In which one of the following conditions will the resultant force acting on an object be zero?

A. When two forces of equal magnitude are applied on the object in the same direction.

B. When two forces of unequal magnitude are applied on the object in the same direction.

C. When two forces of equal magnitude are applied on the object in the opposite direction.

D. When two forces of unequal magnitude are applied on the object in the opposite direction.



Answer :

To address the question of when the resultant force acting on an object will be zero, let's examine each of the conditions provided:

A. When two forces of equal magnitude are applied on the object in the same direction.
- If two forces of equal magnitude are applied in the same direction, they will add together, resulting in a net force that is double the magnitude of one of the individual forces. Therefore, the resultant force will not be zero in this case.

B. When two forces of unequal magnitude are applied on the object in the same direction.
- If two forces of unequal magnitude are applied in the same direction, the resultant force will be the sum of the two forces. This sum will not be zero, hence the net force on the object will also not be zero.

C. When two forces of equal magnitude are applied on the object in the opposite direction.
- If two forces of equal magnitude are applied in opposite directions, they will cancel each other out. This means that the resultant force will be zero because the forces are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction, leading the object to experience no net force.

D. When two forces of unequal magnitude are applied on the object in the opposite direction.
- If two forces of unequal magnitude are applied in opposite directions, the resultant force will be the difference between the magnitudes of the two forces. As a result, there will still be a net force acting on the object, and this net force will not be zero.

From the analysis above, we can see that the correct condition for the resultant force acting on an object to be zero is:

C. When two forces of equal magnitude are applied on the object in the opposite direction.