Imagine a scenario in which an animal's force is pushing itself forward 5 N, friction is pushing it 4 N backward, gravity is pushing the animal 10 N down, and the animal is pushing itself 10 N up. Describe the movement of the animal.(1 point)

Responses

It only moves forward because there is a net force forward.
It only moves forward because there is a net force forward.

It moves 29 N forward because that's the net force.
It moves 29 N forward because that's the net force.

It moves 10 N down and 10 N up as those are the greatest forces acting on the animal.
It moves 10 N down and 10 N up as those are the greatest forces acting on the animal.

It moves forward and upward because those are the greatest net forces.

1 answer

To analyze the movement of the animal, we need to calculate the net forces acting in both the forward-backward direction and the up-down direction.

  1. Forward-Backward Forces:

    • Forward force = 5 N
    • Backward (friction) force = 4 N
    • Net forward force = 5 N - 4 N = 1 N forward
  2. Up-Down Forces:

    • Upward force = 10 N
    • Downward force (gravity) = 10 N
    • Net vertical force = 10 N - 10 N = 0 N (the forces are balanced)

Given these calculations, we can conclude:

  • The net force in the forward direction is 1 N forward, which indicates the animal will move forward.
  • There is no net movement in the vertical direction since the upward and downward forces cancel each other out.

Therefore, the correct response is:

It only moves forward because there is a net force forward.