Let's dive into the exciting world of Force and Pressure for Class 8!

These are two

fundamental concepts in Physics that help us understand how things move, interact, and
behave around us every day.

Chapter 1: Force

Imagine pushing a trolley, kicking a football, or pulling a rope. What are you doing in all these
situations? You are applying a force!

What is Force?

In simple terms, a force is a push or a pull. It's an interaction that can change the motion of an
object.

Real-life examples of Force:

●​ Push: When you push a door open, you're applying a force.
●​ Pull: When you pull a drawer out, you're applying a force.
●​ Kick: Kicking a football is a push force that makes it move.
●​ Lift: Lifting your school bag is applying an upward force.

Effects of Force

Forces are powerful! They can do many things to objects:

1.​ A force can move a stationary object:
○​ Example: Imagine a stationary toy car on the floor. When you push it, it starts
moving. The push is the force.
2.​ A force can stop a moving object:
○​ Example: A football is rolling towards you. When you stop it with your foot, you're
applying a force in the opposite direction of its motion.
3.​ A force can change the speed of a moving object:
○​ Example: You're cycling on a flat road. If you pedal harder (apply more force), your
bicycle will go faster. If you apply the brakes (a force), your bicycle will slow down.
 4.​ A force can change the direction of a moving object:
○​ Example: In a game of cricket, a bowler throws the ball towards the batsman. When
the batsman hits the ball with the bat (applying a force), the ball's direction of
motion changes.
5.​ A force can change the shape or size of an object:
○​ Example: When you squeeze a toothpaste tube, its shape changes. When you
stretch a rubber band, its length (size) changes. Both are due to applied forces.

Types of Forces

Forces can be broadly divided into two main categories:

A. Contact Forces

These are forces that come into play only when two objects are in physical contact with each
other.
1.​ Muscular Force:
○​ Explanation: The force exerted by the muscles of living beings (humans or animals).
○​ Example:
■​ Pushing a heavy box: You use your leg and arm muscles to push it.
■​ Lifting a bucket of water: Your arm muscles are working to lift it.
■​ A bullock pulling a cart: The bullock's muscular force moves the cart.
2.​ Frictional Force (or Friction):
○​ Explanation: This is a force that opposes motion between two surfaces that are in
contact and sliding (or trying to slide) past each other.
○​ Example:
■​ Walking on the ground: Friction between your shoes and the ground allows you
to walk without slipping. Without friction, you'd slip like on ice.
■​ Stopping a rolling ball: A ball eventually stops rolling on the ground because of
the friction between the ball and the ground.
■​ Rubbing your hands together: You feel warmth due to friction.

B. Non-Contact Forces
These are forces that act on an object without being in physical contact with it. They act
from a distance.
1.​ Magnetic Force:
○​ Explanation: The force exerted by a magnet on magnetic materials (like iron, nickel,
cobalt) or on other magnets. Magnets can attract or repel each other.
○​ Example:
■​ Magnets on a refrigerator door: A magnet sticks to the metallic surface of the
fridge door without touching it directly, due to magnetic force.
■​ Iron filings near a magnet: When you bring a magnet near iron filings, they
jump and stick to the magnet, even if there's a small gap.
2.​ Electrostatic Force:
○​ Explanation: The force exerted by an electrically charged body on another charged
or uncharged body. Like charges repel, and unlike charges attract.
○​ Example:
■​ Rubbing a plastic comb through dry hair: The comb becomes charged. If you
then bring the comb near tiny pieces of paper, the paper pieces get attracted to
the comb and stick to it, even without direct touch. This is electrostatic force.
3.​ Gravitational Force (or Gravity):
○​ Explanation: The attractive force exerted by the Earth (or any celestial body) on all
objects. It's what pulls everything towards the center of the Earth.
○​ Example:
■​ An apple falling from a tree: The apple falls to the ground due to the Earth's
gravitational force pulling it downwards.
■​ A ball thrown upwards comes down: No matter how high you throw a ball,
gravity will always pull it back down to the Earth.
■​ You staying on the ground: Gravity prevents you from floating away into space!

Net Force

Often, more than one force acts on an object at the same time. The net force is the overall
effect of all the forces acting on an object.
●​ Forces in the same direction: If two forces act in the same direction, the net force is
their sum.
○​ Example: If two friends are pushing a heavy table in the same direction, the total
force on the table is the sum of their individual pushes. The table will move faster.
●​ Forces in opposite directions: If two forces act in opposite directions, the net force is
their difference. The object will move in the direction of the larger force.
 ○​ Example: In a tug-of-war, if one team pulls with 100 units of force and the other with
80 units of force, the net force is 100−80=20 units in the direction of the stronger
team. That team will win!
●​ Zero Net Force (Balanced Forces): If the forces acting on an object are equal and
opposite, they cancel each other out, and the net force is zero. In this case, the object
will either remain at rest or continue moving at a constant speed in a straight line.
○​ Example: A book lying on a table. The force of gravity pulls it down, and the table
pushes it up with an equal and opposite force. The net force is zero, so the book
stays still.

Chapter 2: Pressure

Now that we understand force, let's talk about pressure. Pressure is closely related to force,
but it also considers the area over which the force is applied.

