Force & Pressure

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1 : What is force?
Answer : Force is a physical cause that can change an object's state of motion or dimensions.

Question 2 : How do fluids exert pressure?

Answer : Fluids exert pressure in all directions. Fluids also exert pressure on the walls of the container that
hold them.

Question 3 : A force of 100 N is applied on an area of 4 m2. Compute pressure being applied on the area.
Answer : Given: Force = 100 N, Area = 4 m2
∴ Pressure = = = 25 pa.

Question 4 : Which force is responsible for downward movement of a parachutes? Will he come down with
the same speed without the parachute?
Answer : Force of gravity is responsible for this downward movement. No, without parachute he will come
down with a higher speed.

Question 5 : Two thermocol balls held close to each other move away from each other. When they are
released, name the force which might be responsible for this phenomenon. Explain.
Answer :Electrostatic force is responsible for this phenomenon. The two balls have similar charges, that’s
why they move away due to repulsion between them.

Question 6 : How does an applied force changes the speed of an object?

Answer : If the applied force is in the direction of motion, the speed of the object increases. But if the force
applied in the direction opposite to the motion, then it decreases the speed of the object.

Question 7 : Name the forces acting on the car sticking to an electromagnet in a Junkyard. Which one of
them is larger?
Answer : Magnetic force (in the upward direction) and force of gravity or the weight of the car (downward).
Magnetic force is larger than the force of gravity.

Question 8 : What is the similarity between electrostatic and magnetic forces?

Answer : Both are non-contact forces.
Both are attractive as well as repulsive forces.

Question 9 : What are the effects of force on an object?

Answer : Force can change the state of motion of an object.
Force changes the speed of a moving object.
Force can cause an object to turn or change direction.
Force can change the shape of an object.

Question 10 : Explain why, snow shoes stop you from sinking into snow.
Answer: The snow shoes have large, flat soles so they exert less on the soft snow and stop the wearer
from sinking into it.

Question 11 : What happens to the springs fixed to the seat of a bicycle when we sit on it?
Answer: When we sit on the seat of a bicycle, the force exerted by the body weight compresses the spring
and changes its shape.
Question 12 : Why do balloons expand when filled with air?
Or
Why does the balloon get inflated?
Or
What makes a balloon get inflated when air is filled in it?
Answer: Air exerts pressure on the inner walls of balloon causes it to expand and get inflated.

Question 13 : Explain why, a wide steel belt is provided over the wheels of an army tank.
Answer: The wide belts increase the area and reduce the pressure. This avoids sinking of the tank into the
ground.

Question 14 : Which force makes a rolling ball stop on its own?

Or
Why is a ball rolling along the ground gradually slows down and finally comes to rest?
Or
What makes a ball to stop when it is rolling?
Or
Why does a moving ball stop?
Answer: It is the force of friction between the surface of the ball and the ground that brings the moving ball
to rest.

Question 15 : What is muscular force? Give one example.

Answer:The force resulting due to the action of muscles is known as the muscular force. Example: lifting a
bucket of water.

Question 16 : What is described as a change in its state of motion?

Answer: A change in either the speed of an object, or its direction of motion, or both, is described as a
change in its state of motion.

Question 17 : What is meant by a contact force? Give an example.

Answer: Force that can be applied only when it is in contact with an object, it is also called a contact force.
Example: lifting a bucket of water.

Question 18 : Explain, why magnetic force is said to be a non-contact force.

Answer: A magnet can exert a force on another magnet without being in contact with it. The force exerted
by a magnet is an example of a non-contact force.

Question 19 : Why do the shape and size of balloon change when filled with air or water?
Answer: The high pressure produced by the gas or water molecules on the walls of balloon causes it to
expand and get inflated.

Question 20 : Why water comes out more slowly from an upstairs tap than from a similar tap downstairs?
Answer: This is so because water pressure is less in the upstairs tap due to lesser depth.

Question 21 : Why are we not crushed by atmospheric pressure?

