xWhile you push a box you begin to decrease the force you are exerting on the box. When will the box reach equilibrium?
When Fpush=Ffriction
When Fpush>Ffriction
When Fpush < Ffriction
The box will reach static equilibrium
The box will reach equilibrium when the force you are pushing with (Fpush) equals the force of friction (Ffriction). In other words, when Fpush = Ffriction, the forces are balanced, and the box is in a state of dynamic equilibrium, maintaining its current state of motion (which could be a constant speed or being at rest relative to the surface).
The other options:
- When Fpush > Ffriction: The box would be accelerating because the net force is in the direction of the push.
- When Fpush < Ffriction: The box would be decelerating as there would be a net force acting against the direction of the push.
- The box will reach a static equilibrium: This would occur when the box is at rest and there are no net forces acting on it. If you are still exerting some force, but it is less than the friction force, the box may not be in static equilibrium as it might be decelerating to come to a rest.
Moreover, it's important to emphasize that if you are in the process of decreasing the force, equilibrium is reached at the precise moment when the push force is exactly equal to the frictional force, and only if the decrease stops at that point. If the push force continues to decrease, the box would transition through equilibrium momentarily and continue towards deceleration until it stops (reaches static equilibrium) if the push force becomes less than the friction force.