Non Contact Force (original) (raw)
Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2025
Non-contact force is a type of force that acts between two bodies without there being any actual contact between them. A **force is a push or pull upon a body of any mass resulting from the body’s interaction with another body. Whenever there is an interaction between two bodies, there is a force upon each of the bodies. Forces only exist as a result of an interaction. A force due to an action-generated motion in an object. There are two types of Force, Contact and non-contact force.
In this article, we will discuss what is non-contact force, the meaning of non-contact force, examples of non-contact force, and the difference between contact and non-contact force.
Table of Content
- What are Non Contact Forces?
- Types of Non-Contact Forces
- Contact and Non-Contact Force
- Difference between Contact and Non-Contact Force
Non Contact forces are the forces that acts on the object, without any physical interaction with it, For example, when a ball is thrown upward came back to the thrower due to gravity due to its weight. Let's learn
Non-Contact Force Meaning
A non-contact force is a force that acts on an object without making contact with it. One of the familiar non-contact force is gravity, which confers weight. In contrast, a contact force is a force applied to a body by another body that is in contact with it or in other words, Forces that arise without the contact of 2 or more objects involved.
There are a lesser number of non-contact forces in comparison to contact forces. Some examples of non-contact forces are gravitational force, electrostatic force, Magnetic force, and Nuclear forces.
Non contact force
Some more examples of non contact force are:
- Electrostatic Repulsion
- Van der Waals Forces
- Radiation Pressure
- Atmospheric Pressure
Non Contact Forces are classified into following types
- Gravitational Force
- Electrostatic Force
- Magnetic Force
- Electromagnetic Force
- Nuclear Force
Gravitational Force
**Gravitational Force between two bodies is due to the mass of the two bodies. Newton’s law of gravity says that “gravitational forces between two bodies are directly equal to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.” Large things, such as planets and stars, exert this force.
Electrostatic Force
Electrostatic Forces are the types of forces that all electrically charged bodies in the cosmos exert on other electrically charged substances. Based on the charge of the bodies, these forces can be both attractive and repulsive in nature.
Magnetic Force
Magnetic Forces are the sorts of forces exerted by a magnet on magnetic objects. They exist in the absence of any physical interaction between two things.
Electromagnetic Force
Charges when they are at rest exert a force at each other known as the Electric force of attraction/repulsion. Like charges repel each other while unlike charges attract each other. When charges start to move and become dynamic, they develop magnetic field lines around and have magnetic force, these two forces combined are known as Electromagnetic forces present in nature.
Nuclear Force
Nuclear Forces exist inside the nucleus, i.e., the nuclear force exists between protons and neutrons and holds them together inside the nucleus. Nuclear force exists between neutrons and neutrons, neutrons and protons, and protons and protons.
**Contact and Non-Contact Forcesare two basic types of forces based on the physical contact between two bodies. Contact Forces act due to the physical conatct between two bodies however the non-contact force act even when there is no conatct between them. We will look Examples of Conatct and Non-Contact Force and the differences between them.
Examples of Contact Force
Here are the real-life examples of Contact Force, we came across in our daily life:
- A Heavy Box lying on the surface when pushed in a particular direction, then a force is created due to the interaction or contact of the box and the surface. This contact force is known as the frictional force.
- When an object (say your school bag) is kept on the table, which remains at rest. The bag is in contact with the table on which applies some force on it due to its weight and gravity. Such contact force is called Applied Force.
Examples of Non-Contact Forces
Let’s now understand more about the Non-Contact Forces, through the following examples:
- When a comb is rubbed on Hairs, it gains some static charging, so attracts paper pieces. This is due to a non-contact force called Electrostatic Force.
- A parachutist falling freely in the air, experiences an attraction or pull toward the center of the earth due to the Non-contact force known as Gravitational Force.
Gravitational Force
The difference between Contact and Non-Contact Force is tabulated below:
| Contact Force | Non contact Force |
|---|---|
| As its name suggests, these forces came into play when there is physical contact or interaction between the two objects. | However, these forces came into play when there is no physical contact or interaction between the two objects. |
| Vector fields are used to determine the contact forces. | While non-contact forces cannot be represented using vectors |
| Contact Forces can be or cannot be natural forces. | Non-Contact Forces are natural forces. |
| Some important types of Contact Forces are Frictional Force, Spring Force, Muscular Force, Applied Forces, Normal Forces, etc. | Types of non-contact forces are Gravitational Force, Electrostatic Force, Magnetic Force, and Nuclear force. |
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