Balanced forces

and

resultant force
Learning Objectives

You should learn:

• How to decide if forces are ‘balanced’.

• Newton’s 1st Law of motion.

• How to find a ‘resultant’ force.
• When a force causes an acceleration.
Balanced forces

1. A book on a table
Here is a book on a table:

10 N The table exerts

a reaction force
of 10 N.

Gravity pulls the

10 N book down.
The force is called
The 2 forces are equal. weight.
They are balanced. This book weighs
The forces cancel out. 10 N.
The book does not move.
Balanced forces

2. A book with friction

Here is another book on a table:

The finger is
pushing with a
force of 2 N. 2N

2N
BUT
there is a friction
force of 2 N The 2 forces are equal.
They are balanced.
The forces cancel out.
The book does not move.
Balanced forces

3. A car travelling down

the road
This car is travelling along the road… The weight of the
car…
is balanced by the
reaction forces from
the ground.

The forward push of the engine…

is balanced by the friction force.

The forces are balanced (no resultant force),

so the car moves at a constant speed.
This car is travelling along the road…

Newton’s 1st Law:

If the forces are balanced (no resultant force) then
• If it is at rest, it stays at rest.
• If it is moving, it keeps on moving at a constant speed
in a straight line.
Resultant force

1. A book sliding on a table

 So there is a Resultant force of 2?N
Now the finger
so now the book moves…
is pushing with
a force of 4 N. 4N
2N

There is a friction
force of just 2 N
Resultant force

2. A car travelling down

the road
This car is travelling along the road…

Vertically:
The red forces balance. The blue ones do not.
The forcesand
Discuss balance.
explainThe carhappens
what does nottomove up or down.
the car.
Horizontally:
There is a resultant force, to the right.
The car accelerates.
Learning Outcomes

You should now be able to:

• Decide when forces are balanced.

• Use Newton’s 1st Law.
• Calculate a resultant force.
• Decide what happens to an object when forces
act on it.