Classifying Forces Any force can be classifyed as one of two forces: Action-at-a-distance Forces, or Contact Forces. Contact Forces: Contact Forces can be classifyed as a force that must make direct contact with the object that they push or pull. For example, when you slide your textbook across your desk, you have to apply direct contact to it, to push or pull it towards you.
Friction is a good example of a contact force. Friction is a force that resists the motion of an object, or in other words, it tries to slow down the speed at which the object is moving at.
Action-at-a-distance Forces: Action-at-a-distance Forces can be classifyed as a force that does not make direct contact with the object that they push or pull. For example, when you pick up a paper clip with a magnet, the magnet does not need to make direct contact with the paper clip to pick it up.
A good example of a action-at-a-distance is gravity. Gravity is the attraction between two objects because of their mass. Earth's force of gravity keeps everything on the ground, and we notice this because Earth's mass is so much larger than ours, therefore we are attracted to each other.
Any force can be classifyed as one of two forces: Action-at-a-distance Forces, or Contact Forces.
Contact Forces:
Contact Forces can be classifyed as a force that must make direct contact with the object that they push or pull.
For example, when you slide your textbook across your desk, you have to apply direct contact to it, to push or pull it towards you.
Friction is a good example of a contact force. Friction is a force that resists the motion of an object, or in other words, it tries to slow down the speed at which the object is moving at.
Action-at-a-distance Forces:
Action-at-a-distance Forces can be classifyed as a force that does not make direct contact with the object that they push or pull.
For example, when you pick up a paper clip with a magnet, the magnet does not need to make direct contact with the paper clip to pick it up.
A good example of a action-at-a-distance is gravity. Gravity is the attraction between two objects because of their mass. Earth's force of gravity keeps everything on the ground, and we notice this because Earth's mass is so much larger than ours, therefore we are attracted to each other.
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