2007-11-14 23:21:50 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
One way to think of this is to consider that there are two kinds of force - force from something that's touching you, and force from something that's NOT touching you. The first are the contact forces; the second are the field forces.
Anything that an object touches can contribute a contact force. For example, the force of friction is a contact force. The "normal force" is also a contact force.
The only field forces that ever enter into physics problems are those of gravity and electromagnetism.
2007-11-14 23:59:40 · answer #1 · answered by jgoulden 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I just want to add to jgoulden that we also have
1. Tension force
2. Compression force
3. Rotational force (also known as torque)
All forces are directional and have a magnitude. One can label them any way they like
the bottom line force is a force.
2007-11-15 08:05:46 · answer #2 · answered by Edward 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