Nature of Force

• definition of force
  • push or pull
  • What is it? - Can we see it?
• what is mass?
  • inertia - ability to resist change in velocity
  • difference between mass and weight - balance , spring scale
  • basic unit of mass - kg (notice it is not a gram)
• fundamental forces
  • What types of force are there?
    • http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/forces/funfor.html - detailed discussion, basically you need to know the 4 types and their relative strength. (at the beginning of the article) They don't do a good job of mentioning magnetic force from a high school level.
    • electromagnetic - distinguish between electric and magnetic forces
      • unification of these forces
      • perhaps a "Theory of Everything" - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/everything.html - One of the most succinct and clear explanation to get the idea of some of the latest physics theories which are still in controversial and being developed. Good for an advanced read at a high school level.
  • relative strength of these forces
  • What about contact forces?
    • applied, normal, friction, tension, compression, aerodynamic, hydrodynamic etc.
• Unit of Force
  • Named after Newton, symbol F units (N)
  • relationship to fundamental units