Question

The car is accelerating because:

a. The net force on the car is zero.
b. The forces on the car are balanced.
c. The forces on the car are unbalanced.
d. The forces on the car are equal but opposite in direction.

Answer 1

A car accelerates because it experiences unbalanced forces, which aligns with Newton's second law of motion that indicates an object will only accelerate if acted upon by a net unbalanced force.

Step-by-step explanation:

The car is accelerating because the forces on the car are unbalanced. In the scenario where a car moves at a constant velocity, the forces are indeed balanced, and the net force is zero, which means there is no acceleration according to Newton's first law. However, when a car is accelerating, the net forces acting on the car are no longer balanced, which is consistent with Newton's second law of motion that states that an object will only accelerate if there is a net unbalanced force acting on it.