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What are Forces? 
October 20, 2014
What forces do you think are 
acting on you right now while 
you’re sitting in your seat?
There are forces acting on you all the 
time whether you know it or not! 
• Gravity is pulling you down 
• The ground is pushing you up 
• Air is squeezing you from every 
direction 
• Your body is pushing back at the air
When forces are balanced, they 
cancel out and you don’t 
notice them. But when forces 
don’t balance, things happen… 
THINK! What would happen if we took 
the force of gravity away?
A force is a PUSH or a PULL 
• Forces can cause an object to move, 
change speed, change direction, 
change shape, or stop 
• Forces have size and direction
• When you drop your pencil, gravity is 
pulling it to the ground 
• When you are walking around, your 
feet are pushing down onto the 
ground
Force Facts 
• Measured in Newtons (N) 
• Always act in pairs 
• Cannot be seen, but the effect can 
be seen 
• Measured using a spring scale
Measuring Force 
• How many Newtons will it take for me 
to drag your science binder across the 
desk?
Net Force 
Net force: the size of all the forces acting 
on an object 
• If two forces acting on an object are in 
the SAME direction, you ADD the 
forces together 
• If two forces acting on an object are in 
the OPPOSITE direction, you SUBTRACT 
the forces
Written with a magnitude and direction 
Ex: Force Net = 30 N 
If two forces acting on an object are in 
the SAME direction, you ADD the forces 
together 
50 N  75 N  
Net force =
If two forces acting on an object are in 
the OPPOSITE direction, you SUBTRACT 
the forces 
500 N 
100 N 
Net force =
Balanced Forces 
• Forces that cancel each other out 
• Net force = ZERO 
• There is no change in motion
Balancing your science textbook on 
your desk 
Force net =
Net force =
Unbalanced Forces 
• When forces acting on an object do 
not cancel out 
• Net force does not = zero 
• Produce a change in motion
Net force =
Checkpoint 
1. What is the unit used for measuring a 
force? 
Newtons 
2. What tool is used to measure forces? 
Spring Scale
3. Find the net force 
950 N  625 N 
Review 
1. Find the net force 
600 N  600 N
2. Find the net force 
525 N  50 N 
Forces that act against motion… 
If you kick a soccer ball on grass, what 
will start to slow it down?
The enemy of motion 
• Friction: force that occurs when 2 
objects rub against each other 
• Always acts in the direction opposite 
to the direction of motion 
• Will slow the motion of an object or 
stop it 
• Creates heat
• Every object causes friction, some 
more than others 
• It may look smooth, but it is covered in 
tiny bumps and dents
• Friction can be 
beneficial 
• Everyday life 
would be a lot 
different without it 
• THINK! What would 
happen if the floor 
in the classroom 
was ice instead of 
carpet?
When would decreasing friction be 
beneficial?
Is it possible to pick up a bottle 
full of rice with just a pencil? 
YES!
4 Types of Friction 
• Static friction 
• Sliding friction 
• Rolling friction 
• Fluid friction
Fluid Friction- Air Resistance 
• Caused by friction of the air against an 
object 
• Objects with more surface area 
experience greater air resistance and 
move more slowly
Gravity 
• Force that pulls objects 
towards each other 
• Law of gravitational force: The force 
of gravity depends on the distance 
between the objects and their 
masses
Which objects have the greatest 
force of gravity? 
A B C D 
A and C 
D and B 
B and C 
A and D
• Mass: the amount of matter in an 
object (g) 
• Weight: measure of the force of 
gravity on an object (N)
• All objects fall at the same rate 
towards the earth because gravity 
pulls on every object the same 
amount 
• Air resistance slows objects down 
What would hit the ground first, a pencil 
or a ball? 
What about a sheet of paper and a 
balled up sheet?
An object’s weight can change if you 
went from the earth to the moon, but 
your mass would stay the same. 
Ex: 
Gravity on moon is 
1.622 m/s2
THINK! What would happen if we drop a 
feather and a hammer on earth? What 
if we were on the moon? 
Hammer-feather drop 
What is happening?
Zero G Experience 
http://www.gozerog.com
Checkpoint 
1. Is your mass the same on earth and 
the moon? 
2. Is your weight the same on the earth 
and moon? 
3. What forces will effect a soccer ball 
that has been kicked?
StudyJams Video