Class 8 Science — Chapter 5: Exploring Forces

CLASS 8 | SCIENCE — CURIOSITY

Chapter 5: Exploring Forces

Complete Chapter Notes — Exam Ready

Introduction: The Cycling Story

● Sonali and Ragini go cycling on a windy day. Riding against the wind, they feel the wind pushing them back, so they
pedal harder to keep moving.
● Going uphill, some parts of the road are rough (harder to pedal) and some are smooth (easier to pedal).
● Coming downhill, their bicycles speed up on their own, without pedalling — something is “pulling” them down the
slope.
● Key idea: All these everyday experiences — wind pushing, pedalling being harder or easier, rolling downhill without
effort — involve a common science concept called FORCE. This chapter explores what a force is, what it can do, and
its different types.

5.1 What Is a Force?

Activity 5.1: Let us explore — Result

A large cardboard box was moved in different ways: pushing it forward (Fig. 5.1a), pulling it with a rope (Fig. 5.1b), and
lifting/carrying it (Fig. 5.1c).
● Other ways to move the box: dragging it along the ground, rolling it over on its edge, or sliding it down a ramp.
● Conclusion: In every single way of moving the box, a PUSH or a PULL had to be applied to it.

● Force: In science, the push or pull applied on an object is called a force.

5.2 What Can a Force Do to the Objects on Which It Is Applied?

Activity 5.2: Let us analyse — Result (Table 5.1)

Situations where force is applied, and the effect of the force in each case:
[Link]. Action Push/Pull Effect

1. Friend holding your moving bicycle from behind to stop Pull Stopping/decreasing the speed of the bicycle
it

2. Hitting a moving ball with a bat Push Changing the direction of the moving ball

3. Pressing an inflated balloon Push Change in the shape of the balloon

4. Stretching a rubber band Pull Change in the shape (length) of the band

5. Kicking a stationary football Push The ball starts moving from rest

● Conclusion: Yes — a force can stop a moving object, change its speed, change its direction of motion, or change its
shape.

In everyday life we apply force in many situations: opening a drawer, stretching a rubber band, a fielder stopping a ball,
kicking a football, applying brakes on a bicycle, rolling a chapati, or turning the steering handle of an autorickshaw.

Effects of Force — A Force Applied on an Object May:

● Make an object move from rest.
● Change the speed of a moving object.
● Change the direction of motion of an object.
● Bring about a change in the shape of an object.

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 Class 8 Science — Chapter 5: Exploring Forces
● Cause some or all of these effects together.

A Step Further
● If an object is at rest, does that mean no force acts on it at all? Not necessarily — it may mean that the forces acting on
it are BALANCING one another (balanced forces are studied in higher grades).

5.3 Are Forces an Interaction Between Two or More Objects?

● When you push a table, your hand is one object applying force on another object (the table) — your hand and the table
are said to be “interacting”.
● Inference: At least two objects must interact with each other for a force to come into play.
● Force (formal definition): A force is a push or pull on an object resulting from the object’s interaction with another
object.
● SI unit of force: newton (written with a small ‘n’); symbol = N.

A Step Further
● Interaction is two-way: When you push a table with your hand, your hand also feels a force from the table. The
moment you stop pushing (the interaction ends), the force on your hand disappears too.

5.4 What Are the Different Types of Forces?

5.4.1 Contact Forces
● Contact force: A force that acts only when there is physical contact between two objects. The contact may be direct
(using hands/body) or indirect (using a stick or rope).

Muscular Force
● Muscular force: The force caused by the action (contraction and elongation) of muscles in the body, produced during
activities like walking, running, lifting, pushing, jumping or stretching.
● Animals, birds, fish and insects all use muscular force for movement and survival.
● Humans have long used the muscular force of animals (e.g., bullocks pulling a plough, horses pulling a cart) to perform
tasks.

Ever heard of… Muscular Force Inside the Body

● Muscular force helps us chew food and push it through the alimentary canal during digestion.
● The expansion and contraction of heart muscles allows blood to circulate through the body — essential for survival.

