Understanding Forces

Force is a vector quantity that has both magnitude and direction.
There are several types of forces to be aware of, such as gravitational force, tension force, normal force, and friction force.

Force Calculation

The net force acting on an object is the vector sum of all forces acting on it, often resulting from different types of force.
Objects in equilibrium have a net force of zero.
The unit of force in the International System of Units (SI) is the Newton (N).

Newton’s laws of motion: three laws that describe the motion of objects.
- First law (Law of Inertia): An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and direction, unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
- Second law (F=ma): The force acting on an object is equal to its mass times its acceleration.
- Third law (Action and Reaction): For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Free body diagrams are diagrams used to show the relative magnitude and direction of all forces acting upon an object.
When drawing such a diagram, include all forces being exerted on the body including gravitational, normal, friction and any externally applied forces.

Work done by a force is the force multiplied by the distance moved in the direction of the force and is measured in joules (J).
If the force is exerted at an angle to the direction of motion, only the part of the force parallel to the direction of motion does work.

Understanding of forces and their effects is fundamental in various real-world situations and careers, including engineering, physics, and computer animation.