First, what is a "real" force. Real forces are interactions between two objects. Some examples are friction, gravity and the normal force (the force between two surfaces pushing on each other).

We call this force of a surface pushing on an object the "normal force" since it's perpendicular to the surface (normal means perpendicular).

Weight and mass are very different. Find out more with BBC Bitesize. For students between the ages of 11 and 14.