Contact and Non-Contact Force

What is the difference between contact and non-contact force?

Let's look at how contact and non-contact forces differ in their fundamental nature: A contact force is a force that acts between two bodies in contact. For example, the contact force is created when you push a table against the wall or when you pull anything upwards since there is direct touch between you and the object you are pulling.
Between bodies that are not in direct contact, a non-contact force acts. An apple, for example, fell on Newton due to the unseen force of gravity.

Contact Force Definition

A force that only functions when two bodies come into physical touch.
Newton's second law of motion was discussed. It claims that applying force to a body of mass ‘m' causes it to accelerate.
If the mass of the body is ‘m,' and the acceleration it achieves after being subjected to force is ‘a,' then the force equation is:
F = ma
However, when we add force to the body, it develops momentum, resulting in a rate of change in momentum equal to the force applied. This equation F = Δp/Δt.

Contact Forces: What Are They and How Do They Work?

The following is a list of the types of contact forces:

Air resistance Surface tension
Friction
Buoyancy force or upthrust
Force of drag
The force that has been applied
Forces of nature
Muscle power

Examples of Contact Force

Toss a football into the air, and it flies to the ground. Two sorts of forces can be shown in this illustration. The ball first makes a vertical motion as a result of our kick's contact force, then executes a projectile motion, and then, as a result of air resistance or simple friction, the ball slows down and eventually comes to rest, i.e. on the ground.
Extend a spring from its resting position, and it will begin to oscillate from its mean position. The spring, however, returns to its original position after a period of time due to the effect of restoring force.

Let's look at some contact force scenarios where you can see the difference.

Non-Contact Forces: What Are They and How Do They Work?

Non-contact forces are listed below:

The force of gravity
(electric force Plus magnetic force) Electromagnetic force
Nuclear weapons are powerful weapons.

The force that does not make contact

Electricity is generated in your home by an invisible force acting on electrons running through the cables of your gadgets. Do you know how it happens? The flow of electrons in a wire is caused by the electric force, which causes millions of them to move randomly.
You may be familiar with Coulomb's law. Coulomb's law describes the mutual electric force between two charges of equal magnitude but opposite polarity.

CONTACT FORCES	NON-CONTACT FORCES
Only when there is a physical effort (push or pull) on an object can the forces act.	These forces are invisible by nature and can act without requiring any physical effort.
Vector fields can be used to depict contact forces.	Non-contact forces cannot be represented using vector fields.
The contact force is not linked with any field	The non-contact force is related to a field.
Because of the friction between two palms, friction between two bodies in touch, such as rubbing palms, produces heat.	Because of the effect of gravity, a ball in the sky will eventually fall to the ground.
When the bus abruptly stops, a dozing man awakens.	When two North poles of two magnets are brought together, they repel each other. When you change the direction of one of the magnets, you'll notice that they attract each other.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does inertia prevent motion change?
We all know that every object develops a unique property called inertia. So, if you roll a ball in a vacuum (a place where there is no external force or gravity), it will keep rolling. If the medium is changed to air, an external force, such as air resistance and gravity, will bring the ball to the ground.

Give a non-contact force example.
Let's say you comb your damp hair and then place pieces of paper near it. Because the comb picked upcharge from the wet hairs, the paper will be drawn to it.

Is raindrops falling a good example of contact force?
No, raindrops falling on earth is an example of non-contact force.