Define resultant force .

The resultant force is the sum of all the forces acting on a particle. It is the single force that would have exactly the same effect as all of those forces combined.

State Newton's first law of motion.

An object at rest stays at rest, and an object moving with constant velocity keeps moving with constant velocity, unless an unbalanced force acts on it . An unbalanced force is one that is not cancelled by another force in the opposite direction, so it leaves a resultant force that is not zero, and the object accelerates.

Define equilibrium , for a particle.

A particle is in equilibrium when the resultant force acting on it, the sum of all the forces, is zero . Every force is then cancelled by others, so the particle does not accelerate.

The resultant force on a particle is zero. What can you say about how it is moving?

The particle is either at rest or moving with constant velocity . A zero resultant force does not mean the particle is stationary. It means the particle is not accelerating, so whatever it was doing, it carries on doing.

A LevelMathsCambridge (CIE)MechanicsFlashcardsForces & EquilibriumForces

Forces (Cambridge (CIE) A Level Maths: Mechanics): Flashcards

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FrontEquilibrium in 1D
Define resultant force.

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Cards in this collection (6)

Define resultant force.
The resultant force is the sum of all the forces acting on a particle.
It is the single force that would have exactly the same effect as all of those forces combined.
State Newton's first law of motion.
An object at rest stays at rest, and an object moving with constant velocity keeps moving with constant velocity, unless an unbalanced force acts on it.
An unbalanced force is one that is not cancelled by another force in the opposite direction, so it leaves a resultant force that is not zero, and the object accelerates.
Define equilibrium, for a particle.
A particle is in equilibrium when the resultant force acting on it, the sum of all the forces, is zero.
Every force is then cancelled by others, so the particle does not accelerate.
True or False?
Forces on a particle can only balance if the same number of forces act in each direction.
False.
What matters is the total force in each direction, not how many forces there are.
For example, forces of $7 N$ and $5 N$ acting to the right are balanced by a single force of $12 N$ acting to the left.
The resultant force on a particle is zero. What can you say about how it is moving?
The particle is either at rest or moving with constant velocity.
A zero resultant force does not mean the particle is stationary. It means the particle is not accelerating, so whatever it was doing, it carries on doing.
A sign hangs at rest, held up by two strings. Complete the equation used to find an unknown force:
total $______$ force = total $______$ force
total upward force = total downward force
For the sign, the two tensions added together equal its weight.

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