• Forces can affect bodies in a variety of ways:
  • Changes in?speed: forces can cause bodies to speed up or slow down
  • Changes in?direction: forces can cause bodies to change their direction of travel
  • Changes in?shape: forces can cause bodies to?stretch,?compress, or?deform

   

The effects of different forces on objects

• There are many types of force. Some examples include:
  • Gravitational?(or?weight) - the force between any two objects with mass (like the Earth and the Moon)
  • Electrostatic?- the force between any two objects with charge (like a proton and an electron)
  • Thrust?- the force pushing a vehicle (like the push from rocket engines on the shuttle)
  • Upthrust?- the upward force on any object in a fluid (like a boat on the surface of a river)
  • Air resistance?(or?drag) - the force of friction between objects falling through the air (like a skydiver in freefall)
  • Compression?- forces that squeeze an object (like squeezing a spring)
  • Tension?- forces that stretch an object (like two teams in a tug-of-war)
  • Reaction force?- the force between any two objects in contact (like the upwards force from a table on a book)

   

Several types of forces acting on different objects