Force

Topic Content:

What is Force?

A force is a push or pull that can change, or tend to change, the state of rest or motion of an object.

For example, pushing a stationary trolley can make it move, while applying the brakes of a moving bicycle can reduce its speed.

Effects of Force

A force can:

• cause an object at rest to start moving;
• increase or decrease the speed of a moving object;
• change the direction of motion of an object; and
• change the shape or size of an object.

Force is a vector quantityVector quantities are quantities with magnitude and direction. Examples of vector quantities include displacement, velocity, position, force, and torque. More because it has both magnitude and direction. Its SI unit is the newton (N) .

One newton is the force required to give a mass of 1 kg an acceleration of 1 m/s² .

Therefore:

1 N = 1 kg m/s²

Types of Force

Forces can be broadly classified as contact forces and non-contact forces .

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