What is Force?

ou have probably heard the word "force" before in conversations. Here are a few examples:
"the rocket had a lot of force at blast off" or "the force of the storm blew the roof off the
building." What is force? Force is defined as a push or pull on an object.

When you ride a bike, your foot pushes against the pedal. The push makes the wheels of the
bike move.

When an apple falls from a tree, it is pulled to the ground by gravity.

Forces affect how objects move. They may cause motion; they may also slow, stop, or
change the direction of motion of an object that is already moving.

Since force cause changes in the speed or direction of an object, we can say that forces cause
changes in velocity. Remember that acceleration is a change in velocity. So forces cause
acceleration.

Remember the following things about forces:

 Forces are measured in Newtons (N).
 Forces act in pairs.
 Forces act in a particular direction.
 Forces usually cannot be seen, but their effects can.
Types of Forces
There are several types of forces that act on you and objects around you all the time. There
are two main groups of forces: contact forces and distance forces.

Balanced Forces
Often, more than one force can act upon an object at a time, and the forces can push or pull in
any direction. What happens to the object when forces act upon it depends on the following
two things:
1. The strength of the forces
2. The direction of the forces
When more than one force acts on an object, the forces combine to form a net force. The
combination of all the forces acting on an object is the net force.

If two forces of equal strength act on an object in opposite directions, the forces will cancel,
resulting in a net force of zero and no movement. Two or more opposite forces are balanced
forces if their effects cancel each other and they do not cause a change in an object's motion.
Unbalanced Force
If the effects of the forces do not cancel each other, or if one force is stronger than the other,
the forces are unbalanced forces. Unbalanced forces cause a change in motion, speed, and/or
direction.
When two forces act in the same direction on an object, the net force is equal to the sum of
the two forces. In the example below, the net force would be 900 Newtons (450 + 450 =
900), and the object would move to the right.

When two unequal forces act in opposite directions on an object, the net force is the
difference of the two forces. In the example below, the net force would be 50 Newtons (500 -
450 = 50), and the object would move to the left because the force pulling to the left is
greater.
Find the Net Force
Net Force = Mass times Acceleration
Isaac Newton, whom you have learned about in other lessons, studied the motion of objects.
He developed three laws of motion, which are now called Newton's laws of motion.

In Newton's second law of motion, he described the relationship of force, mass, and
acceleration mathematically. Force can be calculated by multiplying the mass of an object by
the acceleration of the object.

The formula is

Net Force= (mass)(acceleration) or F = ma

In honor of Newton's contribution to the understanding of force and motion, the standard unit
of force is called the newton (N). A newton is defined as the amount of force that it takes to
accelerate one kilogram (1 kg) of mass one meter per second squared (1 m/s2). So 1 N is the
same as 1 kg • m/s2.
When solving net force problems, make sure that the mass in in kilograms and the unit for
acceleration is m/s2.
If you are given the mass in grams, make sure and convert to kilograms (move the decimal
three places to the left.) For example,

5g = .005kg

Let's do some practice problems.

Practice Problem 1

What force is needed to accelerate a 10 kg shopping cart 3 m/s2?

Practice Problem 2

The Space Shuttle has a lift off mass of 2,041,000 kg and accelerates at a rate of 16 m/s2.
Calculate the force (thrust) that is accelerating the Space Shuttle.
Interactive popup. Assistance may be required.
Check your Answer

Practice Problem 3

A person on a scooter is accelerating 2 m/s2. If the person has a mass of 50,000 g, how much
force is acting on that person?

Challenge Problem

Which of the following requires more force?

Moving a 500 kg box at an acceleration of 1 m/s2

Or

Moving a 50 kg box at an acceleration of 1 m/s2