Contact and Non-Contact Forces

Question 1

What is a force?

Answer 1

A force is a push or pull that acts on an object due to its interaction with another object.

Question 2

What are the two main types of forces?

Answer 2

Contact forces – where objects are physically touching.

Non-contact forces – where objects are physically separated.

Question 3

Give four examples of contact forces.

Answer 3

Friction

Air resistance (drag)

Tension

Normal contact force

Question 4

Give three examples of non-contact forces.

Answer 4

Gravitational force

Electrostatic force

Magnetic force

Question 5

Is force a scalar or vector quantity?

Answer 5

Vector – it has both magnitude and direction.

Question 6

How are forces represented?

Answer 6

As arrows where:

Length = magnitude

Direction = direction of the force

Question 7

What happens when two objects interact?

Answer 7

They exert equal and opposite forces on each other (Newton’s Third Law).

Question 8

Describe the interaction between a book and a table.

Answer 8

The book pushes down on the table (its weight).

The table pushes up on the book (normal contact force).