Contact and Non Contact Force - Definition, Examples, Types, Difference, FAQs

Edited By Team Careers360 | Updated on Jun 01, 2022 05:30 PM IST

A contact force is a force that acts between two bodies in contact. For example, the contact force is created when you push a table against the wall or when you pull anything upwards since there is direct touch between you and the object you are pulling. Between bodies that are not in direct contact, a non-contact force acts. An apple, for example, fell on Newton due to the unseen force of gravity.

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Definition of contact force
Contact forces types:
Examples of contact forces:
Definition of non-contact force:
Examples of non contact forces:
Difference between contact and non-contact forces:

Definition of contact force

Contact Force is defined as the force that comes into contact with another object.

A force that only functions when two bodies come into physical touch.

Newton's second law of motion was discussed. It claims that applying force to a body of mass ‘m' causes it to accelerate

If the mass of the body is ‘m,' and the acceleration it achieves after being subjected to the force is ‘a,' then the force equation is:

F = ma

However, when we add force to the body, it develops momentum, resulting in a rate of change in momentum equal to the force applied. The following is the equation for the same:

F = Δp/Δt

Δp/Δt = change in momentum

The unit of change in momentum per unit of time is kg-m/s².

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Contact forces types:

The following is a list of the several types of contact forces:

Tension on the surface
The resistance of the air
Friction
Buoyancy force or upthrust
Force of drag
The force that has been applied
Forces of nature
Muscle power

Examples of contact forces:

Example 1:

When you throw a football, it sails through the air before landing on the ground.

Two sorts of forces can be shown in this illustration.

The ball first makes a vertical motion as a result of our kick's contact force, then executes a projectile motion, and then, as a result of air resistance or simple friction, the ball slows down and eventually comes to rest, i.e. on the ground.

Example2:

When you stretch the spring out of its resting state, it will begin to oscillate from its mean position. The spring, however, returns to its original position after a period of time due to the influence of restoring force.

Let's look at some contact force instances to see how the distinction between contact and non-contact force may be clearly seen.

Example 3:

You all enjoy paragliding, bungee jumping, and other extreme sports. All of this occurs as a result of the contact force.

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Definition of non-contact force:

A force applied to an object by a body that is not in direct touch with it is known as a non-contact force. When objects do not make physical touch with one another or when a force is exerted without interaction, non-contact forces are at work.

Variants of non contact forces:

Non-contact forces are listed below:

The force of gravity
The combination of electric force and magnetic force commonly referred to as electromagnetic force
Nuclear force

NCERT Physics Notes:

Examples of non contact forces:

Example 1:

Electricity is generated in your home by an invisible force acting on electrons travelling through the wiring of your equipment. Do you have any idea how it happens?

The flow of electrons in a wire is caused by the electric force, which contains millions of electrons in random motion.

Example 2:

Coulomb's law may be familiar to you. Coulomb's law describes the mutual electric force between two charges of equal magnitude but opposite polarity.

Example 3:

Let's say you tied a wire around an iron nail, and when you supply current, a magnetic field forms around it. Do you have any idea why this happens? When current flows over a wire, millions of electrons make random motions, and these random electrons align in the desired direction, resulting in the formation of a magnetic field.

Now, under the influence of magnetic force, or attraction force, iron filings are drawn to the iron nail (or a magnet).

Also read :

Example 4:

Because gravity attracts everything towards itself, a greater amount of power is needed during rocket propulsion to overcome the gravitational impact. The effectiveness may be seen.

Difference between contact and non-contact forces:

Contact force	Non contact force
Only when there is a physical effort (push or pull) on an object can the forces act.	These forces are invisible by nature and can act without requiring any physical effort.
Vector fields can be used to depict contact forces.	Non-contact forces cannot be represented using vector fields
The contact force is not linked with any field.	The non-contact force is related with a field.
Because of the friction between two palms, friction between two bodies in contact, such as rubbing palms, produces heat.	Because of gravity, a ball that is soaring in the sky will eventually fall to the ground.
When the bus abruptly stops, a dozing man awakens.	When you combine the North poles of two magnets, you'll see that they repel each other. When you change the direction of one of the magnets, you'll notice that they attract each other.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Differentiate between contact and non-contact forces.

2. Define contact force.

Contact Force is defined as the force that comes into contact with another object.

A force that only functions when two bodies come into physical touch.

Newton's second law of motion was discussed. It claims that applying force to a body of mass ‘m' causes it to accelerate

If the mass of the body is ‘m,' and the acceleration it achieves after being subjected to force is ‘a,' then the force equation is:

F = ma

3. What are the different types of non-contact force?

Non-contact forces are listed below:

The force of gravity
The combination of electric force and magnetic force commonly referred to as Electromagnetic force
Nuclear force

4. Give examples of a non-contact force?

The force that does not make contact. Non-contact or action-at-a-distance forces include magnetism. These are forces that can act on an object even if they are not physically touching it. Another example is the force of gravity. As a result, gravity will pull a raindrop down to Earth despite the fact that there is no physical connection between the Earth and the drop.

5. Is tension a force that does not make contact?

The forces that emerge from the interaction of objects that come into contact with each other are known as contact forces. Friction, air resistance, applied force, tension force, and spring force are examples of these. Non-contact forces are produced by the interaction of objects that are not in direct contact with one another.