contact and non-contact forces

what is a force?

a force is a push or pull that acts on an object due to the interaction with another object.

what do all forces have?

magnitude and a direction.

is force a vector or scalar quantity?

vector quantity

what is the unit of force?

Newton (N)

definition of contact forces?

contact forces means when two objects are physically touching.

examples of contact forces

• friction

• air resistance

• tension

• normal contact force

definition of non-contact forces?

non-contact forces means when two objects are physically separated.

examples of non-contact forces

• gravitational force

• electrostatic force

• magnetic force

what is gravitational force?

attracts all objects to other objects.

what us electrostatic force?

is the force between two charged objects.

objects with opposite charges experience?

an electrostatic force of attraction

objects with the same type of charge experience?

an electrostatic force is repulsion.

what is magnetic force?

is the force experienced by certain objects in a magnetic field.

is air resistance a contact or non-contact force? explain why (2 marks)

• air resistance is a contact force (1 mark)

• this is because it is due to the physical (collisions) between an object and the particles in the air (1 mark)