What Makes An Object to Move: Force & its Effects
Key Concepts
- The cause of motion: Force
- The effects of force
Introduction:
We do a lot of activities in our daily lives that involve pushing or pulling in one way or the other such as moving from place to place, playing outdoors, school activities, biking etc. In this section, we will be learning about the reason behind all these activities in detail.
Explanation:
The cause of motion: Force
Suppose a child is sitting inside a house on a couch and wants to go out cycling. He/she would probably get out of the couch, open the door and then grab the bicycle and start cycling. In other words, the child needs to pull the door and then push the peddles of the bicycle in order to ride the bicycle. In performing all these activities, the child needs to push and pull several times. All these activities include the application of force by the child. In fact, a force is a push or a pull.
- We apply a force to pull open a drawer and also to push close it.
- We apply a force while zipping up and unzipping the zipper of our jacket.
- We apply force while sharpening our pencil.
- A man applies a force while pushing a trolley
- A person applies a force while pulling luggage.
Effects of force:
Force changes the pace of motion of an object:
A force can make the motion of an object faster or slower.
For example, a trolley can be pushed harder to speed up its motion, and a child stops the football by pushing it away from the goal post.
Force changes the direction of motion:
Suppose a boy kicks a football towards a girl, and the girl kicks it back. This changes the direction of motion of the football as a result of the girl pushing it back. Thus, a force changes the direction of motion of an object.
Force vs weight of an object:
It is much harder to push a heavy table as compared to pushing a small book. This is because the table is heavier than the book. Thus, to move a heavier object, more force is required.
Questions and answers:
- A batter hits a baseball thrown towards him by a bowler. Who applies the force on whom? What does this force do?
Answer:
- The bowler first applies the force on the baseball by throwing it towards the batter.
- The batter then hits it and applies force on it.
- This force changes the direction of motion of the baseball.
- Two teams A and B are playing tug of war. Who applies the force on whom? What kind of forces do these teams apply on each other?
Answer:
Team A applies a pulling force on Team B, and Team B applies a pulling force on Team A.
- Identify whether the statement given below is true or false.
It takes more force to push close a drawer than to push and move a dresser.
Answer: False
Summary
- A force is a push or pull.
- A force causes the motion of an object.
- Actions such as opening and closing a drawer or a door, kicking a football involve pushing or pulling an object. Such actions involve an application of force.
- A force can make an object move slower or faster.
- A force can change the direction of motion of a moving object.
- More force is required to move heavier objects as compared to lighter objects.
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