Balanced and Unbalanced Forces

Balanced &
Unbalanced
Forces
Newton’s Law of Motion
says:
“In order to move an object with mass,

you need to apply a force”
The greater the mass = The greater inertia => more force is
needed
Force
• What is force?
– Push or Pull
• It’s what causes “things” to accelerate
1000 kg
Balanced v. Unbalanced Forces
• If all forces are balanced there is no
acceleration in any direction.
– (Either Zero Motion or Constant Velocity)
• If one force is greater than the opposing

force we get acceleration in a direction.
Balanced Forces
(Balanced Forces = No Acceleration)
5N Object 5N
Notice that all the forces are equally pointed in

the opposite direction. Hence they balance Equal Pushing
each other – or cancel each other.
Forces may cancel each other and

produce No Acceleration!
Balanced Forces
Ground pushes up
Gravity pulls down

Gravity pulls down on you…
The ground pushes back up…

If these football players push
THIS KEEPS YOU WHERE YOU ARE! on each other equally as hard,
will either one move?
Balanced Forces
5N 5N
Equal Pushing
Equal Pulling
5N 5N

Unbalanced Forces
Causes Acceleration
Adding Forces Subtracting Forces
Adding Forces
5N 5 N = 10 N
• Two forces can add together to produce a

larger net force than either original force.
– Positive Acceleration occurs (Speed up)
Unbalanced Forces
Causes Acceleration
Adding Forces
5N
Object
5N
Notice that all the forces are pointed in the

same direction. Hence they add together.
Subtracting Forces
10 N =5N 5N
• Two forces can subtract to produce a net

force in the direction of the larger force.
– Negative Acceleration occurs (Slow Down)
Unbalanced Forces
Causes Acceleration
Subtracting Forces
5N
Object 5N
5N
Notice that all the forces are unequal and

pointed in the opposite direction. Hence they
are unbalanced and in opposition to each
other – or one partially cancels the other.
Balanced Forces
Balanced
10N 10N
Push No
i.e. Pushing a Acceleration
Car
Balanced
No
10N 10N Pull
Acceleration
i.e. Tug-o-war
Un-Balanced Forces
Additive
Un-Balanced
10N Faster
10N Same
Acceleration
Direction
Subtractive
Un-Balanced
10N Slower
10N
10N Opposite
Acceleration
Direction
Balance between
Gravity and Friction
Q: If the friction of the air and the pull
of gravity were in perfect balance,
what
would the skydiver be doing?
A: The skydiver would be going a

constant velocity (moving with no
acceleration) down towards the ground
until it hit the ground.
The skydiver is colliding with the
molecules of gas in the air!
Which slows down the fall of the
skydiver!
Constant
Velocity
How it works
Accelerating
Notice that as the skydiver
leaves the plane, the force
of gravity accelerates him
faster towards the earth;
Accelerating however, the moment he
Air jumps out of the plane,
another force begins to
Resistance oppose gravity – Air
30 m/s Resistance, (Friction).
0 m/s
This friction with the air
begins to slow down his rate
of acceleration. Meaning,
Constant Velocity
he’s still speeding up, just not

28
25
20
10 m/s
0 m/s as fast.
Speed: Once the force of air

friction equals the force of
Gravity gravity, the skydiver steadily
descends towards earth at a
constant velocity.
Balanced Forces
(Balanced
Wait a Forces
minute. = Acceleration
Noobject
This was moving. )
That’s Right. As you may have noticed, although I may have balanced forces, I might
still be moving.
Notice that when the forces are balanced, the object might still be moving, but the
objects are not accelerating, instead they have a constant velocity. Hence, once in
motion – it’s always in motion unless acted upon by what? Another Force.
5N Object
Notice that all the forces are equally pointed in

Equal Pushing
the opposite direction. Hence they balance
each other – or cancel each other. Equal Pulling

Constant Velocity
Distance [m]
0 1 2 3 4 56
1 2 3 4 5
Time [Sec]
In other words, you still need to use the gas

peddle to balance out all the force of friction
to keep you going at a constant speed.
5N
Acceleration
1 2
To get an object to move faster, create an

unbalanced force!
5N

Balanced and Unbalanced Forces

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Balanced and Unbalanced Forces

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Balanced &

“In order to move an object with mass,

• If one force is greater than the opposing

Notice that all the forces are equally pointed in

Forces may cancel each other and

Gravity pulls down

The ground pushes back up…

Forces may cancel each other and

• Two forces can add together to produce a

Notice that all the forces are pointed in the

• Two forces can subtract to produce a net

Notice that all the forces are unequal and

A: The skydiver would be going a

he’s still speeding up, just not

Speed: Once the force of air

Notice that all the forces are equally pointed in

Forces may cancel each other and

In other words, you still need to use the gas

To get an object to move faster, create an

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