Student Projects/Balanced and Unbalanced Force

BALANCED AND UNBALANCED FORCE

·       Force – meaning

In science a push or a pull experienced on an object is called force.

It can be quantified as:

Let; F = force

        m=mass of an object

        a= accerlation

Then force (F) = mass x accerlation = m x a

Unit of force is given by Newton, represented as N

·       Balanced force

When an object experiences two force of equal magnitude and in opposite direction, then the object continues in a state of rest or of uniform motion, it is known as balanced force.

Consider the following example,

When a person is standing on the floor, he or she experiences two forces, one is the gravitational force which is in the downward direction and the normal force exerted by the floor which acts in the upward direction. Since the two forces balance each other, the person is in equilibrium.

·       UNBALANCED FORCE

When an object experiences two force which are not balanced, the object tends to move in the direction of the greater force, in such cases the forces acting on the object are called unbalanced force.

Consider the following example,

We all know that an iron nail sinks in water, here the iron nail in water experiences two forces: the gravitational force, which acts in the downward direction and the buoyant force which acts in the upward direction. Since the former force is of greater magnitude, the net force acts in the downward direction and thus the nail sinks in water.