Enter the mass, initial velocity, final velocity, and time into the calculator to determine the average resistive force.

Average Resistive Force Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Average Resistive Force.

ARF = m*(Vi-Vf)/t
  • Where ARF is the average resistive force (N)
  • m is the mass of the object (kg)
  • Vi is the initial velocity (m/s)
  • Vf is the final velocity (m/s)
  • t is the total time (s)

What is an Average Resistive Force?

Definition:

An average resistive force is the total force that has acted on an object over a given period of time which is caused the object to reduce its velocity.

How to Calculate Average Resistive Force?

Example Problem:

The following example outlines the steps and information needed to calculate Average Resistive Force.

First, determine the mass of the object. In this example, the mass of the object is found to be 4kg.

Next, determine the initial velocity. For this problem, the initial velocity is found to be 10m/s.

Next, determine the final velocity. In this case, the final velocity is measured to be 5m/s.

Next, determine the time. In this example, the time is 10s.

Finally, calculate the Average Resistive Force using the formula above:

ARF = m*(Vi-Vf)/t

ARF = 4*(10-5)/10

ARF = 2N