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?
A. The person applies too much force to the refrigerator, and now the forces on the refrigerator are unbalanced.
B. The person does not apply enough force to the refrigerator, so the forces are still balanced.
C. The person does not apply enough force to the refrigerator, so the forces are unbalanced.
D. The person applies too much force to the refrigerator, and now the forces on the refrigerator are balanced.

Answer 1

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

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

In this situation, the force applied by the person is not enough to overcome the static friction between the refrigerator and the floor. As a result, the forces remain balanced, and the refrigerator does not move.