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If an object moves with a constant velocity, what is the acceleration of the object? What is the net force acting on the object?

User Itpetersen
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2 Answers

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Final answer:

An object moving with constant velocity has an acceleration of zero and a net force acting on it also zero, as forces are balanced and it is in equilibrium according to Newton's second law.

Step-by-step explanation:

If an object moves with a constant velocity, the acceleration of the object is zero. This is because acceleration is defined as the change in velocity over time, and if the velocity is constant, there is no change. Therefore, according to Newton's second law, which states F = ma (force equals mass times acceleration), if the acceleration is zero, the net force acting on the object must also be zero. This scenario is true for all objects in equilibrium, whether they are moving at constant velocity or are stationary relative to Earth. Objects in equilibrium have net forces that are balanced, resulting in no acceleration.

As for the net force acting on the object, it would also be zero. When an object travels at constant velocity, it is not accelerating, which means the forces acting on it are in equilibrium—the sum of all forces equals zero. This could include situations such as a car moving at a steady speed on a flat road where the engine's thrust equals the frictional forces opposing it.

User Maurice Kroon
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2 votes

Acceleration is a change in velocity. If the velocity is constant,
then there's no change, and acceleration is zero.

Net force on an object always produces acceleration. If acceleration
is zero, then net force must also be zero.

User Christopher Corley
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8.4k points