A push or pull acting on an object due to an interaction with another object
Examples of contact forces
Friction, air resistance,tension
Examples of non-contact forces
Gravitational forces, electrostatic forces, magnetic forces
How are vectors represented?
Vector arrows, length indicates magnitude,arrow indicates direction
How can you calculate the resultant magnitude and direction of forces using a scale drawing?
Draw the component forces as scaled arrows (joined tip-to-tail), draw a line connecting the two open ends, measure the length of this line and convert into the magnitude, measure the angle between the resultant line and the vertical/horizontal to find the direction.
