Contact and Non-contact forces

• What is a contact force?

  Forces that act between two objects that are physically touching each other
• Give examples of a contact force.

  Reaction force- Force exerted in an opposite direction to an action force

  Tension- Pulling force exerted by each end of an object

  Friction- A force that opposes or prevents movement and converts kinetic energy into heat

  Air resistance- A force of friction produced when an object moves through the air
• What happens when a contact force acts between two objects?


  Both experience the same size force, but in opposite directions. (Newtons 3rd law)
• What are Non-Contact forces?

  Forces that act between two objects that are not physically touching each other.
• Name some examples of Non-contact forces:

  Magnetic force- e.g opposite magnet poles that attract, like magnetic poles that repel

  Electrostatic force- Experienced by any charged particle in an electric field, e.g opposite charges attract, or like charges repel.

  Gravitational force- Experienced by any mass in a gravitational field. Masses are attracted towards each other by gravitational force.