Balanced Forces Cause A Change In Motion: 7 Important Facts

Forces are responsible for the motion of any object. However, the question here is that do balanced forces cause a change in motion? To get the answer to this question, let us have a look at this post.

There are two possibilities if the forces acting on an object are balanced:

• If an object is in a stationary condition, its rest state remains unchanged.
• If an object is already in motion, then the object’s state of motion will be the same, which means the object keeps moving in the same direction and speed.

Forces surround us…

Forces are everywhere, whether our eyes can see them or not. Forces are present at all scales, from the atomic level to very vast scales, such as in space. Forces have a significant role in our lives. Forces are involved in everything from lifting an object to hanging on a rod to walking down the street to riding in a plane.

Force has the magnitude & direction:

Not just the magnitude or strength of force but also direction is important while considering forces.

If all applied forces on an object are in the same direction, the resulting force exerted on it is the total of all applied forces. As a result, the magnitude of the resulting force will eventually rise.

When opposing forces are applied to an object, the resulting force is obtained by subtracting the opposing forces. Thus when forces are applied in the opposite direction, the magnitude of the resultant force decreases.

Types of force:

There are two sorts of forces in the universe: 

• balanced forces and 
• unbalanced forces.

Balanced Force: 

When forces of equal size and opposing direction act on a body, the resulting force operating on it equals zero. As opposing forces exerted on the body balance each other, these forces are called balanced forces.

Unbalanced Force: 

An unbalanced force is one in which the resulting force applied to the body does not equal zero.

Let’s see now do balanced force cause change in motion or not in detail. If so, how, and if not, what is the driving force behind the motion?

The force causes a change in motion:

When an object is under the effect of balanced force, then the object’s state does not change. Because when forces are balanced, it means the object is under the impact of the same and opposite forces. Thus, the object does not experience the effect of force. Thus if an object is stationary, it will stay still, and if it is moving, it will continue to proceed with the same magnitude and direction.

Let’s move on to the unbalanced forces.

The resulting force is not zero when an object is under the influence of an unbalanced force. As a result, the object’s motion is influenced by the unbalanced force. So, if an object is still, it begins to move, and if it is already moving, its speed and, in certain circumstances, direction change.

How an object moves when subjected to an unbalanced force with examples:

When you kick the ball, you are just forcing it to move in a certain direction away from you. Because there is no opposing force, the force exerted on it is unbalanced. Thus, the unbalanced force makes the ball move. The most basic illustration of unbalanced force is kicking a ball.

The motion of a seesaw is another example of motion caused by an unbalanced force. If one of the two people on the seesaw is heavier, the seesaw will lean in the direction of the heavier person. The unbalanced force is caused by the varying weights of the people on the seesaw.

As a result, we may conclude that a balanced force does not cause motion. It is the unbalanced force that makes an object change its state of motion.

The balanced force may cause a change in the shape of an object:

A balanced force is the result of equal and opposite forces. As a result, when an object is subjected to balanced force, its shape may alter in some instances. If an object’s material is hard enough, its shape will not change, as in the case of a rigid body.

Take a look at a coiled spring. The length increases when the spring is pulled evenly from both ends, as seen in the figure below. However, owing to the spring’s elasticity, it will revert to its original shape once the forces are removed. The rubber band also changes its shape, just like the spring, by pulling its two sides.

Similarly, if a rubber ball is squeezed between two palms, the shape of the rubber ball will change. Because the forces applied by palms are equal and opposite, the rubber ball will get oblong.

Examples of balanced force with a force diagram:

• Pushing the wall: When someone is pushing a wall, then none of them will move. When a person pushes a wall, he also feels the force exerted by the wall in the opposite direction. As the wall and you both are not moving, this suggests that both exerted forces are balancing each other.

• The hanging object: Assume an object is hanging. Weight and tension are the forces acting on the hanging object. The object’s weight pushes it down, while the rope’s tension pulls it up. Both forces are equal and opposing. Thus, they counterbalance each other.

• Standing on the ground: When an object is at rest on a surface, the reaction force balances the object’s weight. Suppose you are standing on the ground. Then your weight pushes you down while reaction force pushes you up against your weight. Thus the balancing force prevents you from sinking into the ground.

• Tug-of-war: You might have heard of a game of tug-of-war, which is a great example of balanced force. If the opponents are equally matched, both opponents pull the rope from the opposite side with equal strength. Thus, there will be no motion as forces are balanced.

Frequently Asked Questions on Balanced Force:

Q. What are the balanced forces?

Ans:  Balanced forces are profoundly connected with our lives

Forces are considered balanced if the forces exerted on the object are equal and opposite. As a result, the resulting force caused by the balanced force is zero.

Q. What are the unbalanced forces?

Ans: Unbalanced forces have a significant influence on the motion of any object.

Forces acting on an object are said to be unbalanced if the resultant force acting on the object is not zero.

Q. Distinguish between balanced and unbalanced force.

Ans: The difference between balanced and unbalanced force is given below:

Q. What is the effect of balanced force on a body?

Ans: The body is considered to be under the influence of balanced forces when the forces operating on it are equal in magnitude and in opposite directions.

As the balanced force is the resultant force of equal and opposite force, the total force acting on the body sums up to zero. Zero force causes no motion of an object as per Newton’s first law. It means the body at rest will remain at rest, and the moving body will continue moving with the same speed and direction. In some cases, due to balanced force, an object changes its shape.

Also Read:

• Is magnetic flux a magnetic force
• Is support force a contact force
• Coriolis force example
• Electrostatic force and field
• Example of net force
• Is force a vector quantity
• How to find mass with acceleration and force
• Example of static force
• How to find normal force with acceleration
• What objects have magnetic force

Alpa P. Rajai

I am Alpa Rajai, Completed my Masters in science with specialization in Physics. I am very enthusiastic about Writing about my understanding towards Advanced science. I assure that my words and methods will help readers to understand their doubts and clear what they are looking for. Apart from Physics, I am a trained Kathak Dancer and also I write my feeling in the form of poetry sometimes. I keep on updating myself in Physics and whatever I understand I simplify the same and keep it straight to the point so that it deliver clearly to the readers.