A force is a push or pull acting upon an object as a result of its interaction with

another object.

Applied Force (F app)

An applied force is a force that is applied to an object by a person or another object.
If a person is pushing a desk across the room, then there is an applied force acting
upon the object. The applied force is the force exerted on the desk by the person.
Gravity Force (also known as Weight) Fgrav
The force of gravity is the force with which the earth, moon, or other massively
large object attracts another object towards itself. By definition, this is the weight of
the object. All objects upon earth experience a force of gravity that is directed
"downward" towards the center of the earth. The force of gravity on earth is always
equal to the weight of the object as found by the equation:
Fgrav = m * g
where g = 9.8 N/kg (on Earth)
and m = mass (in kg) (Caution: do not confuse weight with mass.)
Normal Force (Fnorm)
The normal force is the support force exerted upon an object that is in contact with
another stable 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. On occasions, a normal force is exerted horizontally between two objects
that are in contact with each other. For instance, if a person leans against a wall, the
wall pushes horizontally on the person.
Friction Force (Ffrict)
The friction force is the force exerted by a surface as an object moves across it or
makes an effort to move across it. There are at least two types of friction force sliding and static friction. Though it is not always the case, the friction force often
opposes the motion of an object. For example, if a book slides across the surface of
a desk, then the desk exerts a friction force in the opposite direction of its motion.
Friction results from the two surfaces being pressed together closely, causing
intermolecular attractive forces between molecules of different surfaces. As such,
friction depends upon the nature of the two surfaces and upon the degree to which
they are pressed together. The maximum amount of friction force that a surface can
exert upon an object can be calculated using the formula below:
Ffrict = Fnorm
Air Resistance Force (F air)
The air resistance is a special type of frictional force that acts upon objects as they
travel through the air. The force of air resistance is often observed to oppose the

motion of an object. This force will frequently be neglected due to its negligible
magnitude (and due to the fact that it is mathematically difficult to predict its
value). It is most noticeable for objects that travel at high speeds (e.g., a skydiver or
a downhill skier) or for objects with large surface areas.
Tension Force (Ftens)
The tension force is the force that is transmitted through a string, rope, cable or
wire when it is pulled tight by forces acting from opposite ends. The tension force is
directed along the length of the wire and pulls equally on the objects on the
opposite ends of the wire.
Spring Force (Fspring_
The spring force is the force exerted by a compressed or stretched spring upon any
object that is attached to it. An object that compresses or stretches a spring is
always acted upon by a force that restores the object to its rest or equilibrium
position. For most springs (specifically, for those that are said to obey "Hooke's
Law"), the magnitude of the force is directly proportional to the amount of stretch or
compression of the spring.
the force of gravity acting upon an object is sometimes referred to as the weight of
the object.
The mass of an object refers to the amount of matter that is contained by the
object; the weight of an object is the force of gravity acting upon that object. Weight
depends upon which planet is exerting the force and the distance the object is from
the planet. Weight, being equivalent to the force of gravity, is dependent upon the
value of g - the gravitational field strength.
Free-body diagrams are diagrams used to show the relative magnitude and direction
of all forces acting upon an object in a given situation. A free-body diagram is a
special example of the vector diagrams. The size of the arrow in a free-body
diagram reflects the magnitude of the force. The direction of the arrow shows the
direction that the force is acting. The only rule for drawing free-body diagrams is to
depict all the forces that exist for that object in the given situation.
1. A book is at rest on a tabletop. A free-body diagram for this situation looks like
this:

2. A girl is suspended motionless from the ceiling by two ropes. A free-body diagram
for this situation looks like this:

3. An egg is free-falling from a nest in a tree. Neglect air resistance. A free-body

diagram for this situation looks like this:

4. A flying squirrel is gliding (no wing flaps) from a tree to the ground at constant
velocity. Consider air resistance. A free-body diagram for this situation looks like
this:

5. A rightward force is applied to a book in order to move it across a desk with a

rightward acceleration. Consider frictional forces. Neglect air resistance. A free-body
diagram for this situation looks like this:

6. A rightward force is applied to a book in order to move it across a desk at

constant velocity. Consider frictional forces. Neglect air resistance. A free-body
diagram for this situation looks like this:

7. A college student rests a backpack upon his shoulder. The pack is suspended
motionless by one strap from one shoulder. A free-body diagram for this situation
looks like this:

8. A skydiver is descending with a constant velocity. Consider air resistance. A freebody diagram for this situation looks like this:

9. A force is applied to the right to drag a sled across loosely packed snow with a
rightward acceleration. Neglect air resistance. A free-body diagram for this situation
looks like this:

10. A football is moving upwards towards its peak after having been booted by the
punter. Neglect air resistance. A free-body diagram for this situation looks like this:

11. A car is coasting to the right and slowing down. Neglect air resistance. A freebody diagram for this situation looks like this:

A 100 N sign is to be suspended by two cables. Determine the tension in each cable
for the given angles

A 90, 90
T1 = T2 = W
T1 = T2 = (100 N)
T1 = T2 = 50 N
B 180, 45
horizontal
Fx =

F+x

T1 = T2 cos 2
T1 = 141 N cos 45
T1 = 100 N

vertical
Fy =

F+y

W = T2 sin 2
T2 = W /sin 2 =100 N /sin 45
T2 = 141 N

C 120, 30
horizontal
Fx =

F+x

T1 cos 1 = T2 cos 2

vertical
Fy =

F+y

W = T1 sin 1 + T2 sin 2
T1 = T2

cos 2/ cos 1

W = T2

cos 2/ cos 1 sin 1 + T2 sin 2

Solve that for T2, substitute values, and compute T2.

T2 = W/ (sin 1 cos 2)/(cos 1 + sin 2)
T2 = 100 N/(sin 60 cos 30)/(cos 60 + sin 30)
T2 = 50.0 N
Substitute back into the horizontal equation and compute T1.
T1 = T2 cos 2/cos 1
T1 = 50.0 N cos 30/cos 1
T1 = 86.6 N
If two objects connected in series with a string: T= (M1+M2)a
If the object suspended in a string: T=Mg+Ma