Physics is the study of how the universe works, it lays the foundation for the description of the cause and effect objects have on one another. The consequences forces have upon impact with objects lay the foundation for the interaction of forces in the physical world.
Forces are vector quantities they carry a magnitude as well as a direction, when forces balance each other out they are said to be in equilibrium meaning the vector sum of these forces add up to zero. States that the size and direction of forces on an object are exactly balanced, then there is no net force and the object is said to be in equilibrium.
Newton's laws of motion describe how objects are affected by different forces. The three laws outline how objects in their current resting state or constant motion will be affected by a net force. The first law others known as the law of inertia is about object's likelihood to abide to their current state and remain unchanged. In addition to the first law states that inertia is the natural tendency of an object to remain at rest or in motion at a constant velocity. The second law describes how the object will behave upon contact with a resultant force, that it will accelerate in the direction it was originally propagated (Fnet=ma). The second law states that the acceleration of an object is dependent upon two variables, the net force and mass of the object (Physicsclassroom.com, 2019).
The acceleration triggered by the resultant force prompts the object to re-orientate its speed as well as its direction. The resulting effect is the change in momentum of the object which is defined as a body of mass in motion (p=mv). Any moving object carries momentum. When considering the time interval for which the force acts it comes to light the larger the time interval the minimal the force will be. Through basic intuition pushing a hammer into a wall with 50N for 10 seconds results in less damage than hitting the same wall with the original 50N but in a fraction of a second. The force and time interval bring about another physical quantity known as impulse which is defined as the product of the force and time interval the force acts. The safety of drivers is crucial as with the impact of momentum/impulse as the mostly concerned with collisions between two or more objects. The amount of time that a force acts corresponds to the damage the other object takes. Cars use this principle to ensure the safety of drivers upon collision. Car safety features such as seat belts, airbags and crumple zones all work to change the shape of the car, which increases the time taken for the collision. This decreases the time taken for the collision. This decreases the rate of change of momentum, which decreases the force of the collision on any people within the car (BBC Bitesize, 2019).
A force that is known to not cause, but slow down or even stop moving objects is friction. It occurs in everyday life and it is how we are able to walk, due to the traction between the ground and our shoes. States that the force of friction is a force between two surfaces that prevents those surfaces from sliding or slipping across each other. When an object is in contact with another object regardless how smooth they are friction is present. There exists two types of friction namely the static and kinetic frictional forces. States that friction opposes the impending relative motion between two objects. It is because of friction that cars do not skid off the road and people do not slip when walking in the beach.
In conclusion, the forces we encounter each day plays a vital role in what we perceive as reality. The laws and theories that govern our very existence makes it possible for us to advance in society and evolve using the knowledge that has existed through history.
Reference List
BBC Bitesize. (2019). Everyday motion - OCR Gateway - Revision 5 - GCSE Combined Science - BBC Bitesize. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/z83tjty/revision/5 [Accessed 17 May 2019].
Cutnell, J. and Johnson, K. (2015). Introduction to physics. 9th ed.
Grc.nasa.gov. (2019). Equilibrium of Forces. [online] Available at: https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/equilib.html [Accessed 17 May 2019].
Physicsclassroom.com. (2019). Newton's Second Law. [online] Available at: https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/Lesson-3/Newton-s-Second-Law [Accessed 17 May 2019].
Khan Academy. (2019). What is friction?. [online] Available at: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/forces-newtons-laws/inclined-planes-friction/a/what-is-friction [Accessed 17 May 2019].