Balanced & Unbalanced Forces Flashcards

All 6 cards in this deck

What does it mean to say the forces on an object are balanced?

The resultant force on the object is zero.

What is the resultant force on a child standing still on the ground?

Zero — the upward forces are equal to the downward forces.

True or false? If the resultant force on an object is zero, the object must be stationary.

False. It could also be moving at a constant speed in a straight line (constant velocity).

What term describes an object on which all the forces are balanced?

The object is in equilibrium.

What happens to the motion of an object when the forces on it are unbalanced?

There is a resultant force, so its velocity changes (it speeds up, slows down or changes direction) in the direction of the resultant force.

True or false? If the resistive force on a moving object decreases while the driving force stays the same, the resultant force increases.

True. The forces become more unbalanced, so the object speeds up.