A force is a push or a pull on an object. When you use your muscles to push on a tree, you are exerting a force on that tree. When you pick up a box, you are exerting a force on the box. When a horse pulls a sleigh, it is exerting a force on the sleigh. When a tugboat pulls a ship into harbor, it is exerting a force on the ship. When a bicycle hits a bump in the road, the bicycle is exerting a force on the bump. A force is exerted anytime one thing pushes, pulls, or lifts something else. Scientists use Newtons to measure the amount of force. A newton is the amount of force necessary to give a 1 kg mass a rate of acceleration of 1 meter per second per second.
The newton is named after the British scientist Sir Isaac Newton (1643–1727).
Forces in your life?
Think about your daily routines, like brushing your teeth. What are five examples of you exerting a force on an object while brushing your teeth?
When you brush your teeth you exert a force on your toothbrush by picking it up, you exert a force on the cap of the toothpaste by unscrewing it, you exert a force on the toothpaste by squeezing the tube, you exert a force on the toothbrush when toothpaste is place don it. You exert a force on your teeth during brushing.
