FSK116
Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Forces
Concept of a Force
We observe a force as a pull or push on an object
We can distinguish forces by grouping them into two categories
Forces
contact Forces
Fundamental forces very close contact between
Field Forces two objects are
No contact is needed needed
Fundamental Forces
There are exactly 4 of these:
Strength Distance over
Type of Force works in on which it acts
Gravitational Force Mass
Electromagnetic charge
Force
Strong nuclear nucleons
Force
weak nuclear
Force nucleons
Contact Forces
Gravity near the surface of the earth(weight)
The weight vector always points vertically downwards
Normal Force(N;n)
This force is always perpendicular (normal) to the contact surface
Applied Force/ External Force (Fapp/ Fext)
If an external object pushes or pulls a second object, we say that the first object exerts
an applied force on the second object
Tension (T)
Tension manifests itself in objects live strings, chains, or ropes.
We will treat all strings as massless
Spring forces CFs )
This force manifests itself in objects with elastic properties. eg: spring, rubber band or
bungee cord
These are called restorative forces.
Frictional Forces ( fs ,fk )
Friction is a microscopic bonding of the two contact surfaces
The frictional force is a restrictive force, it tries to regate the movement of an object.
The frictional force is always parallel to the contact surface, and it points in the direction
Opposite to the (apparent) direction of motion.
(1) static frictional force ( fs)
when an object is about to start moving there is a static frictional force between the object
the surface.
The maximal static force is given by:
is a material constant, that depends on the two contact surfaces
fsmax is the magnitude of the friction just before it starts to move.
(2) Kinetic frictional force (fk)
If the object is now in motion there is a kinetic frictional force.
Drag Force ( Fd)
Newton's First law
Law of Inertia
The first law is also called the
Inertia is a property of an object with mass that makes it resistant to being accelerated.
It is very easy to accelerate an object with a small mass- this has a small inertia
It is very difficult to accelerate an object with a very large mass- this has a large inertia.
The 1st law of Newton describes objects in equilibrium
These are situations where the motion of an object does not change(the motion of one obj
is constant)
Net Force
when there are more than one force acting on an object the motion of the object is
determined by the net force-this is the vector sum of all the forces:
If we have n forces:
Net force is given by:
Newton's First law
The first law is applicable to objects subjected to no external forces. The object can more
either on a straight line with constant speed, or if it is at rest, it remains at rest
Free Body Diagram (FBD)
A free-body diagram is a simplified sketch Single
of a object and the force acting on it.
Step 1: Represent the object as a dot(as a particle) and label it (give it a name)
Step 2: choose a coordinate system
Step 3: Identify ALL the forces acting on this singular object. This includes all the fundamen
and contact forces. We omit all forces acting on other object.
Step 4: Draw vector arrows to indicate the direction of the forces. we do not make a scale
drawing of the magnitude of the forces.
Example:
Block on a slope, there is friction between the block and the contact surface.
If all objects are in equilibrium it means that:
A vector can have zero magnitude if and only if, the components of it are also zero:
Example:
A picture frame hangs on a wall, and it is supported by two strings. The mass of the frame i
200 g
Calculate the tension in each of the strings
Assumption; The forces are in equilibrium
Newton's 1st law
Newton's 2nd Law
The 2nd law is an example of an empirical law it is found by making careful measurement
an experiment.
We observe:
Directly proportional
Inversely Proportional
We add the proportionalities:
(Proportionality constant, in this case
it is exactly 1)
Fret and a point in the same direction. (m is always a positive scalar)
Newton's 2nd law deals with aynamical systems - it means the motion is not constant.
Eq (5.2) in component form
Unit force:
1 kg m/s=1N
Newton's 3rd Law
All forces always exist as interaction pairs (action-reaction forces)
The two forces are located on two different objects.
Examples
Example 1:
The surface of the inclined plane is rough. Find the acceleration of the boxes, as well as,
the contact force between the boxes. The coefficients of friction are:
for s:
x-components: Newton II
y-components: (Newton I)
for B:
x-components:
y-components: (Newton I)
Eq. 1
Eq. 2
1+2
Example:
Assume that the inclined plane is rough. Find an expression for the static friction coeffici
if the block m is about to start moving down the inclined plane.
since the block is about to start moving we need to apply Newton I
x-components:
y-components:
Sub 2 into 1
Example:
Find an expression for the Magnitude of the acceleration if F is applied to m and m
moves upwards
For m :
y-components:
For m :
y-components:
x-components:
Substitute 1 and 2 into 3: