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What is a force?

Normal force, Applied force, Frictional force, Tension force and Spring force are types of contact Forces.

Normal Force.

As the name suggest this is the force that objects exerts normally against gravity. Here is an example.

Imagine if you had a plastic ruler between two pieces of wood. If you place a heavy object in the middle of the plastic it bends. So the plastic is still pushing up against the object because it wants to be straight. This is normal force.

If you get a large piece of wood and push it in the centre, it may begin to bend. But the harder you push the wood, the harder it pushes back.

Applied Force

This is any force which is applied to an object. Moving a chair from one corner to the other is an applied force, picking up a coffee or pushing a button on the remote is an applied forced.

Frictional Force

When two surfaces come into contact with each other friction is created. The reason you can walk on the ground is due to friction. Without friction you would be slipping and sliding everywhere.

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Tension Force

When a piece of rope is tightly tied around two poles (like on a tight rope) the rope becomes very tight. This creates a force that pulls equally in both directions.


Spring Force

Springs contain their own force. This can be created by a compressed or stretched spring.

Depending on the type of spring , it can pull or push in order to create a force.



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