Why do we say the force is a vector quantity?

What happens when you push your friend on the playground? How about if your team pulls the hardest in tug of war? The reason your friend falls or your team wins is because you applied force. This lesson teaches you all about the different types of force.

Forces act on objects causing them to move. Mechanics is the field of science designated to the study of moving objects. This lesson describes how forces act on objects resulting in motion. Examples are used to describe how forces interact resulting in both simple and complex movement.

In this lesson we'll be learning how to use graphical representations of forces, like free body diagrams and force vs acceleration graphs, to explain Newton's second law. By the end of the lesson, you'll understand these diagrams and how to calculate the net force in two dimensions.

Forces are needed to start or stop an object's motion, but can also be involved when an object is at rest or already traveling at constant velocity. In this video lesson, you'll identify the difference between balanced and unbalanced forces, understanding how they affect the movement of objects.