What do unbalanced forces do? (1 point)
A. Unbalanced forces cannot change an object's direction.
B. Unbalanced forces can make an object move in the opposite direction of the force that is applied.
C. Unbalanced forces cause an object's motion to change.
D. Unbalanced forces allow an object's motion to stay the same
C. Unbalanced forces cause an object's motion to change.
C. Unbalanced forces cause an object's motion to change.
The correct answer is:
C. Unbalanced forces cause an object's motion to change.
To understand why unbalanced forces cause an object's motion to change, we need to understand the concept of Newton's first law of motion. According to this law, an object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same velocity, unless acted upon by an external force.
When an unbalanced force is applied to an object, it means that the net force acting on the object is not zero. This causes the object to accelerate, which means its velocity changes. If the unbalanced force is applied in the same direction as the object's initial motion, it will cause the object to speed up. If the unbalanced force is applied in the opposite direction of the object's initial motion, it will cause the object to slow down. Therefore, unbalanced forces are responsible for changing an object's motion.
Option A is incorrect because unbalanced forces can indeed change an object's direction if they are applied at an angle to the object's initial motion.
Option B is incorrect because unbalanced forces do not cause an object to move in the opposite direction of the force that is applied. Instead, the object's motion changes according to the direction and magnitude of the unbalanced force.
Option D is incorrect because unbalanced forces do not allow an object's motion to stay the same. They cause the object's motion to change.