Net Force

A force is a push or a pull. Forces A force is a push or a pull. Balanced Forces Unbalanced Forces There are always forces acting on objects, and these forces can be balanced or unbalanced.

Balanced forces are equal and opposite! When forces are balanced, the forces are equal in size but working in the opposite direction. Balanced forces are equal and opposite!

Balanced Forces When forces are balanced, objects will remain motionless OR continue to move at constant speeds.

Unbalanced Forces When forces are unbalanced, one or more forces are pushing/pulling harder than the others.

Unbalanced Forces Unbalanced forces cause objects to accelerate! This means unbalanced forces cause objects to speed up, slow down, or change direction!

Unbalanced Forces It is very important that you understand that objects will only speed up, slow down, or change direction when they are acted on by unbalanced forces!

Net Force To predict how forces will change the motion of an object, we must determine the Net Force acting on the object. 4 N 2 N 4 N 2 N Net Force = 6 N to the right Net Force = 2 N to the right

Mass and Net Force An object’s mass affects how much a force will change its motion. Mass tells us how much an object will resist a change its motion. Objects with more mass are harder to speed up or slow down. Objects with less mass are easier to speed up or slow down.

Mass and Net Force B A G F

Mass and Net Force A B