A person tries to push a refrigerator across the kitchen. She applies as much force as possible, but she cannot make the refrigerator move.

Question

Which statement BEST describes by the refrigerator does not move?

(1 point)
Responses

The person applies too much force to the refrigerator, and now the forces on the refrigerator are balanced.
The person applies too much force to the refrigerator, and now the forces on the refrigerator are balanced.

The person does not apply enough force to the refrigerator, so the forces are unbalanced.
The person does not apply enough force to the refrigerator, so the forces are unbalanced.

The person does not apply enough force to the refrigerator, so the forces are still balanced.
The person does not apply enough force to the refrigerator, so the forces are still balanced.

The person applies too much force to the refrigerator, and now the forces on the refrigerator are unbalanced.

Answer 1

The statement that BEST describes why the refrigerator does not move is:

The person does not apply enough force to the refrigerator, so the forces are still balanced.

In this situation, if the refrigerator does not move despite the person applying as much force as possible, it indicates that the force applied is not sufficient to overcome the static frictional force acting against the refrigerator. As a result, the forces remain balanced, and the refrigerator stays in place.