Contact and Non-Contact Forces
Summary: Contact forces require touching; non-contact forces act at a distance. Tags: concepts physics forces Created: 2026-04-22 13:10:01Z Last Updated: 2026-04-22 13:10:01Z
Content
Forces can be classified by whether objects must touch.
- Contact forces: friction, drag/air resistance, upthrust, normal reaction.
- Non-contact forces: gravity, magnetic force, electrostatic force.
This distinction helps in free-body diagrams and in identifying force interactions in motion questions.