Physics for Engineers and Scientists 3^rd Edition

Forces

This tutorial explores various types of contact and non-contact forces, such as the spring force, and presents their basic properties. It then examines the microscopic origins of some of these forces.

Using an interactive animation of a spring, experiment with putting weights on springs of various k values and observe the results. Use the lab notebook to store the data, to make plots, and to determine the relevant functional relation.

“Free-Body” Diagrams

This tutorial shows how to decompose applied forces into their components and how to represent them in “free-body” diagrams. It then discusses how to use that kind of representation to solve problems involving forces, including friction.