Balanced vs Unbalanced Forces Lesson - Abigail Beck | Library

How can one predict an object’s continued motion, changes in motion, or stability? 

Look at the following image. Who do you think would win this Tug of War?

What is a Force?

Before you begin, remember Newton's first law. "An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.  

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What is a force?

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What do we use to represent forces in a force diagram?

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What forces are acting on you right now?

 
Measuring forces
A force meter is used to measure forces. Forces can be measured using a force meter. Force meters contain a spring connected to a metal hook. The spring stretches when a force is applied to the hook. The bigger the force applied, the longer the spring stretches and the bigger the reading. The unit of force is called the newton, and it has the symbol N. So 100 N is a bigger force than 5 N. 

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Use a diagram to explain your understanding of balanced forces.

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Use a diagram to explain your understanding of unbalanced forces.

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Explain the difference between balanced and unbalanced forces in your own words.

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Explain your understanding of combining forces acting in the same direction.

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Explain your understanding of combining forces acting in different directions.

Practice calculating the net force of objects in the game below. 

Directions: drag the cards to the corner that matches the direction of the net force. When you are finished, click the "check mark" in the bottom right corner to see how many you get right! 