in which situation are unbalanced forces acting on a object

1 answer

Unbalanced forces act on an object when the net force acting on it is not zero. This often occurs in the following situations:

  1. Objects in Motion with Acceleration: When a car accelerates from a stoplight, the engine generates a greater force than friction and air resistance, resulting in unbalanced forces that cause the car to speed up.

  2. Objects at Rest About to Move: If a person pushes a heavy box, applying sufficient force to overcome the static friction, unbalanced forces will cause the box to start moving.

  3. Objects Changing Direction: When a vehicle takes a turn, the centripetal force acting towards the center of the turn is unbalanced relative to the vehicle's inertia, allowing it to change direction.

  4. Falling Objects: An object falling towards the ground is acted upon by the force of gravity. If air resistance is negligible, the gravitational force is unbalanced and causes the object to accelerate downward.

  5. Collision Scenarios: During a collision, such as a car crash, the forces acting on colliding objects are unbalanced, leading to a change in their motion and direction.

Overall, whenever the forces acting on an object do not cancel each other out, resulting in a net force, the object experiences unbalanced forces and therefore changes its state of motion.