What is force?


Understanding force is essential to understanding movement. Although kinetics is about explaining cause and effect in movement, understanding force is a key concept of kinetics. (Kirk, et.al, p.9). Force is ‘something that possesses the capability to cause a change in motion or shape of the system (i.e. a “pull” or “push”)’ (McLester, et. al., p.40). Newton’s second law states that, ‘A force applied to a body causes an acceleration of that body of magnitude proportional to the force, in the direction of the force, and inversely proportional to the body’s mass’ (Hall, p.388). The swing back of the tennis racket is therefore important to ensure the force is a lot greater so that when the racket and ball come in contact, the speed of the ball is at its maximum.

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