A force is an influence that causes an object to change its velocity, meaning it can start moving, stop, or change direction, unless other forces counterbalance it. In simple terms, it is a push or a pull resulting from the interaction between objects
. Force is a vector quantity, which means it has both magnitude (size) and direction. It is measured in newtons (N)
. There are two main categories of forces:
- Contact forces : These occur when objects physically touch each other, such as friction, tension, and normal forces.
- Non-contact (or action-at-a-distance) forces : These act even when objects are not touching, such as gravitational, electric, and magnetic forces
Newton's laws of motion fundamentally describe force:
- Newton's First Law: An object remains at rest or in uniform motion unless acted upon by a force.
- Newton's Second Law: Force causes an acceleration proportional to the force's magnitude and inversely proportional to the object's mass (F=maF=maF=ma).
- Newton's Third Law: For every force exerted by one body on another, there is an equal and opposite force exerted back
In summary, force is a fundamental concept in physics representing interactions that change or maintain the motion or shape of objects through pushes or pulls, described mathematically and observed through their effects
