Effects of Force: Definition, Types, Examples

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The Three Laws of Motion by Isaac Newton are where the concept of force originates. Newton’s second law states that force is “the product of mass and acceleration of a body.” Force describes a body’s tendency to modify or change its state due to an external cause. When force is applied to the body, there can be many effects on the body.

Force can alter the body’s shape, size, speed, and direction under the effects of force. A moving object’s speed increases when force is applied in the same direction as it is going; on the other hand, speed decreases when force is applied in the opposite direction. Another effect of force is that it can rotate an object. The turning force acts when a body rotates. Thus, force is a vector variable having both magnitude and direction. Let us learn more about the effects of force in this article.

Force: Definition, Types

Let us first understand what force is and also the different types of force. You can find all basic traits of force in the following table:

Traits	Force
Definition	Force is any phenomenon that causes an object to undergo any type of motion.
SI Unit	Newton (N)
MKS Unit	kg m/s²
CGS Unit	g cm/s² (dyne)
FPS Unit	lb-ft/s² (poundal)
Examples of Force	Pushing a trolley Pushing the table from one place to another Pulling the curtains Opening/Pulling a door

Types of Forces

There are two types of forces that can act on a body:

Contact Force
Non-contact Force

What is Contact Force?

A phenomenon of a force exerted on a body by another body due to the physical contact between them. For example, a frictional force (rolling friction) acting on a rolling ball is always in the opposite direction of the ball’s direction of motion.

What is a Non-contact Force?

A phenomenon of a force exerted on a body by another body without any physical contact between them. Some examples of non-contact forces are gravitational forces, electrostatic forces, and magnetic forces.

Effects of Force With Examples

Now, let us discuss the effects of force.

Force can cause the movement of an object at rest

When an external pull or force is applied to a stationary object or an object at rest, it can cause movement of that object in the direction of the applied force. For example, when we hit a billiard ball (initially at rest), the ball continues its motion in the direction of applied force for some time until hitting an obstacle.

Force can alter the speed of a moving object

If an external pull or force is applied to a moving object, it can cause a change in its speed; that is it will either slow down or move faster depending on the type of force. For example, the speed of a moving car decreases when the driver applies brakes.

Force can alter the direction of a moving object

Force or external pull applied to a moving object can cause a change in the direction of the object. For example, in a football game, a player changes the direction of the football by kicking it towards another player.

Force can alter the shape or size of an object

This is an interesting aspect of force. When the external force is applied to an object from multiple directions, then these multiple forces can cause a change in the shape or size of that object. Such changes may be temporary or permanent. For example, if we squeeze a stress ball, we are applying force from multiple directions on the ball; the shape and size of the ball change.

Force can stop a moving object

When force is applied to a moving object in the opposite direction to its motion; then the object will stop its motion. For example, in a football game, if a goalkeeper catches the football coming toward him, he applies external force to make it stop.

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