Question

Explain the difference between a contact force and force at a distance with examples
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Answer 1

contact force act between bodies in contact. where as distance force act between bodies separated by distance. Every object on earth even part of earth which is not contact exerts a force which is mostly distance force. ... Ex for force acting at a distance= magnetic, gravitational force.04-Apr-2016

Answer 2

When you try to differentiate, you hit the problem that there are no contact forces. What we call a contact force is electrons from atoms in two different bodies repelling. They do so at a distance albeit a rather small distance. Electrons themselves do not have a definite location so the idea of touching an electron is problematic.

Answer to the question- there is only force at a distance - when the distance is small you may want to call it a contact force but that does not change what it really is.

A contact force is exactly what it sounds like: a force applied to a body by another body that is in direct contact with it. For example, when you lift a box off the floor, you are applying a contact force to the box. Or imagine a train. The locomotive pulls the car directly behind it — a contact force — which in turn pulls the car behind it — another contact force — and so on to the end of the train.

Contrast a contact force with a non-contact force like gravity or magnetism that acts on an object without directly touching it.