FUN WITH FORCES

AN INTRODUCTION TO FORCES

DEMONSTRATION AND QUESTION

WHY DID THE BOOK HIT THE GROUND FIRST?
WHAT CAUSED THE PAPER TO HIT THE GROUND LAST?
BRAINSTORM YOUR IDEAS ON YOUR SCRAP PAPER

WHAT IS A FORCE?
FORCE:A PUSH OR PULL UPON AN OBJECT RESULTING FROM THE OBJECTS INTERACTION
WITH ANOTHER OBJECT
CONTACT FORCE:A FORCE THAT ACTS AT THE POINT OF CONTACT BETWEEN TWO OBJECTS
EXAMPLES INCLUDE COLLIDING WITH A SOCCERBALL, PULLING A ROPE, AND PUSHING A
DOOR OPEN.
NON-CONTACT FORCE:A FORCE THAT IS APPLIED TO AN OBJECT BY ANOTHER BODY THAT
IS NOT IN CONTACT WITH IT
EXAMPLES INCLUDE MAGNETIC FORCE, GRAVITATIONAL FORCE, ELECTRICAL FORCE, AND
NUCLEAR FORCE.

WEIGHT
WEIGHT: THE FORCE OF AN OBJECT DUE TO ITS GRAVITY.
MASS: THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF MATTER MAKING UP AN OBJECT.(MEASURED IN
KILOGRAMS)
WEIGHT=MASS X GRAVITATIONAL ACCELERATION (MEASURED IN NEWTONS)
YOUR WEIGHT CHANGES DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU ARE. YOU WEIGH
ABOUT 1/6 OF YOUR WEIGHT ON THE MOON BECAUSE THE GRAVITATIONAL
ACCELERATION IS DIFFERENT.

NORMAL FORCE
NORMAL FORCE: THE SUPPORT FORCE EXERTED UPON AN OBJECT THAT IS IN
CONTACT WITH ANOTHER STABLE OBJECT.
FOR EVERY ACTION, THERE IS AN OPPOSITE AND EQUAL REACTION. THINK
ABOUT AN OBJECT WEIGHTING 600 N AND PUSHING 600N TOWARDS THE
FLOOR. THE NORMAL FORCE PUSHES BACK ON THAT OBJECT THE OPPOSITE
WAY WITH THE SAME EXACT 600N.

FRICTION FORCE
FRICTION FORCE: THE FORCE EXERTED BY A SURFACE AS AN OBJECT MOVES ACROSS IT.
EVEN THOUGH THE TABLE MAY SEEM FLAT, THERE ARE TINY WELDS ON A MOLECULAR LEVEL
THAT CAUSE THE BOOK TO WANT TO STICK TO THE DESK AS IT SLIDES ACROSS.
FRICTION FORCE ACTS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF THE MOVEMENT. SO, IF A BOOK IS
BEING PUSHED TO THE RIGHT, THE FRICTION FORCE IS ACTING TOWARDS THE LEFT, OR
AGAINST THE RIGHT.
SOME EXAMPLES INCLUDE A CAR ON A TRACK ( THE CAR EVENTUALLY SLOWS DOWN AND
STOPS MOVING), AND ME PUSHING THIS BOX (NOT ONLY IS THE BOX HEAVY, BUT THE BOX
AND GROUND ARE INTERACTING WITH ONE ANOTHER, FORCING ME TO PUSH HARDER. CAN
YOU THINK OF OTHER EXAMPLES??

AIR DRAG
AIR RESISTANCE: A SPECIAL TYPE OF FRICTIONAL FORCE THAT ACTS UPON
OBJECTS AS THEY TRAVEL THROUGH THE AIR.
THINK ABOUT SWIMMING THROUGH WATER AND HOW HARD IT IS TO DO
SOMETIMES. OBJECTS MOVING IN ONE DIRECTION ARE INTERACTING WITH
AIR MOLECULES THAT CAN BE HARD TO PUSH THROUGH (JUST LIKE THE
WATER WHEN WE SWIM).
SOME EXAMPLES OF AIR RESISTANCE INCLUDE A SAIL ON A SAILBOAT
PUSHING THE BOAT IN A PARTICULAR DIRECTION AND A PARACHUTE
SLOWING DOWN A PERSONS FALL. CAN YOU THINK OF MORE EXAMPLES??

THRUST
THRUST:A PROPULSIONAL FORCE THAT PUSHES SOMETHING IN A SPECIFIED
DIRECTION.
TYPICALLY USED TO DESCRIBE THE BLAST OFF FORCE OF A JET OR ROCKET
ENGINE.
USED TO OVERCOME AIRDRAG.
CAN YOU THINK OF ANY OTHER EXAMPLES OF THRUST OTHER THAN A
ROCKET OR JET LAUNCH???

TENSIONAL FORCE
TENSIONAL FORCE: A FORCE TRANSMITTED THROUGH A STRING, ROPE, OR
WIRE WHEN IT IS PULLED BY TIGHT FORCES ACTING FROM OPPOSITE ENDS.
IN SHORT, AN OBJECT HAS TENSIONAL FORCE IF A STRING IS ATTACHED TO
THE OBJECT. THE STRING HAS TENSIONAL FORCE WITHIN THE WIRE OR
STRING.
EXAMPLES OF TENSIONAL FORCE INCLUDE: A BOX ATTACHED TO A WIRE ON
A PULLEY, AN ELEVATOR CAR ATTACHED TO A CABLE, AND A WRECKING
BALL. CAN YOU THINK OF ANY OTHERS??

SPRING FORCE
SPRING FORCE: A FORCE EXERTED BY A COMPRESSED OR STRETCHED
SPRING UPON ANY OBJECT ATTACHED TO IT.
A LOT LIKE TENSIONAL FORCE, BUT INSTEAD OF STRING, YOU HAVE A COIL
OF SOME SORT.
EXAMPLES OF SPRING FORCE INCLUDE THE SPRINGS STRETCHING AND
RECOILING WHILE YOU JUMP ON A TRAMPOLINE, A SPRING SCALE FOR
WEIGHING APPLES AT A GROCERY STORE, AND THE COIL IN A RETRACTABLE
BALL POINT PEN. CAN YOU THINK OF OTHERS???

GUESS THAT FORCE

GAME

SCENARIO 1
A CHANDELIER HANGS AT REST FROM THE CEILING BY A PIECE OF STRONG
WIRE.
CONSIDER ALL POSSIBLE FORCES INVOLVED.

SCENARIO 2
A BOY IS SLEDDING DOWN THE HILL AND CONTINUES SLEDDING UNTIL HIS
SLED COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP.

SCENARIO 3
A BOY STICKS HIS HAND OUT OF HIS CAR WINDOW ON THE HIGH WAY AND
HAS HIS HAND PUSHED BACK BY THE WIND.

SCENARIO 4
A GIRL JUMPS UP AND DOWN ON HER MOTHERS BED.
HINT* THE BED HAS SPRING COILS IN IT.

SCENARIO 5
A BALL IS DROPPED OUT OF A 3RD STORY WINDOW AND FALLS ON THE
GROUND.

REFER BACK TO OUR DEMONSTRATION

BASED ON WHAT WE LEARNED TODAY, WHY DO YOU THINK THE PAPER AND
BOOK HIT THE GROUND AT DIFFERENT TIMES WHEN DROPPED FROM THE
SAME HEIGHT?