Contact & Non-Contact Forces
Science · Forces & Motion · conceptual
Notice that some forces need contact between two objects (contact forces) while magnetic forces can act at a distance (non-contact forces)
What mastery looks like
- Define contact forces as those needing objects to touch (e.g. push, pull, friction)
- Define non-contact forces as those acting at a distance (e.g. magnetism)
- Sort examples of forces into contact and non-contact categories
Check your understanding
Can Contact & Non-Contact Forces explain why you have to touch a ball to kick it, but a magnet can pull a paperclip without touching it?
Prerequisites
Required first
Helpful