Two people apply a force to a box from opposite directions as sown in the picture below. The box does not move. Which statement best explains why the box does not move?
A. the box is experiencing unbalanced forces.
B. balanced forces do not cause motion.
C. the forces have different magnitudes.
D. push forces do not cause motion.
B. balanced forces do not cause motion.
D. Push forces do not cause motion.
To determine why the box does not move, let's analyze the situation and evaluate each statement:
A. "The box is experiencing unbalanced forces."
Unbalanced forces occur when the net force acting on an object is not equal to zero. If the box does not move, it means the forces on either side of the box are balanced, not unbalanced. So, statement A is incorrect.
B. "Balanced forces do not cause motion."
When two forces of equal magnitude act in opposite directions on an object, they are balanced forces. Balanced forces do not cause any change in motion because their combined effect is zero. Therefore, statement B is correct.
C. "The forces have different magnitudes."
If the forces have different magnitudes, it suggests that they are unbalanced forces. However, since the box does not move, it implies that the forces are actually balanced. Hence, statement C is incorrect.
D. "Push forces do not cause motion."
Push forces can cause motion if there is no opposite force of equal magnitude acting on the object. However, if two push forces of equal magnitude act in opposite directions, they will balance each other out, resulting in no motion. Therefore, statement D is incorrect.
Based on the analysis, the correct statement is:
B. Balanced forces do not cause motion.