Or
If the pressure due to the atmosphere is so great, then why are we not crushed by it?
Answer: We do not get crushed because the atmospheric pressure acting on our body from outside is
balanced by the blood pressure acting from inside.

Question 22 : What is frictional force?

Or
What is friction?
Answer: The force that always acts on all the moving object and its direction is always opposite to the
direction of motion is called frictional force (or friction).
Question 23 : Why does a sharp knife cut better than a blunt knife?
Answer : Lesser the area, larger the pressure for the same force applied. Therefore, it is easier to cut with
sharp knives than blunt ones, with same force.

Question 24 : What is meant by atmospheric pressure?

Answer: The atmospheric air extends up to many kilometres above the surface of the earth. The pressure
exerted by this air is known as atmospheric pressure.

Question 25 : Give two examples of contact forces.

Answer: The examples of contact forces are:
Muscular force
Frictional force

Question 26 : A blacksmith hammers a hot piece of iron while making a tool. How does the force due to
hammering affect the piece of iron?
Answer:
When a blacksmith hammers a hot piece of iron, he uses his muscular force. This muscular force changes
the shape of the iron.

Question 27 : What is meant by a non-contact force? Give an example.

Answer: A force that can be exerted by an object even from a distance is called a non-contact force. The
force exerted by a magnet is an example of a non-contact force.

Question 28 : What do you understand by state of Motion?

Answer : The state of motion of an object is described by its speed and the direction of motion. The state
of rest is considered to be the state of zero speed. An object may be at rest or in motion; both are its states
of motion.

Question 29 : Why the tools meant for cutting and piercing always have sharp edges?
Answer: The cutting edges of tools like blades, knives etc., are provided with sharp edges to cut the things
easily because the smaller the area, larger the pressure on a surface for the same force.

Question 30 : Explain why, the tip of a sewing needle is sharp.

Answer: The tip of the sewing needle is sharp so that due to its sharp tip, the needle may put the force on
a very small area of the cloth, producing a large pressure sufficient to pierce the cloth being stitched.

Question 31 : “When a ball is dropped from a height, its speed increases gradually.” Name the force which
causes this change in speed.
Answer: The force of gravity causes all the objects to fall towards the earth. Thus, when a ball is dropped
from a height, its speed increases gradually because of the force of gravity acting on it.

Question 32 : Explain why, porters place a thick, round piece of cloth on their heads when they have to
carry heavy loads.
Answer: By this they increase the area of contact of the load with their head. So, the pressure on their
head is reduced and they find it easier to carry the load.

Question 33 : Explain now why shoulder bags are provided with broad straps and not thin straps?
Or
Why the straps of school bags are made broader?
Or
Why is it comfortable to lift a school bag with broad straps than thin straps?
Answer: Shoulder bags are provided with broad straps and not thin strap so that the weight of the bag may
fall over a large area of the shoulder of the child producing less pressure on the shoulder.
Question 34 : A small device pulls iron nails from a distance. Which type of force is involved in this
process?
Answer: Magnetic force is involved in this process. The magnetic force acts even from a distance. The
magnet exerts a magnetic force on objects made of iron, steel, nickel and cobalt.

Question 35 : Write one example where force changes the direction of a moving object.
Answer: In cricket, a batsman plays his or her shot by applying a force on the ball with the bat. In this
example the speed and the direction of the moving ball change due to the application of a force.

Question 36 : In a tug of war; when the two teams are pulling the rope, a stage comes when the rope does
not move to either side at all. What can you say about the magnitudes and directions of the forces being
applied to the rope by the two teams at this stage?
Answer: If there is no movement on either side, the force applied from both side is equal in magnitude.

Question 36 : Give three examples of non-contact forces.

Answer: The examples of non-contact forces are:
Magnetic force
Electrostatic force
Gravitational force

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1: Explain why, frictional force is said to be a contact force.

Answer: The force of friction always acts on all the moving objects and its direction is always opposite to
the direction of motion. Since the force of friction arises due to contact between surfaces, it is an example of
a contact force.