Friction
A ball rolling on flat ground, or a bicycle that is not being pedalled, gradually slows down and stops on its own — even
though no visible push or pull seems to act on it. Some force must be acting to slow it down.

Activity 5.3: Let us investigate — Result

● An object with a flat base (lunch box/notebook) was gently pushed on a table. It slid for some distance and then stopped
on its own.
● Reason: A force acts between the two surfaces in contact (the object’s base and the table), opposite to the direction of
motion, which brings the object to rest.
● Pushing the object in the opposite direction gives the same result — it again stops after travelling some distance,
because the opposing force always acts against the direction of motion.

● Force of friction (friction): The force that comes into play when an object moves, or tries to move, over another
surface. Friction always acts opposite to the direction of motion (or attempted motion).
● Friction is a contact force, since it arises only when two surfaces are in contact.
● Cause of friction: Even surfaces that look smooth actually have many tiny (minute) irregularities. When two surfaces
touch, these irregularities lock into each other and oppose relative motion.
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Activity 5.4: Let us explore — Result (Friction on Different Surfaces)

The same object (from Activity 5.3) was pushed with the same force on different surfaces: glass, cloth, wood, ceramic tile,
and sand.
● Observation: The object travelled the farthest on the smoothest surface (glass) and stopped soonest on the roughest
surface (cloth/sand) — it did NOT stop at the same distance on every surface.
● Conclusion: The force of friction depends on the nature of the surfaces in contact. Friction is greater on rough surfaces
and smaller on smooth surfaces.

A Step Further
● Friction is not limited to solid surfaces — air, water and other liquids/gases also exert a force of friction on objects
moving through them.
● This is why aeroplanes, ships, boats and high-speed trains are given special streamlined shapes — to reduce friction due
to air or water.

5.4.2 Non-Contact Forces

● Non-contact force: A force whose effect can be experienced even when the two objects are NOT in physical contact.

Magnetic Force
● A magnet attracts objects made of magnetic materials. Like poles (N–N, S–S) repel each other; unlike poles (N–S)
attract each other. Electromagnets behave like magnets too.

Activity 5.5: Let us test — Result (Two Ring Magnets on a Stick)

● With like poles of the two ring magnets facing each other, the second magnet stayed FLOATING above the first — the
magnetic repulsion balanced the pull of gravity.
● Pushing the floating magnet down gently, a resisting (repulsive) force was clearly felt pushing it back up.
● On reversing the poles (so unlike poles faced each other), the second magnet no longer floated — it was pulled down
and stuck to the first magnet due to attraction.
● Conclusion: A magnet can exert a force on another magnet WITHOUT touching it — this proves magnetic force is a
non-contact force.

● Magnetic force: The force exerted by a magnet on another magnet or on a magnetic material.

Electrostatic Force

Activity 5.6: Let us experiment — Result (Charged Scale and Paper Bits)
● A plastic scale/straw was rubbed vigorously with a piece of polythene, then brought close to small pieces of paper
(without touching them).
● Observation: The paper pieces got pulled towards the scale and stuck to it, even without any contact.
● Reason: Rubbing caused electrical (static) charges to build up on the scale, making it a ‘charged object’, which then
attracted the light, uncharged paper pieces from a distance.

Activity 5.7: Let us experiment — Result (Two Charged Balloons)

● Two balloons were rubbed with a woollen cloth and hung close together without touching.
● Observation 1: The two (similarly charged) balloons moved AWAY from each other — they repelled each other.
● Observation 2: When the woollen cloth (used for rubbing) was brought near a rubbed balloon, it moved TOWARDS
the cloth — they attracted each other.
● Conclusion: Like (similar) charges repel each other, while unlike (opposite) charges attract each other. The two kinds
of static charge are called ‘positive’ and ‘negative’.

● Static charges: Electrical charges that build up on the surface of an object when it is rubbed with another object; they
do not move by themselves.
● Electrostatic force: The force exerted by a charged body on another charged body, or on an uncharged body. It is a
non-contact force.

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A Step Further
● When static charges move, they constitute an electric current in an electrical circuit — the same kind of current that
makes a lamp glow or produces heating/magnetic effects.

