Balanced and Unbalanced Forces

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Your Answers:
Watch It!
An example from the video of a balanced
1. force is the horse, the force of gravity
(weight) acts on the horse which causes it to
be pulled towards the center of the Earth.
However, there is an opposite force called Go to this link and watch the video:
the reaction force. Because they are equal in
magnitude, it is a balanced force.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyJSlcIbd-s
“Balanced & Unbalanced Forces|Forces & Motion|Physics|Fuse School”
2. An example from the video of an
unbalanced force is the horse that runs
forward with a greater driving force. Since The URL is case-sensitive.
the driving force is greater than the air
resistance and friction, this is an unbalanced
force. The net force is not zero. Then answer these questions:

1. What is one example from the video of a balanced force? Be

Something new I learnt about balanced
forces are that they either remain in
specific.
3. constant velocity or they are stationary.
2. What is one example from the video of an unbalanced force?
Something new I learnt about unbalanced
forces are that the object can accelerate or Be specific.
decelerate depending on which force is
acting and in which direction. 3. Summarize the video in 3-5 sentences.

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Read Part 1. Jot down notes
and drawings that will help INPUT Read It!
you remember the meanings STATION
of these words. You can use
Balanced and Unbalanced Forces – Part 1
the sketch/scribble button on
the toolbar.
You go bowling and you send a ball There are two forces acting on the
down the lane. It goes and goes on and book. One force is the Earth's
force on until it hits the pins and comes to a gravitational pull. Gravity is a pull that
- Push or a pull stop. What would have happened if the exerts a downward force. The other
- Changes direction, pins weren’t there at the end of the force is the push of the table on the
magnitude and state lane? book which pushes up on the book.
of object
Newton’s first law says an object at These two forces are of equal
rest stays at rest and an object in magnitude and act in opposite
motion stays in motion with the same directions, so they balance each other.
speed and in the same direction unless The book is said to be at equilibrium or
acted upon by an unbalanced force. balanced because it is not moving.

A force is a push or a pull that causes

an object to stop, move or change
direction. Think about a textbook on
the table.

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Read Part 2. Jot down notes
and drawings that will help INPUT Read It!
you remember the meanings STATION
of these words. You can use
Balanced and Unbalanced Forces – Part 2
the sketch/scribble button on
the toolbar.
A balanced force is when there are A resting position is when an object
two forces equal in size and acting in remains in the same spot relative to
balanced force opposite directions on an object. The another object. The direction of an
- Equal in size
- Resultant force is 0 object does not move, or the object object is the straight path an object can
- Constant velocity/stationary continues to move at a constant (same move along. Speed of an object is the
– not speeding up or slowing down) rate of change of position (or the
unbalanced force
speed in the same direction. An example distance traveled) in a period of time.
- Not equal in size
- Forces in opposite direction would be driving a car at a constant
- Change in speed, motion, speed of 40 miles per hour in the same
position, direction
direction.
direction
- Straight path that the An unbalanced force occurs when
object follows there are two forces that are not equal
in size and act in opposite directions.
Unbalanced forces cause a change in
speed
motion in position, direction or speed.
- Rate of change per unit An example of an unbalanced force
of time (usually seconds) would be a soccer ball moving after you
kicked it.

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Your Answers:
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STATION
1. A trophy on a shelf in a trophy
case
Balanced and Unbalanced Forces –
Questions
2. False 1. Which could be an example of a 3. Which could be an example of an
balanced force? unbalanced force?
A. A trophy on a shelf in a trophy A. A plate sitting on a dining room
case table
A baseball that has been thrown
3. to home plate B. A car accelerating from a stop B. A ball at the top of a hill that is
sign not moving
C. A box of dishes falling from a C. A car parked on the side of the
counter road
D. A rocket taking off D. A baseball that has been thrown
to home plate

2. A balanced force only occurs on an

object that is not moving.
A. True
B. False

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 Explore It! Part 1
What do you think it means for forces to be balanced?
Drag and drop ALL the weights from the left side onto the
see-saw until there is an equal amount of force on either
side.

5 5 10 1

5 1 1 2 5 1 1 1

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Your Answers:
Explore It! Part 2
1. The object I can move by
myself is my notebook. It Look around the room. There are balanced and unbalanced
is an example of forces all around you!
unbalanced force
because I am applying
force to change its Find an object nearby that you are capable of moving by yourself.
position.
1. Explain how this is an example of unbalanced forces.

2. The object I cannot Find an object nearby that is NOT able to move by yourself.
move myself is a large
cupboard. This is an
example of a balanced 2. Explain how this is an example of balanced forces.
force as the net force is 0
and there is no change
occurring.

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 Sort each of the
following examples
into either the
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balanced or
unbalanced
category.

Balanced Forces Unbalanced Forces

An apple hanging A skier coming

on a tree. down a mountain.

A car accelerating from

A lamp sitting on a desk. the start line.

A painting hanging on the A soccer ball after

wall. it was kicked.

A train moving at a A parachutist falling

constant speed. to the ground.
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Draw a picture on
your lab sheet that
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demonstrates your
knowledge of
Balanced &
Unbalanced
Forces.
Include the
following: A box on the floor – this is an
A ball rolling on the floor –
object that is balanced
• an object that is this is an object that is
unbalanced
balanced
• an object that is
unbalanced

See the next

page for help on
inserting pictures
into the page.

Go to Image Help
 OUTPUT
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There are several ways to get images into these
pages.

1. Draw on your own paper. Take a picture and upload

that picture to this device, OR,

2. Draw with an app. Open Google Draw, Paint, or any

other graphics app. Draw your image, then either take a
screenshot or picture of your image.

For either option, go to the “Insert” menu on the upper left

corner and choose “Pictures.”
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Go Back to Illustrate It! Select “This Device” and browse to the folder where you
or
saved the picture. Click on the file name and click “Insert.”
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Your Answers:
Assess It! Part 1
1. balanced
1. An object at rest has equal forces acting on it. This can be
described as a(n) ______ force.
2. unbalanced A. gravity
B. unbalanced
C. balanced
3. A train accelerating D. physical
from the station
2. An object that is accelerating can be described as a(n) _____
force.
A. gravity
B. unbalanced
C. balanced
D. physical

3. Which is the best example of an unbalanced force?

A. A book resting on a shelf
B. A train accelerating from the station
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C. A chair sitting motionless STATION
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Your Answers:
Assess It! Part 2
4. force
5. Unbalanced force Use the vocabulary words from “Read It” to complete the
following sentences.
6. Balanced force
There are a few things we can observe about objects around
7. speed us. A (4)_____ is a push or a pull on an object. If an
direction (5)_____ is applied to an object (two forces that aren’t equal
8.
in size acting in opposite directions), then a change in motion
can occur. If the object doesn’t move or continues to move at
WORD BANK a constant speed in the same direction, then a (6)_____ (two
• force force equal in size acting in opposite directions) must have
• balanced force been applied. All of these types of forces can change the
(7)_____ of an object (rate of change of position in some
• unbalanced force
time), or the (8)_____ of an object (the straight path an
• direction object moves along).
• speed
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