The term “applied force” refers to a contact force between a person and an object. It is difficult to calculate and often found in conjunction with other forces. The equation of the applied force depends on the situation, but can be calculated using F=MxA. Opposing forces such as friction, gravity, or air resistance must be included in the calculation.
The scientific term “force” refers to an interaction between two or more objects. In theory, the phrase “applied force” could be used for any force, but it is usually used when talking about a contact force between a person and an object. In the case of a book being picked up, for example, the force applied would be the force that provides upward acceleration by the person.
There are two broad categories of forces: those that act at a distance and those that act due to contact between two objects. Since the nature of an applied force specifies that it is caused by a person, in most cases it is a contact force. There are exceptions to this, however, such as the gravitational interaction between a human and an object, although this is almost always negligible.
Applied forces are often difficult to calculate because they are usually found in conjunction with other forces. The only exception to this would be if the force occurs in a vacuum with no bodies exerting a gravitational force. Applied force physics usually focuses on finding the total resultant force acting on an object rather than separating the components of the force. This is useful because the subsequent motion of an object depends only on the direction and strength of the resultant force.
When calculating the future motion of an object, applied forces are neither the only nor the most important consideration. All forces are measured in Newtons and the overall motion does not depend on the source of the force, only on the direction and force. For this reason there is no universal applied force formula. When calculating an applied force, the equation of the applied force will depend on the situation. However, if other variables, such as mass and acceleration, are provided, the applied force can be calculated using the standard equation F=MxA — M refers to the mass of the accelerating object and A is the acceleration.
In many cases, there will be an opposing force acting against the force applied by a person. Friction, for example, is commonly found to act in the opposite direction. If you perform a resultant force calculation using an applied force, friction must be included in the calculation. In other situations, gravity or air resistance may oppose the applied forces. This is why whenever a force is performed by a human, an amount of work equal to the energy gained is done on the object.
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