Assume all other forces on the television are balanced. Which statement describes the forces on the television?
The forces are unbalanced, so there is a net force on the television. The forces are balanced, so there is no net force on the television.
Luke is trying to lift a heavy old television. He is pulling up on the television with a force of 500N. Earth's gravity is pulling down on the television with a force of 500N.
A force is a push or a pull that acts on an object. Every force has a direction and a magnitude, or strength. If two forces act on an object in opposite directions, the forces are called opposing forces.
When opposing forces have the same magnitude, they are balanced. If all the forces on an object are balanced, there is no net force on the object.
When opposing forces have different magnitudes, the forces are unbalanced. If any forces on an object are unbalanced, there is a net force on the object.
To determine if there is a net force on the television, look at the forces:
Luke is pulling the television up with a force of 500 N.
Earth's gravity is pulling the television down with a force of 500 N.
The forces are in opposite directions, and the forces have the same magnitude: 500 N. This means that the forces are balanced, so there is no net force on the television.