Contact and non contact forces

• Force


  A push or pull that acts on an object due to the interaction with another object
• Force


  • Has magnitude (size) and direction
  • Unit is the Newton
• Types of forces


  • Contact forces
  • Non-contact forces
• Contact forces


  Forces where the two objects are physically touching
• Contact forces


  • Tension in a rope
  • Friction (e.g. between airplane and water)
  • Air resistance (e.g. on a skydiver)
  • Normal contact force (e.g. between a lump and a table)
• Non-contact forces


  Forces where the two objects are physically separated
• Non-contact forces


  • Gravitational force (e.g. between Earth and International Space Station)
  • Electrostatic force (e.g. between charged objects)
  • Magnetic force (e.g. in a magnetic field)