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What is the Force?
Force is described as a push or a pull experienced by a body when it interacts with another. It can cause acceleration in the motion of a moving body or can set a body at rest in motion. Force can also change the shape of a body. Force is a vector quantity as it has both direction and magnitude. Force is often represented by symbol F.
Vector Quantity
A vector quantity is one that has both direction and magnitude. For example force, weight, momentum, displacement.
Units of Force
Force has different units in different measuring systems. It’s SI unit is the newton, written as N. Its value is \(kgms^{-2}\). Some other used units are;
| Unit | Abbreviation | Equivalent newton unit |
|---|---|---|
| Dyne | dyn | 10-5N |
| Gram-force | gf | 9.80665mN |
| Pound-force | lbf | 4.448 |
Force formula
According to the formula, force equals mass times acceleration. The mathematical form of the Force equation gives the magnitude of the force. The formula for force is;
\(F=ma\)
Where
\(F\) represents force
\(M\) stands for mass
\(A\) represents acceleration
Mass
The total amount of matter or material present in an object is known as the mass of the object. Its SI unit is the kilogram, written as kg. Mass can also be represented in terms of inertia. Mass is an unchangeable physical quantity. It does not depend upon altitude like weight. Its representation is commonly m. Mass can be calculated by the formula
\(m=\dfrac{w}{g}\)
Where
\(m\) is mass
\(W\) stands for weight
\(g\) is the gravitational force whose value is \(9.81ms^{-2}\) on earth’s surface.
Value of g changes with altitude. For instance, its value is one-sixth of its value on the surface of the earth.
As the value of g changes, so does the impact of force.
Acceleration
Acceleration is possessed by a body whose velocity is not constant and is changing. The rate at which the velocity changes with respect to time is called acceleration. It is a vector quantity and may be produced due to a change in direction or magnitude. Its unit is meter per second squared. It is calculated by the formula
\(a = \dfrac{\Delta y}{\Delta t}\)
where
\(v\) is the change in velocity.
\(t\) is the time taken for the change to occur
It is commonly represented by a. It can be either positive or negative. When velocity is increasing, acceleration is said to be positive. But if velocity is decreasing, acceleration is said to be negative.
How to calculate force?
You can calculate force manually by following these easy steps.
- Calculate mass if not provided through its formula and convert it in kilograms.
- Calculate acceleration using \(\dfrac{\Delta y}{\Delta t}\) in ms-2.
- Multiply mass and acceleration.
- Force is found in newtons.
Consider a body of mass 50kg is being accelerated by \(20ms^{-2}\). Force on it is 1000N.
How to calculate force using our calculator?
Our calculator saves you from trouble by letting you calculate force easily. Just enter mass and acceleration in their respected textboxes and click calculate. There you go!
Net force:
It is quite possible that a body is under more than one force. Net force equals all the forces acting on the body added together. For example, a body of some mass is being pushed by a man by some force. At the same time force of gravity and force of friction are acting on it.
Hence, more than one, forces are acting on the body.
How to find net force?
The term net force might seem difficult to calculate but in reality its a cakewalk. All you have to do is calculate each force separately and add them. Mathematically, the net force formula is written as
\(F_{net}= F_1+ F_2+ ...... + F_n\)
Where “n” stands for No. of terms.
Calculating net force
Let us consider an example of a body of mass 10g thrown vertically upward in a dry environment with force causing a negative acceleration of \(30ms^{-2}\). The acceleration due to gravity on it is \(9.8ms^{-2}\). Also, the force of friction is 3N.
\(F_{net} = F_1+ F_2+ F_3\)
\(F_{net} = (10)(30) + (10)(-9.8) +(-3)\)
\(F_{net} = 300 + (-90.8) + (-3)\)
\(F_{net} = 206.2 N\)
The body is going upward due to a force of 206.2 N. Negative sign is due to negative acceleration.