Supplementary notes on CHAPTER: 2 (Section - Forces)

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Normal contact force: When an object is in contact with a surface, the normal contact force is the support force exerted upon an object by the surface. This normal contact force always acts perpendicularly to the surface of contact. If the object is flat in a horizontal plane, the normal contact force will be in opposite direction to weight as illustrated below. F norm represents normal contact force whereas F grav represents weight of the object (force due to gravity).

If an object is in inclined plane, the normal contact force will act perpendicularly to surface of inclined plane as illustrated below. F n represents normal contact force whereas W = mg represents the weight of the object.

For example, if a book is resting upon a surface, then the surface is exerting an upward force upon the book in order to support the weight of the book.

Free Body Diagram (FBD) The free body diagram (also known as FBD) is a simplified representation of an object, and the forces acting on it. This object is called free because the diagram will show it without its surroundings; i.e. the object is free of its environment. In other words, the only forces acting on the object of our interest are considered. The object is seen as not connected to any other object it is free. As an example, if we were given information about an object with mass m resting in an inclined plane making an angle with the horizontal, the following figure would represent a free body diagram.

Tension: In everyday life, we do not tie an object to a string, rope, cable, wire or chain to push it across the floor. Strings, ropes, wires, cables and chains can only pull things. The pulling force supplied by strings, ropes, cables, wires or chains is called the tension force.
Tension force is one which is transmitted through a string, rope, cable, chain or wire when it is pulled tight by forces acting from opposite ends. The tension force is directed along the length of the rope and pulls equally on the objects on the opposite ends of the wire. Hence, objects on both ends of rope will experience a pulling force equal to tension force.

The tension force is always directed along the length of the thing doing the pulling (string, rope, chain). When drawing a FBD, make sure that the tension force vector is drawn such that the object is being pulled, not pushed! For an example, hanging a weight on the rope will pull the rope. The pull force created by weight is called tension force.

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