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