So what is a force?

A force is really just a push or a pull on an object. It occurs when two objects interact with each other. Forces can be contact forces, meaning that the objects have to actually touch. Or they can be at a distance, think along the lines of magnets or gravity. A force is still present but the objects are at a distance.

It helps most to think about forces in terms of balance. You might hear the terms balanced or unbalanced forces.

Just as with velocity, we split forces into dimensions. So we talk about vertical forces and horizontal forces. Forces that act in the vertical dimension and forces that act in the horizontal dimension.

When balanced forces act on an object, that object does not move. Imagine tug of war where both teams are pulling completely equally. The force to the left is the same as the force to the right. They cancel each other out. They’re balanced.

Unbalanced forces are forces that act on an object unequally. Imagine one tug of war team pulling with 70 N of force and the other team pulling with 40 N of force. They are unequal. They are unbalanced forces. The team pulling with more force will move the other team.