In physics, a force is anything that can make an object move differently. It’s like a push or a pull that can make an object start moving, stop moving, or change direction. Imagine kicking a soccer ball – the kick is the force that makes the ball move.
- Forces can be either contact forces or non-contact forces.
- Contact forces: These happen when two objects touch, like friction when you rub your hands together, or the push you give the ball.
- Non-contact forces: These act even when objects aren’t touching, like gravity pulling you down, or a magnet attracting a paperclip.
- Non-contact forces are forces that act between objects that are not in contact with each other. Examples of non-contact forces include gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong nuclear force.
- Forces can make things move faster (accelerate), slower (decelerate), or change direction altogether.
- Objects, bodies, matter, particles, radiation, and space-time are all in motion.
- On a cosmological-scale, concentrated matter in planets, stars, and galaxies leads to significant push-pull interactions.
- Motion signifies a change in the position of the elements of a physical system including translational motion, rotational motion, vibrational motion, and oscillatory motion.