Question 2: Explain why the walls of a dam are thicker near the bottom than at the top.
Answer. The walls of a dam are much thicker at the bottom than it is at the top. This is because the
pressure of the water is much greater deeper down and the dam needs to be thick at the bottom so that it is
strong enough to withstand this larger pressure.

Question 3: A rocket has been fired upwards to launch a satellite in its orbit. Name the two forces acting on
the rocket immediately after leaving the launching pad.
Answer: The two forces acting on the rocket are the force of gravity, which pulls the rocket towards the
ground, and the force of friction due to earth’s atmosphere, which opposes its motion.

Question 4: What is meant by gravitational force (or force of gravity)? Give its one example.
Answer: Every object in the universe, whether small or large, exerts a force on every other object. This
force is known as the gravitational force. Example: Water begins to flow towards the ground as soon as we
open a tap.

Question 5: Give two examples of situations in which applied force causes a change in the shape of an
object.
Answer: Two examples in which applied force causes a change in the shape of an object are:
The shape of dough changes on pressing with rolling pin to make chapatis.
The shape of a toothpaste tube changes when we squeeze it.
Question 6: What are the various effects of force?
Answer: Effects of force are:
It may make an object move from rest.
It may change the speed of an object if it is moving.
It may change the direction of motion of an object.
It may bring about a change in the shape of an object.

Question 7: Why a fountain of water is created at the leaking joints or holes of pipes of the main water
supply line?
Answer: Many times we see a fountain of water rushing out of the leaking joints (or holes) in the pipes of
main water supply line. It is due to the very high pressure exerted by water on the sides (or walls) of the
pipes that such a fountain of water is formed.

Question 8: Why does the liquid rise in a syringe when its piston is pulled up?
Or
How does a liquid medicine enter a syringe?
Answer: When the nozzle of a syringe is dipped in a liquid and its piston is withdrawn, the pressure inside
the syringe is lowered. The greater atmospheric pressure acting on the surface of the liquid pushes the
liquid up into the syringe.

Question 9: Why nose bleeding occurs at high altitudes?

Or
Why do mountaineers suffer from nose bleeding at high altitudes?
Answer: At high altitudes, the atmospheric pressure becomes much less than our blood pressure. Since,
our blood is at higher pressure than outside pressure, therefore, some of the blood vessels in our body
burst and nose bleeding takes place at high altitudes.

Question 10: Does application of a force would always result in a change in the state of motion of the
object?

Answer: No. Many a time application of force does not result in a change in the state of motion. For
example, a heavy box may not move at all even if you apply the maximum force that you can exert. Again,
no effect of force is observed when you try to push a wall.

Question 11: Name the forces acting on a plastic bucket containing water held above ground level in your
hand. Discuss why the forces acting on the bucket do not bring a change in its state of motion.
Answer: In this case, muscular force is acting in upward direction and the force of gravity is acting in
downward direction. The two forces are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction. Therefore, the net
force on the bucket is zero. Hence, there is no change in its state of motion.

Question 12: Why atmospheric pressure decreases as we go higher up above the earth’s surface?
Answer: The pressure at any level in the atmosphere may be interpreted as the total weight of the air
above a unit area at any elevation. Since most of the atmosphere’s molecules are held close to the earth’s
surface by the force of gravity, air pressure decreases as we go higher up above the earth’s surface.

Question 13: What happens when a charged plastic straw is brought near another uncharged plastic
straw?
Answer: A straw is said to have acquired electrostatic charge after it has been rubbed with a sheet of
paper. Such a straw is an example of a charged body. A straw rubbed with paper attracts another straw but
repels it if it has also been rubbed with a sheet of paper.

Question 14: Why does a plastic comb rubbed with dry hair attract tiny pieces of paper?
Answer: When a plastic comb is rubbed in dry hair, the comb gets electric charges by friction. And when
this electrically charged comb is brought near tiny pieces of paper, it exerts an electrostatic force of
attraction on them. Due to this electrostatic force, the tiny pieces of paper move towards the comb and stick
to it.

