The concepts of force and mass are used daily by all of us outside the scientific environment. In this article, we'll look at the definitions of mass, inertia, and force related to our daily tasks.
All of us have experienced the effects of inertia. Inside a bus, for example, we are moving at the same speed as it. Whenever the bus makes a turn, starts or brakes, it suffers a speed variation, either in the module or in the direction. When this happens, we need to hold on to avoid falling, as our body's tendency is to maintain speed. It's as if our body is somehow opposing the speed change. However, when the bus travels in a straight line, with constant speed, it is not necessary to make an effort to stay still inside it.
- inertia it is the property that objects have to resist acceleration.
- pasta it is a measure of inertia. It measures the amount of matter in the object. Mass is a scalar quantity and its unit in the International System is the kilogram (kg).
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definition of force
Intuitively, we associate the concept of force with the action of pulling or pushing objects. When we lift a suitcase from the ground, we are exerting a force on it. When we push a car, we are also pushing. When a soccer ball rolls over the grass and stops, it means that the grass has exerted a force on the ball. In practical situations, we will always have several objects with various forces acting on each one of them.
Correctly identifying the forces acting on each object is the first step in describing what happens to it. Strength is what causes a change in velocity or deformation in an object.
Characteristics of a force
- always occurs between two objects
- causes a change in speed or causes a deformation
- it is a vector quantity: to characterize it it is necessary to know its intensity, direction and direction.
In the International System of Units, force is measured in newtons, which is abbreviated to N.
1N = 1kg.m/s2
By Domitiano Marques
Graduated in Physics
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SILVA, Domitiano Correa Marques da. "Inertia, mass and force"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/fisica/inercia-massa-forca.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
