Name: types of forces in physics
Uploaded: 2025-05-22T09:06:01.000Z
Duration: 1 min 22 s
Channel: JoVE

Le forze possono essere classificate in base all'origine come forze di contatto e senza contatto.
Le forze che richiedono il contatto fisico tra due oggetti sono note come forze di contatto. Le forze di attrito, di tensione e normali sono esempi di forze di contatto.
Le forze che possono agire su un oggetto senza alcun contatto fisico tra l'oggetto e la sorgente sono note come forze di non contatto. Le forze gravitazionali, magnetiche ed elettrostatiche sono esempi di forze senza contatto.
Inoltre, le forze possono essere classificate come forze concentrate e distribuite.
Una forza concentrata è una forza che agisce in un punto specifico di un oggetto, mentre una forza distribuita agisce sull'intera superficie o volume di un oggetto.
La forza gravitazionale che agisce sulla superficie superiore di un corpo è leggermente inferiore alla forza che agisce sulla parte inferiore del corpo. Ma, convenzionalmente, si presume che la forza gravitazionale agisca nel centro di gravità del corpo.

<ol>
	<li>Hibbeler, R.C. (2016). Ingegneria Meccanica \u2012 Statica e Dinamica. Hoboken, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. pagg.177</li>
</ol>

classificazione delle forze

Le forze svolgono un ruolo cruciale nello studio della fisica e dell'ingegneria. Sono fondamentali per descrivere il moto, il comportamento e l'equilibrio degli oggetti nel mondo fisico. Le forze possono essere classificate in base alla loro origine, al tipo e alla direzione di azione.

Le forze a contatto e le forze senza contatto sono due delle categorie di forze più utilizzate. Come suggerisce il nome, le forze a contatto richiedono un contatto fisico tra due oggetti per agire l'uno sull'altro. Esempi di forze a contatto includono forze di attrito, tensione e forze normali che si originano dal contatto tra superfici. D'altra parte, le forze senza contatto possono agire su un oggetto senza alcun contatto fisico tra l'oggetto e la sua fonte. Esempi di forze non a contatto includono le forze gravitazionali tra corpi celesti, le forze magnetiche tra due magneti e le forze elettrostatiche che causano attrazione o repulsione tra particelle cariche.

Un'altra modalità di classificazione delle forze è in base alla loro distribuzione. Una forza concentrata è una forza che agisce su un punto specifico di un oggetto. Un esempio di forza concentrata è un martello che colpisce un chiodo. Quando il martello colpisce il chiodo, esercita una forza concentrata sul punto di contatto tra il martello e il chiodo. Al contrario, le forze distribuite agiscono su tutta la superficie o il volume di un oggetto. Queste forze possono essere ulteriormente classificate come uniformi o non uniformi, a seconda che la forza sia la stessa in tutti i punti dell'oggetto. Esempi di forze distribuite includono la forza esercitata da un fluido uniforme sulla superficie di un corpo, la resistenza dell'aria che agisce sui veicoli che si muovono nell'aria e la forza esercitata dalla mano di una persona su un tavolo. La classificazione delle forze è un concetto importante nell'ingegneria meccanica perché consente agli ingegneri di comprendere e prevedere il comportamento di strutture e macchine sotto vari carichi.

Classificazione delle forze

Le forze svolgono un ruolo cruciale nello studio della fisica e dell'ingegneria. Sono essenziali per descrivere il movimento, il comportamento e l'equilibrio degli oggetti in ...

Education

Didattica

JoVE Core

Mechanical Engineering

Ingegneria Meccanica

Unit 1

Unità 1

Force Vectors

Vettori di forza

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

TERMINI E CONCETTI CHIAVE

Force Classification

types of forces in physics

Forces in physics can be grouped by how they act and where they come from. These groups help describe motion, behavior, and equilibrium in the physical world. They are also useful in physics and engineering.

One common way to classify forces is by whether they need contact. Contact forces act only when two objects touch. Frictional force, tension, and normal force are all contact forces that come from surface contact.

