4.

1 Force

Key Ideas
 A _________is a push or a pull that acts on an object
 Forces can be classified as either __________ forces or action at a distance forces
 Mass is the amount of _________ in an object
 ___________ is the force of gravity acting on an object
 For an object on Earth, the force of gravity in newtons, is the product of the object’s mass, in
kilograms and the gravitational field 9.8 N/kg

Force
Whenever you push or pull something, you apply _____________ to it. A force is a push or a pull that
acts on an object. You may not realize it, but things apply forces to you. For example, _________ is a
force that pulls you toward the ground so that you don’t fly into space. When two objects rub and push
against each other, they create the force known as ___________.

Classifying Forces – fill in a second example of each kind of force

Force Examples
Contact Forces Friction:
 These forces push or pull an object by touching 1. Rubbing sandpaper on wood.
it, making direct contact. 2.

Contact:
1. Kicking a soccer ball
2.

Action-at-a-distance Forces Gravity:

 These forces push or pull an object from a 1. A ball dropping
distance, without touching it 2.

Static Electricity:
1. Your clothes cling to each other as you remove
them from the dryer
2.

Magnetism:
1. A magnet is attracted to your refrigerator door
2.

Below are more examples of forces. For each example, highlight ‘contact force’ or ‘action-at-a-distance
force’. Also highlight ‘push’ or ‘pull’ to show how the force acts on the object.

1. A puck slides across the ice. (contact /action-at-a-distance force) (push/pull)

2. A basketball falls toward the floor. (contact /action-at-a-distance force) (push/pull)
3. A hiker uses a compass to find direction. (contact /action-at-a-distance force) (push/pull)
 Measuring Force
When measuring the amount of force on an object, we need to understand the difference between
mass and weight.
___________ is the amount of mater in an object. A bowling ball has a greater mass than a tennis ball
because it contains more matter. The metric unit for measuring mass is the kilogram. Smaller masses
are often measured in __________.

________________ is the amount of force pulling on an object because of ____________. It is

measured in a unit called the _____________ (N). The newton is named after the famous scientist Sir
Isaac Newton. The weight of an object is not the same as its mass. On Earth, a 1.0 kg mass has a weight
of 9.8 N. This value is called Earth’s gravitational field strength.

If you were an astronaut, your mass would be the ____________ on the Moon as it is on Earth. Your
_______________ would be different, though. The force of gravity on the Moon is only about 1/6 the
force of gravity on the Earth.

1. If you travelled from Earth Mass on Earth = 50 kg

to the Moon, why would
your weight change? Mass on Moon = 50 kg

Weight on Earth = 490 N

2. About how much lighter Weight on Moon = 80 N

would your weight be on the
Moon than it is on Earth?

Calculating the Force of Gravity – Weight

A spring scale, like the one shown here, can be used to measure the weight
(force of gravity of an object. The scale allows you to read the weight of the
object on the hook in newtons. The spring ___________ when and object is
attached to the hook. If you increase the force that pulls on the spring , you will
read a higher number on the scale.

If I attach an object with a mass of 1 kg to the scale its weight would be 9.8 N.
1. If I took this object to the Moon, what would happen to its mass?

2. If I took this object to the Moon, what would happen to its weight?

There is a relationship between an object’s mass and the force of Earth’s gravity acting on it. We can
show this relationship in an equation. With this equation, we can calculate the Earth’s force of gravity
pulling on an object. This is the equation in words:
Force of gravity = (mass of object in kilograms) X (Earth’s gravitational field)
This is the equation using symbols for the words.
On Earth, g = 9.8 N for every kilogram of mass.
F g =mg
To find a student’s weight on Earth we would fill in the blanks in the equation like this:

Fg =m x g Therefore as student with a mass of 50 kg will weigh 490 N

= 50 kg x 9.8 N/kg on Earth

= 490 N

Calculate the weight of a student that has a mass of 40 kg.

Fg =m x g Therefore as student with a mass of 40 kg will weigh

_________________on Earth
= ________kg x ____N/kg
= _________N
Multiple Guesses

1. What is not a good example of a mechanical system?

a. Bicycle
b. Human body
c. Soapstone sculpture
d. Teeter-totter

2. What is not a good example of a contact force?

a. A magnet attracting iron filings
b. A hurricane blowing down trees
c. A racket hitting a ball
d. A hockey puck sliding across a floor

3. What is the name of the type of force that must touch the object that it pushes or pulls?
a. Contact force
b. Action force
c. Mechanical force
d. Magnetic force

4. Which is not an example of an action-at-a-distance force?

a. Friction
b. Gravity
c. Magnetism
d. Electricity

5. What is gravity?
a. The force of weight on any object
b. An action-at-a-distance force that requires air as a medium
 c. The repulsion of any mass against a vacuum
d. The attraction of two or more masses to each other

6. Which statement about mass is true?

a. An astronaut's mass depends on the gravitational field in which he exists
b. The force of gravity depends on mass but not distance
c. An astronaut would weigh more on a planet with a higher mass than Earth
d. If the moon had an atmosphere, objects there would weigh the same as they do on Earth

7. What is the same thing as the force of gravity?

a. Energy
b. Mass
c. Weight
d. Friction

8. Units of force are measured in

a. kilogram/square metres.
b. newton/kilograms.
c. joules.
d. newtons.

9. The value of 9.8 N/kg

a. is the mass of a 1.0 kg object.
b. is the Earth's gravitational field at sea level.
c. is symbolized by J.
d. can be applied to any planet this solar system.

10. What is the weight of a 5 kg cat?

a. 5 kg
b. 49 N
c. 1 N
d. 9.8 N/kg

Learning Checkpoint:
1. Use the words mass or weight to correctly complete the following sentences.
a. Even if gravity changes the _________ of an object does not change
b. The ________ of an object would change if the gravity changed.
c. Kilogram is the metric unit for _________.
d. The Newton is the metric unit for ___________.

2. The following masses are located on Earth. Calculate the weight of each object.
a. 25kg
b. 40kg
c. 150kg

3. An object has a mass of 5.0kg on the surface of the Moon. What would be the object’s
a. Mass on Earth?
b. Force of gravity on earth?