How did the inhabitants of the Four Corners area use tools to help them make everyday tasks easier 1000 years ago? Utah State Science Core Curriculum Topic : Strand 3.3: FORCE AFFECTS MOTION. Forces act on objects and have both a strength and a direction. The patterns of an object’s motion in various situations can be observed, measured, and used to predict future motion. Forces are exerted when objects come in contact with each other, however some forces can act on objects that are not in contact. The gravitational force of Earth, acting on an object near Earth’s surface pulls that object tow