Gravitational Force

Activity 5.8: Let us observe — Result (Ball Thrown Upwards)

● A ball thrown vertically upwards — gently or hard — always comes back down to the ground.
● Conclusion: The Earth exerts a pulling force (attraction) on every object, bringing it back down no matter how it was
thrown.

● Gravitational force (gravity / force of gravity): The force with which the Earth attracts objects towards itself.
● Gravitational force acts without contact, so it is a non-contact force.
● Important distinction: Gravitational force is ALWAYS attractive (pull-only), unlike magnetic or electrostatic force,
which can be either attractive or repulsive.
● Vertical motion: When an object moves in a vertical direction (straight up or straight down) under the influence of
gravity — e.g. dropping an object (it falls straight down), or throwing it up (it rises, slows, momentarily stops at the
top, then falls back down with increasing speed).

5.5 Weight and Its Measurement

● Weight: The force with which the Earth pulls an object towards itself; it measures how strongly an object is pulled by
the Earth.
● SI unit of weight: Since weight is a force, it is measured in newton (N) — the same unit as force.

Activity 5.9: Let us explore — Result (Objects Hung from a Spring)

● A spring was hung from a nail, and different objects (pencil box, tiffin box, small stone) were hung from its other end,
one at a time.
● Observation: The spring stretched by a DIFFERENT amount for each object — heavier objects stretched the spring
more.
● Conclusion: The Earth pulls different objects with different forces, i.e., different objects have different weights. The
stretch in a spring can therefore be used to measure weight.

A Step Further: The Spring Balance

● A spring balance is a device used to measure weight (force). It has a spring fixed at one end and a hook at the other.
● When an object is hung from the hook, the amount of stretch in the spring shows its weight on a scale marked in
newton (N).
● Most spring balances also show a second scale marked in grams (g), assuming the balance is used on Earth.

Activities 5.10 & 5.11: Reading a Spring Balance — Result

● Maximum weight the given spring balance can measure: 10 N (i.e., its range is 0 N to 10 N).
● Weight difference between two big marks (e.g., 0 N and 1 N): 1 N.
● Number of small divisions between two big marks: 5 divisions.
● Smallest value the balance can read: 1 N ÷ 5 = 0.2 N.
● Note: different spring balances can have different ranges and different smallest divisions — always check the scale of
the instrument being used.

Activity 5.12: Let us measure — Result (Table 5.2)

Sample weight readings obtained by suspending different objects from a spring balance:
[Link]. Object Weight (N)

1. Pencil Box 2.5 N

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2. Partially filled water bottle 4.0 N

3. Geometry box 1.8 N

● Note: Actual readings will vary depending on the real objects and spring balance used — record your own measured
values when you perform this activity.

Mass vs Weight
● Mass: The amount of matter in an object; measured in grams (g) or kilograms (kg). Mass remains the SAME
everywhere.
● Weight: The gravitational force with which the Earth (or another planet) pulls an object. Since gravity varies slightly
place to place (and greatly from planet to planet), weight CAN change even though mass does not.
Earth Moon Mars Venus Jupiter

Mass of the object 1 kg 1 kg 1 kg 1 kg 1 kg

Weight of the object 10 N 1.6 N 3.8 N 9N 25.4 N

A Step Further
● Mass can be measured indirectly — either by measuring weight with a spring balance, or by comparing an object’s
weight with a known mass using a beam balance (since weight is nearly constant across the Earth’s surface).
● Common language vs science: In everyday use we often say “weight” when we really mean mass (e.g., “the wheat bag
weighs 10 kg”). Scientifically, this is incorrect — kg is a unit of mass, while weight should always be expressed in
newton (N).

5.6 Floating and Sinking

Some objects placed on water float, while others sink — even though the Earth’s gravitational force acts on all of them
equally. Why doesn’t everything sink?

Activity 5.13: Let us investigate — Result (Bottle Pushed into Water)

● An empty bottle (lid closed tightly) was pushed down into a bucket of water.
● Observation: An upward push was clearly felt while pushing it down, and the bottle bounced back up to the surface
when released.
● Conclusion: Water (and all liquids) exert an upward force on objects placed in them. This upward force is called
upthrust or buoyant force.