What is Pressure?

Pressure is defined as the force acting perpendicularly (at a right angle) on a unit area of a
surface.

It's calculated using the formula:

Pressure (P)=Area (A)Force (F)​

●​ Units:
○​ The SI unit of force is Newton (N).
○​ The SI unit of area is square meter (m2).
○​ Therefore, the SI unit of pressure is Newton per square meter (N/m2), which is also
called Pascal (Pa).

How Area Affects Pressure

From the formula P=F/A, we can see two very important relationships:
1.​ For a given force, if the area is smaller, the pressure is greater.
 ○​ Example:
■​ A sharp knife vs. a blunt knife: A sharp knife has a very small cutting edge
(area). When you apply a force to it, that force is concentrated over a tiny area,
creating very high pressure, which allows it to cut easily. A blunt knife has a
larger area, so the same force creates less pressure, making it harder to cut.
■​ A nail's pointed tip: The pointed end of a nail has a very small area. When you
hammer it, the force is concentrated, creating enormous pressure that allows the
nail to pierce the wood. The head of the nail is large to reduce the pressure on
your thumb when you hold it.
■​ High heels vs. flat shoes: A person wearing high heels exerts more pressure on
the ground than the same person wearing flat shoes, because the contact area
of the high heel is much smaller. This is why high heels can sometimes damage
soft floors.
2.​ For a given force, if the area is larger, the pressure is smaller.
○​ Example:
■​ School bags with broad straps: The straps of your school bag are made broad.
This is because a broader strap distributes the weight (force) of the bag over a
larger area on your shoulders, reducing the pressure and making it more
comfortable to carry. If the straps were thin, the pressure would be very high and
painful.
■​ Tanks and tractors have wide tracks: Instead of wheels, tanks and tractors
often have wide, continuous tracks. This design spreads the heavy weight (force)
of the vehicle over a very large area, reducing the pressure on the ground and
preventing them from sinking into soft soil.
■​ Snowshoes: People wear snowshoes in snowy areas. Snowshoes have a large
surface area that spreads out the person's weight over a wider area, reducing
the pressure on the snow and preventing them from sinking deeply.

Pressure Exerted by Liquids and Gases

Just like solids, liquids and gases also exert pressure.

A. Pressure Exerted by Liquids

Liquids exert pressure on the walls of their container and on the bottom of the container.
1.​ Pressure increases with depth:
 ○​ Explanation: The deeper you go in a liquid, the more liquid is above you, and
therefore the greater the weight (force) of the liquid pressing down.
○​ Example:
■​ Dams are built wider at the bottom: The walls of dams are made much thicker
and wider at the base than at the top. This is because the water pressure at
greater depths is much higher, and the wider base is needed to withstand this
enormous pressure.
■​ Ear pain while diving deep: When you dive deep into a swimming pool or the
sea, you might feel pain or pressure in your ears. This is due to the increasing
water pressure as you go deeper.
2.​ Liquids exert pressure equally in all directions at the same depth:
○​ Explanation: If you have a hole at a certain depth in a container of liquid, the liquid
will squirt out with the same force, regardless of the direction of the hole (sideways,
downwards, upwards).
○​ Example: If you make multiple holes at the same height (depth) around a water
bottle filled with water, water will squirt out from all holes with the same force and
travel the same distance horizontally.

B. Atmospheric Pressure

We are surrounded by a vast ocean of air called the atmosphere. This air has weight, and
because of its weight, it exerts pressure on everything on Earth. This is called atmospheric
pressure.
●​ Explanation: The air molecules above us are constantly moving and colliding with
surfaces, exerting a force. The weight of the column of air above a unit area is what
causes atmospheric pressure.
●​ Example:
○​ Sucking with a straw: When you suck on a straw, you reduce the air pressure inside
the straw. The higher atmospheric pressure outside then pushes down on the
surface of the liquid, forcing the liquid up the straw into your mouth.
○​ Rubber suction cup: When you press a rubber suction cup onto a smooth surface
(like a tile), you push out most of the air from underneath it. The higher atmospheric
pressure outside then pushes the cup firmly against the surface, making it stick.
○​ Drinking from a syringe (without needle): When you pull the plunger of a syringe,
you create a low-pressure area inside. The atmospheric pressure outside pushes the
liquid into the syringe.
○​ Feeling pressure in ears while flying or driving up a mountain: As you go higher
(in an aeroplane or up a mountain), the amount of air above you decreases, so the
atmospheric pressure decreases. Your ears might pop or feel strange as they try to
 equalize the pressure inside with the lower pressure outside.

Key Differences between Force and Pressure

Feature Force Pressure

Definition A push or pull. Force acting per unit area.

Formula Not a formula in itself; it's a P=F/A

basic quantity.

Depends on Magnitude and direction. Magnitude of force and

area of application.

Unit (SI) Newton (N) Pascal (Pa) or N/m2

Effect Changes motion, shape. Distributes the effect of

force over an area.
By understanding these concepts of Force and Pressure, you can explain so many phenomena
around you, from why nails are pointed to why dams are thick at the base! Keep observing and
asking "why?" and "how?", and you'll become a true scientist!