Question

With respect to the direction of motion and using the term acceleration, explain when/how an object is speeding up and when/how it is slowing down. Are the forces balanced or unbalanced for each scenario?

A) An object speeds up when it experiences unbalanced forces in the opposite direction of motion. It slows down when forces are balanced.
B) An object speeds up when it experiences balanced forces in the direction of motion. It slows down when forces are unbalanced.
C) An object speeds up when it experiences unbalanced forces in the direction of motion. It slows down when forces are balanced.
D) An object speeds up when it experiences balanced forces in the opposite direction of motion. It slows down when forces are unbalanced.

Answer 1

An object speeds up when it experiences unbalanced forces in the same direction of motion, known as positive acceleration. It slows down when it experiences acceleration in the opposite direction to its motion, often referred to as deceleration. Option C is correct, indicating that balance forces maintain constant velocity with no acceleration.

Step-by-step explanation:

When an object speeds up, it must experience unbalanced forces in the same direction as its motion. This results in a positive acceleration that increases the object's velocity. If an object is slowing down, this means that it is experiencing an acceleration in the opposite direction of its velocity, commonly referred to as deceleration, which is still technically acceleration but in the negative direction.

The correct option from the provided choices is C) An object speeds up when it experiences unbalanced forces in the direction of motion. It slows down when forces are balanced. When forces are balanced on an object, there is no change in momentum, and the object maintains a constant velocity.

For example, if a car is moving forward (which we can consider the positive direction) and speeds up, the acceleration is also in the forward direction. However, when the car is braking, it is experiencing acceleration in the negative direction, or opposite to its forward motion, causing it to slow down.