Exploring Forces | Class 8 Science Notes
By ConceptScroll Team · Published on 17 July 2026 · 3 min read
Exploring Forces – this guide gives you a concise, exam-ready overview of Exploring Forces from Class 8 Science, written by ConceptScroll editors and reviewed against the latest NCERT textbook.
What Are the Different Types of Forces?
This section introduces the classification of forces into contact and non-contact forces. Contact forces require physical contact between objects, such as muscular force and friction, while non-contact forces act at a distance, such as magnetic, electrostatic, and gravitational forces. Muscular force is explained as the force generated by muscle contraction and elongation during activities like walking, running, lifting, and pushing. The section highlights how animals and humans use muscular force for movement and tasks. Friction is introduced as a force that opposes motion between two surfaces in contact, arising due to surface irregularities. Through activities, students observe how friction causes moving objects to slow down and stop, and how it varies with surface roughness. The section also discusses friction in fluids (air and water) and its effect on moving objects like airplanes and boats. This classification helps students understand the diverse nature of forces and their roles in everyday phenomena.
📊 Diagram: Figures show animals using muscular force, humans using animals for tasks, and a ball rolling on a surface stopping due to friction. Diagrams also illustrate surface irregularities causing friction.
🧪 Activity: Activity 5.3: Pushing an object on a table to observe friction stopping it. Activity 5.4: Pushing the object on different surfaces to see variation in friction.
🔗 Connection: Leads to detailed study of non-contact forces like magnetic, electrostatic, and gravitational forces in subsequent sections.
Frequently asked questions
Match items in Column A with the items in Column B. Column A (Type of force) | Column B (Example) (i) Muscular force | (a) A cricket ball stopping on its own just before touching the boundary line (ii) Magnetic force | (b) A child lifting a school bag (iii) Frictional force | (c) A fruit falling from a tree (iv) Gravitational force | (d) Balloon rubbed on woolen cloth attracting hair strands (v) Electrostatic force | (e) A compass needle pointing North
The correct matching is: (i) Muscular force - (b) A child lifting a school bag (ii) Magnetic force - (e) A compass needle pointing North (iii) Frictional force - (a) A cricket ball stopping on its own just before touching the boundary line (iv) Gravitational force - (c) A fruit falling from a tree (v) Electrostatic force - (d) Balloon rubbed on woolen cloth attracting hair strands
State whether the following statements are True or False. (i) A force is always required to change the speed of motion of an object. (ii) Due to friction, the speed of the ball rolling on a flat ground increases. (iii) There is no force between two charged objects placed at a small distance apart.
(i) True A force is required to change the speed (accelerate or decelerate) of an object.
(ii) False Friction opposes motion and thus decreases the speed of a rolling ball.
(iii) False There is an electrostatic force between two charged objects even if they are close to each other.
Two balloons rubbed with a woollen cloth are brought near each other. What would happen and why?
When two balloons rubbed with woollen cloth are brought near each other, they repel each other. This happens because rubbing transfers electrons to the balloons, giving them the same type of charge (usually negative). Like charges repel, so the balloons push away from each other.
When you drop a coin in a glass of water, it sinks, but when you place a bigger wooden block in water, it floats. Explain.
A coin sinks because its density is greater than that of water, so the buoyant force is not enough to keep it afloat. A wooden block floats because it is less dense than water, and the upthrust (buoyant force) balances its weight, allowing it to float.
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