FORCE and MOTION
Force
- Can cause an object to start moving,
speed up, slow down, change direction
or stop
- Can be represented by an arrow
o Length shows the strength of
the force
- F= mass x acceleration
Newton – standard unit of force based on Intl
System of Units (SI) 1kg-m/s
Isaac Newton – scientist who explained how
force and motion are related.
Forces in same direction  combine
Forces in opposite direction  cancel
Balanced Forces
– forces that are equal and in opposite
directions
- No change in motion
Examples:
- book resting on a table (gravity
pushing it downward, table pushing it upward)
- tug of war , balanced if both teams
exert equal force
Unbalanced Forces
- One force exerted is greater than the
other
- Always cause a change in motion
- When two unbalanced forces are
exerted in opposite directions, the
combined force is the difference
between the two forces
- When two balanced forces are exerted
in the same direction, the combined
force is the sum of the two forces.
Gravity – force of one object pulling on another
object
Law of Universal Gravitation
- Isaac Newton saw an apple fall on the
ground and concluded that gravity
affects all things on earth and the whole
universe
- Proposed Idea: Sun exerts a force on
Earth and its moon, as well as on the
other planets in the Solar System.
- Every object in the universe attracts
every object with a gravitational force.
o Gravitational force STRONGER
when object is MASSIVE or has
more mass.
o Gravitational force WEAKER
when object is FARTHER from
each other
o Earth’s gravitational force on
our body pulls us toward the
center of the Earth, so we
always fall toward the ground.
Factors Affecting Gravity
- Depends on mass of the objects and
distance between them
- Less mass less gravitational force
- Smaller distance  greater
gravitational force
- Mass of earth < mass of Jupiter
o less gravity on earth compared
to on Jupiter
Mass – amount of matter that an object
contains
- stays the same no matter where the
measurement is taken
- unit of mass  Kilogram
- mass is the same when you are on the
moon or on Earth
Weight – force with which an object is attracted
toward another object
- weigh more on Earth than on Moon
because Earth exerts more gravitational
force than moon
CONTACT FORCE – force that requires 2 objects
to touch
Friction – one kind of contact force
- results when two objects rub against
each other
- makes it harder for one surface to move
past another
- amount of friction depends on Texture,
Shape, Speed , weight and whether
surface is wet or dry
- acts in the direction opposite the
object’s motion
4 Types of Friction
Static Friction – force that prevents an object at
rest from sliding In response to the force
exerted on it
- There can only be static friction , if force
is applied on an object to move it
- Force exerted and static friction form a
pair of BALANCED forces, thus
preventing the object to move
- May be overcome by stronger force
o If pushed by stronger force and
object moves, Static friction is
converted to Sliding Friction
Sliding Friction – when resistive force opposes
the sliding of two solid surfaces over each other
- Depends on weight and type of surface
it slides on
o Heavier object exerts more
pressure on surface  greater
sliding friction
- Examples: apply hand brake or put a
heavy stone behind the tire of a car
parked on a steep surface, shoes of
ballet dancers (pointe)
Rolling friction – produced when an object rolls
over a surface
- Force needed to overcome rolling
friction is much less compared to the
force needed to overcome sliding
friction
- Rolling friction increases when driving
on a soft, muddy surface  more
energy is required to plow the mud and
clear the path
Fluid – substance that is capable of flowing
easily and changes its shape when acted upon
by a force
Fluid Friction – when an object moves through a
liquid or gas
- When resistance is present to an
object’s motion through a liquid or gas
- Happens when an object falls through
the air  Air Resistance
o Parachutes increase fluid
friction, slowing down the fall
of a skydiver
- Much less than static or sliding friction
o Reason why fluids are used to
lessen friction
o Fluids  lubricants (oil and
grease)
- Movement of ship depends on wind
and resistance of water current
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Location – place where you are right now
Galileo Galilei – first scientist who
suggested that once an object moves, there
is no force required to keep that object
moving.  Isaac Newton formulated the 3
Laws of Motion.
 Motion – change in position relative to a
frame of reference
o Affected by force
First Law of Motion (Inertia)
- An object at rest will remain at rest and
an object in motion will remain in
uniform motion in the same direction
unless a net force acts on it
Inertia – object’s tendency to remain in its state
of motion
- Amount of inertia in a body has
depends on its mass.
o Greater mass, greater inertia
- Matter has inertia
Speed – ratio between distance and time
Third Law of Motion (Action and Reaction)
- S= D/T
- Distance travelled by a moving object
per unit time
Distance- length between any two points
Time – period during which a certain distance is
covered
Velocity – includes speed and direction
- Speed of an object and the direction
toward which it is moving
- Change in velocity occurs in 2 ways
o Change in speed
o Change in direction
- V= D with direction/ time
Acceleration – rate of change of velocity per
unit time
- Can be change in direction, speed or
both
- Any object that is changing in speed or
direction is accelerating
- Can also be a decrease in speed 
Deceleration
- A=(V2- V1)/ t = distance/ t2 , m/s2
Second Law of Motion (Acceleration)
- Describes how acceleration, mass and
force are related
- Force = mass x acceleration
- For a given force, the greater the mass
of an object, the smaller change in
motion.
o Same force will cause an object
with a small mass to accelerate
more than an object with a
large mass
- The greater the force applied, the
greater change in motion for a given
mass.
o A large force can cause an
object to accelerate more than
a small force can.
- When an object exerts a force on a
second object, the second object exerts
a force on the first object as well
- For every action, there is an equal but
opposite reaction
o Forces are the same in strength
but opposite in direction
- Law of Action and Reaction
- It is impossible to have one force
without an equal force opposing it
o Forces come in pairs
- Examples: bump cars,