NCERT Question and Answer
Chapter: Force and Pressure
Grade: VIII
D.2: What is the difference between contact and non-contact forces? Explain with the help of one
example of each.
ANS:
Contact Force Non-Contact Force
Contact force is the force in
Non-contact force is the force in which
which a direct contact
two bodies interact without any direct
between two bodies is
contact.
required.
For example: When you For example: When a ball is thrown
stop pedalling a bicycle, it upwards, it ultimately falls down because
slows down and stops after of the gravitational force of the Earth. In
some time. This is because this case, the gravity of the Earth forces
of the frictional force or the ball to fall down without any direct
contact force. contact. So, it is a non-contact force.
Q5: How does the pressure exert by a liquid change with depth? Explain with a diagram.
ANS:
Suppose we have a liquid column of height h.
The pressure exerted by the liquid is given by the following expression:
P = ρgh
Here,
ρ = Density of the liquid
g = Acceleration due to gravity
h = Height/depth of the liquid column
Here, pressure is directly proportional to the height of the liquid column. If we go down into the the liquid,
the depth(h) of the liquid column increases. Thus, the pressure in the liquid increases with increasing
depth.
E.Q 2: Explain the effects that a force acting on an object can have on the object.
ANS:Effects of force:
1. Force can make a stationary object move or change its position of rest.
2. Force can change the speed of a moving object.
3. Force can change the direction of a moving object.
4. Force can change the shape or size of an object.
Q3. Describe an experiment to show that air exerts pressure in all directions.
ANS: Take a tin and boil some water in it. When steam begins to come out, cork it and stop heating it
further. Put the tin in a trough and pour some cold water mixed with ice on it. You will observe that the tin
gets crushed and becomes irregular in shape. This is because the cold water condensed the steam inside
the tin to water. This left no air inside the tin. Thus, the pressure inside the tin became much lesser than
that on the outside. The air pressure from outside acted on the tin from all directions and crushed it.
The above experiment shows that air exerts pressure in all directions.
HOTS Q 1: If a body is moving with uniform speed in a particular direction on a perfectly smooth surface,
then no force is acting on it. True or false? Explain.
ANS: False.
If no external force is applied on the body, then there must be two equal and opposite forces acting on the
body. Both these forces add up to zero.
1. Weight of the body, W = mg (In downward direction)
2. Reaction force, N = W (In upward direction)
Because the surface is smooth, there is no frictional force.
Q 2: If you use a stick to push an object, the muscular force acting on the object is a non-contact force
since your body is not in contact with the object. True or false? Explain.
ANS: False.
Contact force is the force in which a direct contact is required between two bodies. The contact may also
be with the help of a stick or a piece of rope.
If we use a stick to push an object, we make the contact with the help of stick. This push or force is caused
by the action of the muscles in our body. This muscular force is a contact force.
Q 3: Gravitational force exists between you and a building. Why are you not pulled towards the
building?
ANS: The magnitude of gravitational force depends on the masses of two objects and the distance
between them.
Because the Earth has the greater mass, objects on the Earth are pulled towards it. Also, there exists
gravitational force between us and any building. However, because of the smaller mass of the building as
compared to the earth, this force is very small to experience. Therefore, we are not pulled towards the
building.
Q 4: Why do you think it is necessary to define a separate quantity called pressure? Why is defining only
force not enough?
ANS: It is necessary to define pressure as a separate quantity in order to evaluate the force acting on a
surface. To measure and describe the effect of a force acting on a surface, we need both the amount of
force applied and the area over which it is applied. So, only force is not enough for this purpose. We need a
quantity that includes both the above things, and this quantity is pressure, which is defined as the force
exerted per unit area.
Q5: Suppose you are going in a jet plane, and one of the windows breaks due to an accident. What
problems do you think you will face?
ANS: If one of the windows in a jet plane breaks due to an accident, the plane may undergo explosive
decompression. At such low pressure, we can have problems like nose bleeding, because the pressure
exerted by the blood in our body will be much higher than the pressure outside. This can cause blood
vessels to burst.
Q 6: If you press a rubber sucker on a rough surface, it does not stick to the surface. Why?
ANS: If we press a rubber sucker on a rough surface, it will not stick to the surface because an airtight seal
cannot be achieved between the surfaces. It is so because air rushes into the space between the rubber
sucker and the rough surface.
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