Question 15: What is meant by saying that force is due to interaction?

Answer: Example: Suppose a man is standing behind a stationary car. The car will not move just due to his
presence. Suppose the man now begins to push the car, that is, he applies a force on it. The car may begin
to move in the direction of the applied force.
From the above example, we can infer that at least two objects must interact for a force to come into play.

Question 16: If the area of my head were 10 cm × 10 cm, how much weight of air would I be carrying on
my head? Why don’t we feel the weight of such a huge amount of air on us?
Answer: The weight of air in a column of the height of the atmosphere and area 10 cm × 10 cm is as large
as 1000 kg. The reason we are not crushed under this weight is that the pressure inside our bodies is also
equal to the atmospheric pressure and cancels the pressure from outside.

Question 17: If a vacuum is created between two Magdeburg hemispheres joined together, they cannot be
separated easily. Give reason.
Or
Why do Magdeburg hemispheres stick together?
Answer: This is due to the fact that since there is no air inside, the unopposed atmospheric pressure acting
over the whole surface of the hemispheres from outside presses them very, very hard and does not allow
them to be separated.

Question 18: How does a rubber sucker work?

Answer: When we press the sucker, most of the air between its cup and the surface escapes out. The
sucker sticks to the surface because the pressure of atmosphere acts on it. To pull the sucker off the
surface, the applied force should be large enough to overcome the atmospheric pressure. In fact, it would
not be possible for any human being to pull the sucker off the surface if there were no air at all between the
sucker and the surface.

Question 19: Give two examples each of situations in which you push or pull to change the state of motion
of objects.
Answer: Objects are pushed or pull in order to change the state of motion.
Examples of push are:
We push the door to open it.
A football player kicks the ball.
Examples of pull are:
We pull the door to close it.
Opening a drawer.

Question 20: An inflated balloon was pressed against a wall after it has been rubbed with a piece of
synthetic cloth. It was found that the balloon sticks to the wall. What force might be responsible for the
attraction between the balloon and the wall?
Answer: When inflated balloon is rubbed with a piece of synthetic cloth, it gets electrically charged. A
charged body exerts an electrostatic force on uncharged body. Thus, when the charged balloon is pressed
against a wall, it sticks to the wall because of the electrostatic force acting between the charged balloon and
the wall.

Question 22 : Why it is easier to walk on soft sand if we have flat shoes rather than shoes with sharp
heels (or pencil heels)?
Answer : A flat shoe has a greater area in contact with the soft sand and exerts less pressure on the soft
ground. Due to this the ‘flat’ shoes do not sink much in soft sand and it is easy to walk on it. On the other
hand, a sharp heel has a small area in contact with the soft sand and exerts a greater pressure on the
sand. Due to this, the sharp heels sink deep into soft sand making it difficult for the wearer to walk on it.
 Extra Long Question

Question 1. What is force? State the difference between contact force and non-contact force.
Answer:
Contact force Non-contact force
Force that can be applied only when it is in contact The force exerted on an object without touching it is
with an object is called a contact force, e.g., known as non-contact force, e.g., gravitational force,
muscular force, frictional force magnetic force

Question [Link] the different types of forces.

Answer: Force can act on a body from a distance or by being in contact with it. Depending on this, forces
can be classified as contact and non-contact forces.

 Contact forces: When force is applied on an object by direct or indirect physical contact the applied
force is called contact force. Muscular and frictional force are example of contact force.
o Muscular force: The force resulting due to the action of muscles is known as the muscular
force.
o Frictional force: The force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and
material elements sliding against each other.
 Non-contact forces: When a force is applied to an object by another body that is not in direct contact
with it is called non-contact force. Gravitational, magnetic and electrostatic force are example of
non-contact force.
o Gravitational force: The attractive force of the earth which acts upon all the objects is known
as the force of gravity or just gravity.
o Electrostatic force: The force exerted by a charged body on another charged or uncharged 1
body is known as electrostatic force.
o Magnetic force: The force exerted between a magnet and other magnet or magnetic material
is known as magnetic force.