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A force is a push or a pull. A force can give energy to an object causing the object to start moving, stop moving, or change its motion.

Forces occur in pairs and can be either balanced or unbalanced. Balanced forces do notcause a change in motion. They are equal in size and opposite in direction.

Have you ever had an arm Wrestling competition with someone? If you compete against someone who is just about as strong as you are, there will probably be a time when both of you are pushing as hard as you can, but your arms stay in the same place. This is an example of balanced forces. The force exerted by each person is equal, but they are pushing in opposite directions, in this case together. It would look something like this.

Because the force that each of you is exerting is equal, the two forces cancel each other out and the resulting force is zero. Therefore, there is no change in motion.

Another great place to see balanced forces in action is in a tug of war. This is similar to an arm wrestling match, only in this case the forces are moving away from each other. Just like in arm wrestling, if the two teams have equal strength, or force, the rope will stay pretty much in the same place. It would look like this.

Again the resulting force is zero and there is no change in motion.

Unlike balanced forces, unbalanced forces always cause a change in motion. They are not equal and opposite.

When two unbalanced forces are exerted in opposite directions, their combined force is equal to the difference between the two forces and is exerted in the direction of the larger force. Look at the following examples to help make this more clear.

Think again about the arm wrestling match. Only this time imagine that you are competing against a world famous body builder. Chances are that his force will be much greater than yours. Your arms will move in the direction he is pushing with a force that is equal to his force minus your force. It will look like this.

Or imagine that you and your friends are having a tug of war with the U.S. olympic weight lifting team. Again their force will probably be a little larger than yours. You will move in the direction they are pulling with a force that is equal to their force minus your force. It will look like this.

Unbalanced forces can also be exerted in the same direction. For example, imagine that your family's car breaks down on the road and you have to push it into a parking lot. If you and your brother or sister both push on the car, the resulting force on the car will be the sum of your forces and of course be in the direction that you are applying the force. The figure below shows how this would work.

Two important things to remember when working with balanced and unbalanced forces are 1) forces in the same direction combine by addition, and 2) forces in oppositedirections combine by subtraction.

Try these problems to test your knowledge about balanced and unbalanced forces.

1.Two tugboats are moving a barge. Tugboat A exerts a force of 3000 newtons on the barge. Tugboat B exerts a force of 5000 newtons in the same direction. What is the combined force on the barge?

2.Draw arrows showing the individual and combined forces of the tugboats in #1.

3.Now suppose that Tugboat A exerts a force of 2000 newtons on the barge and Tugboat B exerts a force of 4000 newtons in the opposite direction. What is the combined force on the barge?

4.Draw arrows showing the individual and combined forces of the tugboats in #3.

5.Could there ever be a case when Tugboat A and Tugboat B are both exerting a force on the barge but the barge doesn't move? Draw arrows showing the individual and combined forces in such a situation.

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Two forces that cancel each other out?

When two forces cancel each other out, they are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. This results in a net force of zero and no change in the object's motion. An example is a book resting on a table where the force of gravity pulling it down is balanced by the normal force of the table pushing it up.


If Two horses pull againts a rope with forces 100 newtons in opposite directions this is an example of?

This is an example of a balanced force, where the forces exerted by the two horses on the rope are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction, resulting in no acceleration in the system.


How do you know if the net forces on an object are balanced or not?

If the net forces on an object are balanced, the object will remain at rest or continue to move at a constant velocity. You can determine if forces are balanced by calculating the sum of the forces in each direction (e.g., horizontal and vertical) and comparing them. If the sum of the forces in each direction is zero, the forces are balanced.


What are similarities between balanced forces and action reaction forces?

There is no such thing as a balanced force or an unbalanced force. A groupof two or more forces may be balanced or unbalanced. The group of forces isbalanced if the vector sum of all the forces in the group is zero.


What type of change can the balanced forces bring about in an object?

Balanced forces do not bring about any change in motion. If forces are balanced, an object is either at rest, or moving in a straight line at constant velocity.

Related Questions

What is one example of a force that does not cause an object to move?

Balanced forces.


How does terminal velocity involve balanced forces?

Terminal velocity is an example of balanced forced because the gravitational forces and the air resistance balance each other.


Why is terminal velocity an example of balanced forces?

When terminal velocity is reached, the gravitational force is balanced with the force of resistance.


What happen when opposite forces acting on an object are balanced?

Assuming this is a physics question, when all the forces acting on an object are balanced, the object is in equilibrium. For example, when a car is at a constant velocity, with no acceleration, all the forces are equal.


Is a boy chasing a ball an example of a balanced force?

No, a boy chasing a ball is not an example of balanced forces. Balanced forces occur when two forces acting on an object are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction, resulting in no overall change in the object's motion. A boy chasing a ball involves unbalanced forces, as he exerts more force in one direction to catch the ball.


When do say that the force is balanced or not?

One force is never "balanced". The word describes the overall combination of two or more forces. The whole group of forces is said to be balanced if their vector sum is zero. Example: The forces of two people pulling on a rope are balanced if their forces add to zero and the rope doesn't move. It's called a "Tug of War".


Two forces that cancel each other out?

When two forces cancel each other out, they are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. This results in a net force of zero and no change in the object's motion. An example is a book resting on a table where the force of gravity pulling it down is balanced by the normal force of the table pushing it up.


How can you use balanced forces in a sentence?

Balanced forces act on an object when the forces pushing or pulling it cancel each other out, resulting in no motion. For example, when a book is resting on a table, the downward force of gravity is balanced by the upward force exerted by the table, keeping the book stationary.


What is it Called when equal forces act on one object in opposite direction?

In that case, the vector sum of the forces is zero; the forces are said to be balanced. You can also get balanced forces with more than two forces, for example, three forces of the same magnitude at an angle of 120 degrees to one another.


If Two horses pull againts a rope with forces 100 newtons in opposite directions this is an example of?

This is an example of a balanced force, where the forces exerted by the two horses on the rope are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction, resulting in no acceleration in the system.


When a pair of balanced forces acts on an object the ne force that result is?

If the net force is zero, then the forces are balanced. If the net force is not zero, then the forces are not balanced. You can have a balanced pair of forces, but not a pair of balanced forces.


If there are two equal and opposite forces on something you say the forces are?

You say that the two forces are in equilibrium.