Forces Explorer - Grade 7 Physics

💡 Core Concept

What is a Force?

A force is a PUSH or a PULL acting on an object.

Forces can change 3 key things about an object:

⚽ SPEED Speed up / Slow down

🔄 DIRECTION Turn left / right

🧽 SHAPE Squish / Stretch

📐 Units & Force Arrows

• Measured in newtons (N).

• Represented by arrows: the arrow direction shows the force direction, while a longer arrow shows a bigger force!

🧪 Interactive Force Vector Arrow Simulator

Drag the slider below to change the force in Newtons (N) and watch the vector arrow stretch!

Force Magnitude (Newtons): 50 N

🤝 Physical Touch Required

Contact Forces

For contact forces, the object providing the force must physically touch the object before it can affect it!

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1. Friction

Occurs when two surfaces rub together. Example: Bicycle brakes touching the wheel rim to slow you down.

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2. Air Resistance (Drag)

Air particles push against moving objects (e.g. slowing down a parachutist or a thrown ball).

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3. Water Resistance

Water molecules oppose objects moving through water (boats, swimmers, fish).

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4. Upthrust

The upward push exerted by a liquid or gas that makes objects float!

⛵ Contact Forces Inspector: Floating Boat

Toggle forces ON or OFF below to inspect the contact and non-contact forces acting on the boat!

🧲 Works From A Distance

Non-Contact Forces

Some forces can affect an object from a distance without physical contact! These are called non-contact forces.

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1. Gravity

A force that pulls all objects downwards toward the center of Earth (e.g. falling apple).

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2. Static Electricity

Electric force that can attract lightweight items (e.g. a rubbed balloon attracting paper bits).

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3. Magnetism

Attracts magnetic metals like iron or repels other magnets across space (e.g. climber with magnetic boots).

✨ Non-Contact Forces Playground

Choose an interactive experiment below to see forces operating across space!

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Charged Balloon

📄 Paper 1 📄 Paper 2 📄 Paper 3

Click the balloon to attract paper bits with Static Electricity!

⚖️ Crucial Difference!

Weight vs. Mass

Many people mix up weight and mass, but in physics they are two completely different things!

📦 MASS (Kilograms - kg)

The amount of matter that makes up an object. Your mass is ALWAYS THE SAME everywhere in the universe!

⬇️ WEIGHT (Newtons - N)

The force of gravity pulling down on an object. Weight changes depending on local gravity!

Earth Gravity Formula

Weight = Mass × 10 N/kg

Earth's gravity pulls on every 1 kg of mass with a force of 10 N.

🌕 Earth vs. Moon Gravity Calculator

Drag the mass slider or change location to see how gravity alters Weight while Mass stays constant!

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Lunar Buggy

Mass (Matter) 210 kg NEVER CHANGES!

Weight (Force) 2100 N 210 kg × 10 N/kg

Select Object Mass (kg): 210 kg

🎮 Physics Forces Matching & Quiz Arena

Test your knowledge on contact vs non-contact forces, vectors, and weight calculations!

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