Study the scenario.
A car is moving along a frictionless surface with a speed of 2 m/s to the left. You and your friend each come over and push the car at the same time. You exert a force of 6 N to the left, while your friend exerts a force of 6 N to the right.
According to Newton’s first law, how will this action affect the car’s motion?
Responses
The car will continue to move 2 m/s to the left because there are balanced forces acting on it.
The car will stop immediately because two balanced forces will cause an object to stop moving.
The car will continue moving to the left but at a slower speed because your friend’s force is going to make the car slow down.
The car will speed up because your force is in the same direction of the car’s motion, making it speed up.
The car will continue to move 2 m/s to the left because there are balanced forces acting on it.
According to Newton's first law, an object at rest or in motion will remain in that state unless acted upon by an external force. In this scenario, the car is already moving to the left with a speed of 2 m/s. You exert a force of 6 N to the left, while your friend exerts a force of 6 N to the right.
In this case, the forces exerted by you and your friend are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction. As a result, the forces cancel each other out, creating a scenario of balanced forces. As a result, the car will continue to move at a constant speed of 2 m/s to the left.
Therefore, the correct response is:
The car will continue to move 2 m/s to the left because there are balanced forces acting on it.