The force applied by the muscles of a living being to get work done is known as a muscular force. Muscular force can be experienced through push, pull, torsion, tension, compression, etc. A muscular force can be a contact force or a non-contact force depending on whether the muscles of the body part and the object on which the force is to be exerted are in direct contact with each other or not. In other words, a muscular force is a result of the action of the muscles of a living being.
Examples of Muscular Force
1. Swallowing/Chewing
The process of swallowing and chewing food requires a number of muscles to work together. A set of muscles are required to open and close the jaws repeatedly till the food breaks down into pieces that are small enough to be swallowed. To swallow this properly chewed food called a bolus, a number of muscles like the sternohyoid and sternothyroid are required. Since the muscles are required to get the work done, the muscular force can be seen in action.
2. Ploughing Field
Ploughing is a primitive activity in agriculture that is practised before planting almost every crop. It helps to loosen the soil by turning it upside down. It also helps in uprooting the unwanted plants known as weeds. Ploughing is a difficult task that is hard for a person to cover alone, which is why bulls and other animals are employed for it. The muscles of the animals generate sufficient energy to drive the plough. Hence, ploughing is the perfect example of muscular force that helps to complete the task of weeding and soil softening in a field.
3. Typing
A number of our daily life tasks such as sending emails, messaging, searching keywords, etc., depend on typing on a keyboard or a touchpad. Typing makes use of exerting mechanical pressure on the keys of an input device. The device then translates the mechanical pressure into an electronic signal. After processing, this electronic signal gets displayed on the screen. The mechanical pressure is exerted on the input device with the help of a muscular force.
4. Squeezing
Squeezing a stress ball, a lemon, a toothpaste tube, etc. by hand requires the hand muscles to contract and expand as per need. The mechanical pressure exerted on the objects tends to deform them temporarily or permanently depending upon the nature of the object. In the absence of the muscular force provided by the muscles of the body parts, the object will maintain its state of equilibrium.
5. Lifting
To lift an object and to hold it in place necessarily requires a number of muscles that act on the object and get the work done. The muscles may or may not be in direct contact with the object. In the case of indirect muscular force, the force gets transmitted to the object secondarily. Thus, a weight lifter at a gym makes use of muscular force to lift dumbbells and other heavy gym equipment.
6. Cutting Vegetables/Fruits
Cutting vegetables or fruits with the help of a knife makes use of muscular force. A force is required to firmly grip the knife. Likewise, a force is needed to penetrate the knife into the fruit or the vegetable. The knife cuts an object into two pieces with the help of the muscular force supplied by a human body.
7. Throwing
Throwing objects for example a frisbee, a fishing net, a stick, a ball, a boomerang, a shot put, etc., involve a lot of muscles of a human body to coordinate and act together. If the muscles do not work together effectively, the throw might not be good enough. Hence, because of the involvement of muscles, the force in action is known as muscular force.
8. Playing
All physical activities including swimming, running, skipping, walking, jumping, etc., make use of muscular force in action. The prime reason why athletes and other players follow a muscle-building and repairment diet routine is to keep muscles healthy for better performance.
9. Pushing
Push is a common act that we perform in our daily life, and it’s mostly possible because of the muscular force. We push a shopping trolley, a drawer, a door, etc., with the help of our hands. The hand consists of a number of muscles and tissues. To push an object all of these muscles align together and perform the task. Hence, muscular force while pushing an object can be observed easily.
10. Pulling
A pull force is a force that helps to move the object towards the person who applies the force. It is very commonly observed while flying a kite, dragging a curtain, opening a drawer, etc. Pulling makes use of muscles to get a job done; therefore, it is a prominent example of muscular force.