Physics: Force and Their Interaction

Vocabulary flashcards covering the definitions and concepts of contact and non-contact forces, scalars, vectors, and resultant force from the physics lecture.

Force Effects

A force can change the shape, speed (making it faster or slower), or the direction of an object.

Contact force

Force exerted between two objects when they are physically touching each other.

Non-contact force

Forces that act between two objects that are not physically touching each other.

Friction

A force between two surfaces which impedes motion and may result in heating.

Air resistance

A form of friction that slows an object's motion through the air, such as a skydiver or a cyclist.

Reaction force

The force an object at rest experiences from a surface that supports it, such as a book on a table.

Magnetic force

A non-contact force experienced by any magnetic material in a magnetic field.

Electrostatic force

A non-contact force experienced by any charged particle in an electric field.

Scalars

Quantities that have magnitude only, such as distance and speed.

Vectors

Quantities that have direction as well as a magnitude, such as displacement, velocity, acceleration, and force.

Vector Arrow Representation

A method where the length of the arrow represents the magnitude and the direction of the arrow represents the direction of the quantity.

Resultant Force

A single force that has the same effect on the motion of an object as all the original forces acting together.

Calculating Resultant Force

To find the resultant of forces acting along the same line, add them if they are in the same direction and subtract them if they are in the opposite direction.

Tension

A contact force produced in a rope or string when it is pulled, such as Ben pulling a sledge.

Gravity

A non-contact force caused by the gravitational attraction between the Earth and an object, pulling the object downwards.