Forces can also act without physical touch. These are called non-contact forces. Gravitational force acts between celestial bodies, magnetic force acts between two magnets, and electrostatic force can cause attraction or repulsion between charged particles.

Another way to sort forces is by how they are spread over an object. A concentrated force acts at one specific point. A hammer striking a nail is a clear example because the force is applied at the point of contact.

Distributed forces act over a surface area or through a volume. They may be uniform or non-uniform, depending on whether the force is the same at every point. Examples include the force from a uniform fluid on a body, air resistance on vehicles moving through the air, and the force a person’s hand exerts on a table.

Force classification matters in mechanical engineering. It helps engineers understand and predict how structures and machines respond to different loads.

Types of Forces in Physics

scalar and vectors

Scalar vs Vector Quantities in Mechanics

Scalar and vector quantities are two main ways to describe physical quantities in mechanics. Common examples include force, speed, velocity, and work. Some of these are scalars, and others are vectors. A scalar is a quantity that has magnitude only. It does not need direction. Mass, area, and length are examples of scalar quantities. Scalars with the same units can be added or subtracted like ordinary numbers. A class that ends 10 min earlier than 50 min lasts 50 min minus 10 min, which is 40...

vector operations

Adding and Multiplying Vectors

Vectors are quantities with both magnitude and direction, and their operations include addition, subtraction, and scalar multiplication. Scalar multiplication means a vector is multiplied by a scalar value, which creates a new vector with a different magnitude. If the scalar is positive, the direction stays the same. If the scalar is negative, the direction reverses. A common example is momentum, which comes from multiplying mass by velocity. In this case, mass is the scalar quantity and...

introduction to force

Force, Motion, and Mechanical Effects

Force changes the motion, shape, or orientation of an object. A flowing stream of water can push on a turbine vane and make it move in the direction of the flow. In mechanics, force is treated as a vector quantity, which means it has both magnitude and direction. It is measured in newtons, or N, in the SI unit system. Forces can act through direct contact or without contact. A push or pull is a contact force. Magnetic and gravitational forces are examples of non-contact interactions. For an...

force classification

Forces in physics can be grouped by how they act and where they come from. These groups help describe motion, behavior, and equilibrium in the physical world. They are also useful in physics and engineering. One common way to classify forces is by whether they need contact. Contact forces act only when two objects touch. Frictional force, tension, and normal force are all contact forces that come from surface contact. Forces can also act without physical touch. These are called non-contact...

vector addition of forces

Resultant Force from Tugboats

Resultant force can be found with vector addition when two or more forces act on the same object. This idea helps explain how multiple pulls combine to create one net force. It is a key tool for understanding motion in physics. A clear example is a ship pulled by two small tugboats. The forces, F1 and F2, act at the same time but in different directions. The net force on the ship is the vector sum of those two forces. The parallelogram law gives a geometric way to add vectors. In this method,...

two-dimensional force system

Resolving Forces in a Plane

Resolving forces in a plane is a key part of two-dimensional mechanical analysis. A force vector can be split into x- and y-components, which show how the force acts in each direction. These components are written with the help of unit vectors, one for the x direction and one for the y direction. To find the components in a Cartesian coordinate system, first identify the angle theta between the force and the positive x-axis. If the line of action passes through the origin, basic trigonometry...

two-dimensional force system: problem solving

two-dimensional-force-system-problem-solving

Two-Dimensional Forces: Free-Body Analysis

Two-dimensional force analysis starts with a free-body diagram. A free-body diagram shows the object and every external force acting on it. It includes each force’s size, direction, and point of application. After the diagram is drawn, each force is broken into x- and y-components. This uses vector analysis and trigonometry, especially sine and cosine. The forces can then be written in Cartesian vector form, which makes them easier to work with. Next, the components in each direction are...

scalar notation

Vector Components for Force Calculations

Scalar notation helps simplify vector calculations by breaking a vector into separate x and y parts. When vectors are added or subtracted, each component can be handled on its own using scalar notation. This makes force problems easier to solve.

