According to Aristotle, “Force is anything that causes an object to undergo unnatural motion.” But according to Issac Newton, “Force is a push or pull acting upon an object.” In the S.I. Terminology, Newton, the unit of force is the total force requires to accelerate 1 kg of mass at 1 meter per second square (m/s2). There are four main types of forces that co-exist together: the renowned scientist Newton, the S.I unit of force has been named after him. Force isn’t just a theoretical phenomenon; it is a practical entity that we use in our day to day life. Whether we’re pushing an object, putting our feet on the ground to walk, everything is force. To know further about forces, let’s dive in.
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Effects of Forces
As you know, force is a push or a pull acting upon an object; there are some effects that it undertakes. The various effects of force include:
- Forces can change the shape of an object from its original shape, known as deformation.
- They can change the motion of an object in two possible ways: They can cause a moving object to stop, and on the other hand, they can cause a stable object to move.
- Thirdly, as an effect, forces can change the direction of the movement of an object.
Another significant thing to know about the types of force is that they work in pairs. That is, the force exerted by the object two on object 1 is equal in strength and opposite in direction. To study further about the types of forces, here is a detailed account of the same.
Contact Force
The force that acts upon an object either directly or through a medium is a contact force.
There are six main types of contact force:
- Frictional Force- a force that makes an effort to move across an object
- Tension Force- it transmits through a wire or string pole.
- Normal force- force exerted upon an object that is in contact with another stable object.
- Applied Force- the force applied to an object by a person
- Air-resistance Force- frictional force when an object travels through space
- Spring Force- force exerted by a spring upon any object attached to it
Non-Contact Force
The force that acts without making any contact with an object directly or act through spaces is a non-contact force.
There are three main types of non-contact force:
- Gravitational Force- it attracts any two objects with mass.
- Electric Force- force extended between any two charged objects.
- Magnetic Force- attraction or repulsion between electrically charged particles due to their motion.