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Balanced and Unbalanced Forces

Forces can be balanced and unbalanced. An unbalanced force will cause a change in motion.

Balanced forces

Balanced forces

  • Balanced forces are equal in size and act in opposite directions.
  • If a stationary object has balanced forces, the object will remain at rest.
  • If a moving object has balanced forces it will move at a constant speed in the same direction.
  • In both of these scenarios, the resultant force will be zero.
Unbalanced forces

Unbalanced forces

  • Unbalanced forces are not equal in size.
  • Unbalanced forces cause a change in motion.
  • If an object is stationary, it will start to move off.
  • If an object is already moving, it will change its speed.
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