Question

What can be inferred about the magnitude and direction of the individual force acting on an object if the net force is zero?

1) The magnitude of the individual forces is zero, but the direction can be any
2) The magnitude and direction of the individual forces are both zero
3) The magnitude of the individual forces can be any, but the direction is zero
4) The magnitude and direction of the individual forces can be any

Answer 1

The net force being zero implies that individual forces acting on an object are balanced in such a way that their vector sum is zero, meaning the forces can have any magnitude and direction, provided they sum to zero.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the net force acting on an object is zero, this tells us that the magnitudes of the individual forces are such that they cancel each other out. However, this does not necessarily mean that the individual forces themselves must be zero. What can be inferred is that the forces are balanced such that the resultant force, or the vector sum, is zero. Therefore, the individual forces can have various magnitudes, but they must be directed such that their vector sum is zero, which leads us to conclude that the magnitudes and directions of the individual forces can be any, as long as their sum equals zero.