Wednesday, August 22, 2007

DEFINITION OF FORCE

For other uses, see Force (disambiguation).

Look up Force inDictionary, the free dictionary.
In
physics, force is anything that can cause a massive body to accelerate. It may be experienced as a lift, a push, or a pull. The acceleration of the body is proportional to the vector sum of all forces acting on it (known as net force or resultant force). In an extended body, force may also cause rotation, deformation, or an increase in pressure for the body. Rotational effects are determined by the torques, while deformation and pressure are determined by the stresses that the forces create.
Net force is mathematically equal to the rate of change of the
momentum of the body. Since momentum is a vector quantity (has both a magnitude and direction), force also is a vector quantity.
The concept of force has formed part of
statics and dynamics since ancient times. Ancient contributions to statics culminated in the work of Archimedes in the 3rd century BC, which still forms part of modern physics. In contrast, Aristotle's dynamics incorporated intuitive misunderstandings of the role of force which were eventually corrected in the 17Th century, culminating in the work of Isaac Newton. Following the development of quantum mechanics it is now understood that particles influence each another through fundamental interactions, making force a redundant concept. Only four fundamental interactions are known: strong, electromagnetic, weak (unified into one electronic interaction in 1970s), and gravitational (in order of decreasing strength).

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