Did You Apply Force to a Stationary Wall?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the application of force to a stationary wall and the implications of Newton's second law, F=ma. When pushing against a wall that does not accelerate, the applied force is countered by the wall's weight and its connection to the building, resulting in a net force of zero. In scenarios where the wall is separate and on a frictional plane, overcoming static friction allows for acceleration. The concepts of normal force, pressure, and static friction coefficient (us) are critical in understanding the dynamics involved.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Newton's second law (F=ma)
  • Knowledge of static friction and its coefficient (us)
  • Familiarity with free-body diagrams
  • Basic concepts of normal force and pressure
NEXT STEPS
  • Research static friction coefficients for various materials
  • Study free-body diagram techniques in physics
  • Learn about normal force calculations in different scenarios
  • Explore the effects of air resistance on moving objects
USEFUL FOR

Students of physics, mechanical engineers, and anyone interested in understanding the principles of force application and motion dynamics.

goosedennis
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If you were to push a wall and it were to not accelerate, would this mean you did not apply force to the wall according to the equation F=ma?
 
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The equation relates a NET force to the product of mass and acceleration. So even if you're pushing a wall, the applied force will probably will not be enough to move it since the wall is attached to the building and has its own weight. The force of the wall's weight and its connection with the building would be enough to counteract the force you applied on the wall. Now if you try to deform the wall, I think you would be just dealing with normal force and pressure( maybe surface tension?). I'm not an mech. engineer so I'm not familiar with the concepts.

To make the problem simpler, if the wall was separate from the building and on a plane with friction, then it's a simple free-body diagram problem. Assuming you're pushing from the left, then you would just have friction force acting in the opposite direction, to the right. If you overcome the friction by pushing with more force to the left than friction to the right, then you can easily accelerate the wall. I didn't include air resistance in the situation but I'm not sure about the equation for that.
The friction force would be
N=mass of wall*g
Ff=us*N, us =static friction coefficient, usually between 1 and 0.
 
Last edited:
As artikk said, you are applying a force to the wall. The net force on the wall is zero however. You aren't doing any work though. Not on the wall itself.
 

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