● When an object is placed in a liquid, two forces act on it: gravity (pulling it down) and buoyant force/upthrust (pushing
it up).
● If gravitational force > buoyant force: the object sinks.
● If gravitational force = buoyant force: the object floats.
● The buoyant force depends (among other factors) on the density of the liquid — density is studied in more detail in a
later chapter.

A Step Further: Archimedes’ Principle

● Archimedes (a famous Greek scientist) discovered that an object fully or partially immersed in a liquid experiences an
upward force equal to the weight of the liquid it displaces.
● If the weight of liquid displaced is LESS than the object’s own weight — the object sinks.
● If the weight of liquid displaced EQUALS the object’s own weight — the object floats.

Ever heard of… Floating Rocks

● Pumice is a rock that can float on water! It forms during volcanic eruptions when lava full of gas and water vapour
cools very quickly, trapping tiny gas bubbles inside.
● This makes pumice a light, porous rock full of air pockets — making it less dense than water, so it floats.

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 Class 8 Science — Chapter 5: Exploring Forces
Quick Reference: Types of Force at a Glance
Category Force Example

Contact force Muscular force Walking, lifting, an animal pulling a cart

Contact force Friction (force of friction) A rolling ball slowing down and stopping

Non-contact force Magnetic force A magnet attracting/repelling another magnet

Non-contact force Electrostatic force A charged scale attracting bits of paper

Non-contact force Gravitational force A fruit falling from a tree

Chapter Summary — Quick Revision Points

● A force is a push or pull on an object resulting from its interaction with another object.
● The SI unit of force is newton, symbol N.
● Forces can act with contact (contact forces) or without contact (non-contact forces).
● Muscular force and friction are examples of contact forces.
● Magnetic force, electrostatic force, and gravitational force are non-contact forces.
● A force can change an object’s speed, its direction of motion, or both; it can also change an object’s shape.
● Friction is the force that opposes motion (or attempted motion) between two surfaces in contact; it depends on the
nature of the surfaces (greater on rough surfaces).
● Magnetic force acts between magnets/magnetic materials; electrostatic force acts between charged bodies; both are
non-contact and can be attractive or repulsive.
● Gravitational force is the Earth’s pull on objects; it is always attractive and is a non-contact force.
● Weight is the force with which the Earth pulls an object (measured in N); mass is the amount of matter in an object
(measured in kg/g) and does not change with location, unlike weight.
● Upthrust (buoyant force) is the upward force exerted by a liquid on an object placed in it; objects float when buoyant
force equals gravitational force, and sink when gravitational force is greater.

Key Terms and Definitions (Glossary)

Term Definition

Force A push or pull on an object resulting from its interaction with another object; SI unit is the
newton (N).

Contact force A force that acts only when two objects are in physical contact.

Muscular force The force produced by the contraction and elongation of muscles during activity.

Friction (force of friction) The force that opposes the motion (or attempted motion) of an object over a surface it is in
contact with.

Non-contact force A force whose effect is felt even when the two objects are not touching.

Magnetic force The force exerted by a magnet on another magnet or on a magnetic material.

Static charge Electric charge that builds up on the surface of an object (usually by rubbing) and does not move
by itself.

Electrostatic force The force exerted by a charged body on another charged or uncharged body.

Gravitational force (gravity) The force with which the Earth attracts objects towards itself; always attractive.

Vertical motion Motion of an object in a straight vertical (up-down) line under the influence of gravity.

Weight The force with which the Earth pulls an object towards itself; measured in newton (N).

Mass The amount of matter in an object; measured in grams (g) or kilograms (kg); does not change
with location.

Spring balance A device with a spring and hook used to measure the weight of an object from the stretch it

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Term Definition

causes in the spring.

Upthrust (Buoyant force) The upward force exerted by a liquid on an object placed in it.

Archimedes’ Principle An object immersed in a liquid experiences an upward force equal to the weight of the liquid it
displaces.

End of Chapter 5 Notes — Exploring Forces

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