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Exploring Forces

When the forces balance

A book rests on a table. Is no force acting on it?

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Two equal pulls, opposite ways. Nothing is left over.
Step 1 of 3
  1. Two equal pulls, opposite ways. Nothing is left over.
  2. The cart moves at a steady speed.
  3. The pulls stay equal, so the speed does not change.

The rule

Forces do act on the book. The Earth pulls it down. The table pushes it up. They cancel.

Forces are balanced when they cancel. The net force is zero. The motion does not change. Forces cancel when they are equal and opposite.

At rest means not moving. An object at rest still has forces on it. They balance one another.

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This track

  1. 0 Start here
  2. 1 A push or a pull
  3. 2 What a force does
  4. 3 Touching, or not
  5. 4 Two at once
  6. 5 When the forces balance
  7. 6 When they do not balance
  8. 7 The surface pushes back
  9. 8 Friction both ways
  10. 9 Weight and the spring balance
  11. 10 Mass stays, weight changes
  12. 11 The push a liquid gives
  13. 12 Checkpoint: weight, mass and upthrust
  14. 13 The big picture
  15. 14 Track quiz

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