Question

Suppose an object is accelerated by a force of 100 N. Suddenly a second force of 100 N in the opposite direction is exerted on the object, so that the forces cancel. The object:

is brought to rest rapidly.
continues at the velocity it had before the second force was applied.
is brought to rest and then accelerates in the direction of the second force.
decelerates gradually to rest.

Answer 1

continues at the velocity it had before the second force was applied.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to Newton's second law, the acceleration of an object is proportional to the net force acting on it. Mathematically:

`\sum F = ma`

where

`\sum F` is the net force acting on the object

m is the mass of the object

a is the acceleration

When the second force of 100 N is applied to the object, the net force becomes

`\sum F = 100 N - 100 N = 0`

So the two forces cancel out and the net force is zero. This means that also the acceleration is now zero:

a = 0

Therefore, the object will continue at the velocity it had before the second force was applied.