Question

Lien is pushing a box across a table. She used a force of 100 N to get the box moving. Which force did she overcome to get the box moving?

the downward force of gravity on the box
the upward force of the table on the box
the reaction force on the box
the push force on the box

Answer 1

She overcame the reaction force from the table — i.e., the frictional force (static friction) resisting the box’s motion.

Gravity and the table’s upward normal force act vertically and cancel, and the push force is what she applied, not what she overcame.