Force (physics)

In physics, force is what changes or tends to change a state of rest or motion in an object. Force causes objects to accelerate, add to the object's overall pressure, change direction, or change shape. Force is measured in Newtons. ('N').

According to Newton's Second Law of Motion, the formula for finding force is:

$'''F = ma'''$

where $F$ is the force,
$m$ is the mass of an object,
and $a$ is the acceleration of the object.

If one sets $a$ to the standard gravity g, then another formula can be found:

$'''W = mg'''$

where $W$ is the weight of an object,
$m$ is the mass of an object,
and $g$ is the acceleration due to gravity at sea level. It is about $9.8m/s^2$.

Force is a vector, so it has both a magnitude and a direction.

Another equation that is useful is:

$F=G(m1)(m2)/d^2$

$F$ is force; $G$ is the gravitational constant, which is used to show how gravity accelarates an object; $m1$ is the mass of one object; $m2$ is the mass of the second object; and $d^2$ is the distance between the objects.

A force is always a push, pull, or a twist, and it affects objects by pushing them up, pulling them down, pushing them to a side, or by changing their motion or shape in some other way.