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Understanding Unbalanced Forces
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Understanding Unbalanced Forces
Read the short scenarios carefully. For each force calculation, treat right as positive and left as negative. Force is measured in newtons (N).
Forces at the skate park
A skateboarder pushes off, rolls along a level path, then slows as friction acts. The situations below help you investigate how forces change motion.
1.A trolley is pushed by a force of 12 N to the right, while friction acts with a force of 5 N to the left. What is the resultant force, including its direction?
2.A trolley is initially at rest. It is pushed with a force of 12 N to the right, while friction acts with a force of 5 N to the left. Which statement best describes what happens next?
- It stays still because the forces cancel.
- It starts moving and accelerates to the right.
- It accelerates to the left.
- It moves at a constant speed to the right.
3.A stationary equipment box has a downward weight of 40 N and an upward support force of 40 N. Are the forces balanced or unbalanced? State the resultant force.
4.A net force is also called a resultant force. Which change in an object's motion can an unbalanced resultant force cause?
- It can make the object speed up, slow down or change direction.
- It always makes the object move faster.
- It always makes the object stop immediately.
- It changes the object's mass.
5.A skateboarder rolls to the right and gradually slows down on a level path. Which way does the friction force act, and what happens to the skateboarder's motion?
6.True or false: If the resultant force on an object is zero, the object must be at rest.
TrueFalse
7.A student pulls a crate 18 N to the right. Friction pushes 18 N to the left. Calculate the resultant force and say whether the forces are balanced.
8.Two students push a trolley to the right with a total force of 26 N. Friction acts to the left with a force of 9 N. Calculate the resultant force and give its direction.
9.A moving netball is travelling towards the right. A player hits it so that it travels back towards the left. Explain how the hit changes the ball's motion using the idea of an unbalanced force.
10.A car brakes suddenly. A passenger tends to keep moving forwards as the car slows. Explain how a seatbelt helps, using Newton's First Law and the idea of forces.
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