Two people push a box from opposite directions; the box does not move. Which statement best explains this result?

Question

a. The box pushes back on the people
b. The forces have different magnitudes.
c. Balanced forces do not cause motion
d. Push forces do not cause motion

Answer 1

The best statement that explains why the box does not move is:

c. Balanced forces do not cause motion.

This is because when two equal forces are applied in opposite directions, they cancel each other out, resulting in a net force of zero, which means there is no movement of the box.