Carla demonstrates Newton’s First Law of Motion by slowly pushing a book across a table. The book moves at a constant rate of speed so long as she is pushing it. Which of the following is NOT true?(1 point)

Question

Responses

There is an unbalanced force on the book, acting in the direction of motion.
There is an unbalanced force on the book, acting in the direction of motion.

The upward force exerted by the table balances the book’s weight.
The upward force exerted by the table balances the book’s weight.

Her push balances the force of friction.
Her push balances the force of friction.

The forces acting on the book are all balanced.

Answer 1

The statement that is NOT true is:

The forces acting on the book are all balanced.

In this scenario, since Carla is pushing the book and it is moving at a constant speed, the net force acting on the book is zero, which suggests that the forces are balanced in terms of horizontal motion. However, because Carla is applying a push that is causing the book to move, there must be an unbalanced force (specifically, the push) acting on it in that direction until it reaches a constant speed. Once it reaches that speed, the push and the friction are balanced, but at the initial moment of pushing, the forces are not all balanced.