| Questions | 5 |
| Topics | Efficiency, Inertia, Net Force, Normal Force, Normal Force vs. Weight |
The efficiency of a machine describes how much of the power put into the machine is turned into movement or force. A 100% efficient machine would turn all of the input power into output movement or force. However, no machine is 100% efficient due to friction, heat, wear and other imperfections that consume input power without delivering any output.
The more mass a substance has the more force is required to move it or to change its direction. This resistance to changes in direction is known as inertia.
In mechanics, multiple forces are often acting on a particular object and, taken together, produce the net force acting on that object. Like force, net force is a vector quantity in that it has magnitude and direction.
Normal force (FN) represents the force a surface exerts when an object presses against it.
Normal force arises on a flat horizontal surface in response to an object's weight pressing it down. Consequently, normal force is generally equal to the object's weight.