cartesian vector notation

Vector Components in 3D Space

Cartesian vector notation shows how to write vectors in three-dimensional space using x, y, and z components. It gives a clear way to represent direction and size for quantities used in mechanical engineering. The notation uses the unit vectors i, j, and k for the x, y, and z axes. A vector pointing in the direction (3, −4, 5) can be written as A = 3i - 4j + 5k. The unit vectors are i = (1, 0, 0), j = (0, 1, 0), and k = (0, 0, 1). This form is useful for describing displacement, velocity,...

direction cosines of a vector

Vector Orientation with Direction Cosines

Direction cosines describe how a vector is oriented relative to the x, y, and z axes. For a vector A written in Cartesian form with i, j, and k unit vectors, this idea helps connect the vector’s components to its direction in space. The magnitude of vector A is the square root of the sum of the squares of its components. Its direction is described by the coordinate direction angles α, β, and γ with the x, y, and z axes. These angles can be found by projecting vector A onto each axis. The...

three-dimensional force system

Force Components in 3D Space

A three-dimensional force system describes forces acting in x, y, and z directions. In mechanical engineering, this framework helps students and engineers study how objects and structures behave in three-dimensional space. One common example is a force acting on a particle in space. That force can be split into three parts: the x-component, the y-component, and the z-component. Vector mathematics is used to calculate each component, and together they make up the full three-dimensional force...

three-dimensional force system:problem solving

three-dimensional-force-systemproblem-solving

Resolving Forces in 3D Coordinates

Three-dimensional force systems involve forces acting in three different directions at the same time. These problems are common in physics and engineering. They are used to find the resultant force, which helps predict or analyze how an object or structure will behave. The first step is to resolve each force into scalar components. A scalar component is the amount of force along one axis. Trigonometric functions and vector addition are used to break the force into parts and then combine those...

position vectors

Using Position Vectors to Locate Points

Position vectors are used to locate points in space and show the direction and distance between two points. In math and science, they help describe spatial relationships and make calculations easier. A position vector can connect one point to another point or show a point’s location relative to the origin of coordinates. For a point P(x, y, z) relative to the origin O, the position vector r runs from O to P. In Cartesian vector form, it is written as r = x i + y j + z k. Here, i, j, and k are...

force vector along a line

Finding a Cable Force from Two Points

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dot product

Using Dot Product to Find Work and Angle

The dot product connects vectors, work, and direction in mathematics and physics. In engineering, it is found by multiplying the magnitudes of two vectors and the cosine of the angle between them. It is shown with a dot symbol between the vectors. A real-world example is a vehicle pulling an object along the ground with a rope. If the rope is angled above the horizontal axis, the work done can be calculated with the dot product of the applied force and the object’s displacement. This makes the...

dot product: problem solving

Using the Dot Product to Solve Vector Questions

The dot product helps solve vector questions by combining vector size and the cosine of the angle between them. It is useful when the angle is measured anti-clockwise and when a problem asks for a vector relationship in component form. A good first step is to identify the question being asked. Then list the given vectors and write them in Cartesian form, also called component form. This makes the data easier to use in a calculation. Next, decide whether the dot product is the right operation.

cross product

Cross Product Direction and Magnitude

The cross product is a vector operation in vector algebra that creates a third vector from two input vectors. Unlike the scalar product, it does not give a single number. The result is a vector perpendicular to both original vectors. The size, or magnitude, of the cross product depends on the magnitudes of both vectors and the sine of the angle between them. A larger angle between the vectors gives a larger cross product magnitude. The direction is found with the right-hand rule. If the...

key terms and concepts

Learn how forces are classified as contact, non-contact, concentrated, and distributed, with real examples from physics and engineering.

Types of Forces in Physics | JoVE K12

JoVE Core Mechanical Engineering offers concise, easy-to-understand animated videos covering key topics such as equilibrium, forces, truss analysis, and structural mechanics. Explore their real-world applications, and witness these concepts in action through scientist-led experiments.

mechanical engineering

Types of Forces in Physics

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