Sections:

Forces and the Laws of Motion, Page 4

Contact Forces and Field Forces

A woman stretching rubber bandsIf you push a box, the box moves. Similarly, if you pull a rubber band, it stretches out. These pushes and pulls come under the category of contact forces because there are two objects in contact with one another. 

 

 

 

 

A boy pushing a trolley



If the force is developed between the objects without any contact, it is called a field force. The gravitational force, magnetic force, and electrostatic force are the examples of field forces. 

A magnet attracting iron nails