Identifying forces (normal force, weight, gravity)

In summary, when an object is resting on a surface, there are two forces exerted on it: the normal force from the ground and the weight of the object. These forces are equal and opposite, but they are not Newton's third law pairs. The repulsion by the ground is the same as the force of the ground, but it is not a clear representation in a free body diagram. The Newton's third law pairs for the normal force are the contact repulsion force from the object on the ground and the gravitational force that the object exerts on the Earth.
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KingAlexander211B
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When an object is resting on a surface such as the floor, there are exerted on it two forces: The normal force - force of the ground - and the weight (the force of gravity, the Earth pushing the object down), the forces drawn on the left.

What are the forces on the right? Are they the same as the ones on the left or are they something else?

Isn't the repulsion by the ground the same as the force of the ground?
 

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You are mixing up two concepts, the free body diagram and the force pairs from Newton’s third law.

The free body diagram has to do with what forces act on a body of your choice. If you draw a FBD you should only draw the forces that act on the object. If you here take the ”object”, the forces in the FBD would be gravity and the normal force. If the object is at rest they are going to be equal and opposite - but they are not a Newton 3 pair.

The N3 pair of the normal force is the contact repulsion force from the object on the ground and the N3 pair of the gravitational force on the object is the gravitational force that the object excerts on the Earth.
 
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KingAlexander211B said:
View attachment 239644
Isn't the repulsion by the ground the same as the force of the ground?
Yes. Not a very good diagram. Redundant and not clear on which object the forces act.
 

1. What is the normal force?

The normal force is the force exerted by a surface on an object that is in contact with it. It is always perpendicular to the surface and acts in the opposite direction of the force applied by the object.

2. How is weight different from mass?

Weight is a measure of the force of gravity on an object, while mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object. Weight can change depending on the strength of the gravitational field, but mass remains constant.

3. What is the formula for calculating weight?

The formula for calculating weight is W = m x g, where W is weight, m is mass, and g is the acceleration due to gravity.

4. How does gravity affect objects of different masses?

Gravity affects all objects equally, regardless of their mass. However, objects with a larger mass will have a greater gravitational force acting on them compared to objects with a smaller mass.

5. How do you identify the direction of the normal force?

The normal force always acts in a direction perpendicular to the surface that an object is in contact with. To identify its direction, you can draw a perpendicular line from the surface and the normal force will act in the opposite direction of that line.

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