Effects of Force

Force is responsible for all kind of changes in state of motion happening around us. Although the effect of force is not limited to motion only, it has several other effects which are mentioned below:

• The body at rest can be moved by applying force on it.
• Moving body can be stopped by applying force.
• Shape and size of body can also be changed.
• It can accelerate the speed of moving body.
• Direction of moving body can also be changed.
• Force can transfer energy when it causes displacement.
• Force when applied over an area causes pressure.

Interactive Nature of Forces

Force involves two bodies which are interacting with each other. These interaction can be caused either by physical contact or without physical contact. The interactive nature of force can be understood from the forces acting in pairs. For example, when a rocket exerts force on the ground it lifts up, here the the two bodies are exerting forces on each other which are equal in nature. This kind of forces in pairs are called action and reaction force.

We can also understand it from the point of view of balanced and unbalanced force. For example, in a tug of war when two sides are applying equal force, the net force will be zero and no movement from either side will be observed. However, if one side will pull with more force the other side will lose. This shows the two sides are interacting with each other through force.

Case 1: Two forces applied on same object in same direction

In this case, the resultant force on the object would be addition of two forces as both are acting in same direction.

Consider a person pushing a box to the right with a force of 10 Newton and another person also pushes that box to the right with a force of 5 Newton. In this net force acting on the box would be addition of these two forces . So net force acting on the box would be 15 Newtons in the right.

Case 2: Two forces applied on same object in opposite direction

When two forces are applied on same object but in opposite direction then the resultant force on the object would be difference of two forces as both are acting in opposite direction. The movement of object will be in the direction of force with greater magnitude.

Consider a person pushing a box to the right with a force of 10 Newton and another person pushes that box to the left with a force of 5 Newton. In this net force acting on the box is calculated by subtracting these two forces. So net force acting on the box would be 5 Newtons and since magnitude of force in right direction is greater than the magnitude of force in left direction so 5 Newton is the force in right direction.

Force is a push or pull acting on a body. In day to day life, we encounter powerful effects of force all around us. From walking, lifting, writing, closing and opening of doors, we are surrounded by the effects of force. It is one of the fundamental physical phenomena. We can’t imagine our lives without force. Even planetary motion and various other natural activities are guided by the force.

In this article, we are going to learn about effects of force with a basic introduction of force and its types.