= Normal force
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= Normal reaction
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A normal force is a contact <force> perpendicular to the constraining surface. It supplies support without being identical to <gravitational weight>: its magnitude depends on the other <forces> and the body's <acceleration>. For a body at rest on a horizontal scale with no other vertical forces, it equals $mg$. A freely falling body has no supporting normal force, despite its nonzero <gravitational weight>; this distinction defines the scale's <apparent weight>.
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