Question

If the forces acting on an object are balanced, the object is A. at rest or in constant motion. B. accelerating or decelerating. C. at rest or accelerating. D. accelerating or in constant motion.

Answer 1

The answer is A. This is a statement of Newton's First Law of Motion.

Consider Newton's Second Law, which for constant mass says F = ma. If forces are balanced, F = 0. Therefore m*a = 0. Since m has a nonzero value, we find that a = 0.

The object is not accelerating when forces are balanced, i.e. it's velocity isn't changing. It is moving at a constant speed when this velocity is nonzero, and is stationary when the velocity is zero.

I hope this helps you :)