metric Tons
A Problem With Mass
There is a problem with our everyday wording.

When we describe how much an object

weighs, we actually are measuring its mass.

Mass is a measure of how

much matter something is
made out of.
A Problem With Mass

We say the apple “weighs” 0.10 kg.

But we should really say the

apple has a “mass” of 0.10 kg.
“Weight” A Minute!
What does weight mean, then?

Weight is a force.

Weight is measured in newtons (n).

Weight is a measurement
of the force of gravity
pulling on an object.
“Weight” A Minute!

This apple has a mass of 0.10 kg.

And it has a weight of 1.0 N.

1.0 N
Another Example

Take this soda can

and put it on a scale:

The scale shows a mass of 0.35 kg

Take the same soda

can and put it on a
spring scale:

The meter shows a weight of 3.5 N.

Remember!
Mass is a measure of how much
matter something is made out of.

It is measured in mg, g, kg and t.

Weight is a measure of the force of

gravity acting on something.

It is measured in newtons (N).

Losing Weight!
The reason why we have weight on Earth
is because Earth’s gravity pulls on our mass.

Take Mr. Einstein as an example…

But this situation is different on Mars…

Losing Weight!
The reason why we have weight on Earth
is because Earth’s gravity pulls on our mass.

Einstein has a
Which equals a
mass of 50.0 kg
weight of 500 n.
on Earth.

But this situation is different on Mars…

Losing Weight!

Einstein still has But his weight

a mass of 50 kg: will be less,
that doesn’t since the force
change! of gravity is less.

His weight is closer to 400 n on Mars!

That Soda Can, Again!

Our soda can has a

weight of 3.5 n on Earth.

But it will weigh different on other planets!

That Soda Can, Again!

Our soda can has a

weight of 3.5 n on Earth.

Earth Mars Jupiter Pluto

3.5 n 2.5 n 7.0 n 1.7 n
The space shuttle has a mass of 4,500 kg!

But in space, it is weightless. Why?

Any Questions?
Forces
Part 6: Sinking, Floating, and Buoyancy
Introduction
Floating and sinking seem to be simple ideas.

However, the science behind what floats

and what sinks can be complex!

To understand it better, we
must look at 3 concepts:

Gravity
Density
Buoyancy
1. Gravity
Gravity is a natural force.

Gravity pulls all objects

towards the Earth’s center.

Only the solid ground or a

body of water stops objects
from reaching the center!
2. Density
Density is a measure of
how compact a material is.

Density is the ratio of

mass per unit volume.

Density determined by
how close the atoms are
packed together.
2. Density
Density is a measure of
how compact a material is.

Density is the ratio of

mass per unit volume.

Density determined by
how close the atoms are
packed together.
3. Buoyancy
Buoyancy is a force that acts on objects in fluids.

Buoyancy is caused by an
upward push of the water.

Buoyancy acts in the

opposite direction of gravity.
F Buoyant FGravity
Putting It All Together
Now, let’s see how all 3 concepts fit together…

Gravity Density Buoyancy

Gravity pulls down ALL objects towards Earth.

Only a solid surface or water can stop

an object reaching the Earth’s center.

Some materials, because of their low density,

can overcome the pull of gravity in water…
1.00
 Yay!

FBuoyant FGravity

For objects with a density less than water,

the denser water pushes up just enough
to overcome the force of gravity.
 Boo.

FBuoyant FGravity

Objects that are more dense than water

are still buoyed up by the water, but it’s
not enough to overcome gravity.
 So, the rule is this:

Objects with a density less than water will float.

1.00

Objects with a density more than water will sink.

We’re Not Done Yet!
There is a major problem with the rule…

Steel has a density 8x greater than water,

yet steel ships float just fine!

To understand this,
we must learn more
about buoyancy and
Archimedes’ Principle!
Archimedes
Quick
WhoFacts:
is this Archimedes guy?

• A Greek mathematician
from Syracuse, Italy

• Considered to be the
greatest mathematician
of ancient times.
• Famous for many feats
of engineering and for
new scientific ideas…
Archimedes
Eureka!
Quick Facts:

• The Archimedes screw

• Burning mirror weapons

• Law of the Lever

• Principle of Buoyancy
Archimedes’ Principle
Archimedes’ Principle helps explain why
objects denser than water can still float…

An object completely or partially

submerged in water is buoyed
up by a force equal to the mass
of water that it displaces.
Archimedes’ Principle

Which means what, exactly?

If the mass of water displaced by

the object is equal or greater than
the object’s mass, it will float.
Archimedes’ Principle

Which means what, exactly?

If the mass of the water displaced

by the object is less than the
object’s mass, it will sink.
When a steel cube is placed in a beaker
of water, gravity pulls it down.
It sinks to the bottom and displaces
some water. The water level rises.
 =

The amount of water displaced is equal

to the volume of the steel cube.
Even though the cube sinks, it is still being
pushed up by a force called buoyancy.
 =

The buoyancy force is equal to the weight

of the water displaced by the cube.
 What does this all have to
do with floating and sinking?
 =

If the mass of the water is equal or greater

than the mass of the cube, it will float.
 Sink!

But in this case, the mass of the water

is less than the cube, so it sinks.
But, if we change the shape of the
steel cube, we can make it float!
 The boat-like shape traps air inside it.

Also,
Sincethe
air wider
is less boat
denseshape
than steel,
displaces
the
overall
moredensity
waterof than
thethe
boat
cube
shape
does.
is less.
 =
More water
displaced

So when we put the boat shape in water,

it weighs less and displaces more water.
 =

Float!
Now, the mass of the water is equal or
greater than the mass of the boat. It floats!
 Sink!
What happens when we fill the
boat shape with water? Why?
 =

If we fill the boat with water, the water takes

the place of the air, so it has a greater mass.
 =

Sink!
The mass of the boat + water is more than
the mass of the displaced water, so it sinks.
 So, a better rule is this:

Materials with a density less than water will float.

Materials with a density more than water will sink.

BUT…
Materials can be made to float if their
shape displaces a mass of water equal
or greater than their own mass.
 FGravity

Take a steel cube with a mass of 100 kg.

 The steel cube will push away, or
displace a certain volume of water.
Boo.

FBuoyant

If the mass of that water is not equal

to the mass of the steel, it will sink.
 FGravity

Take a steel boat with a mass of 100 kg.

The steel boat will displace a much bigger
volume of water due to its unique shape.
Yay!

FBuoyant

If the mass of that water is equal

to the mass of the steel, it will float.
Any Questions?