A force is anything that can cause a change to objects. Forces can:

• change the shape of an object

• move or stop an object

• change the direction of a moving object.

A force can be classified as either a contact force or a non-contact force.

A contact force must touch or be in contact with an object to cause a change. 

Examples of contact forces are:

• the force that is used to push or pull things, like on a door to open or close it

• the force that a sculptor uses to turn clay into a pot

• the force of the wind to turn a windmill

A non-contact force does not have to touch an object to cause a change. 

Examples of non-contact forces are:

• the force due to gravity, like the Earth pulling the Moon towards itself

• the force due to electricity, like a proton and an electron attracting each other

• the force due to magnetism, like a magnet pulling a paper clip towards itself

The unit of force is the Newton (symbol N). This unit is named after Sir Isaac Newton who first defined force. Force is a vector quantity and has a magnitude and a direction.