Resultant Forces

Resultant Forces

1. A stationary object remains stationary if the sum of the forces acting upon it (resultant force) is zero

2. A moving object with a zero resultant force keeps moving at the same speed and in the same direction

3. Acceleration depends on the force applied to an object and the object's mass

4. Resultant Force - forced acting on an object (eg. different strengths and directions). This single force has the same effect on the object as all the individual forces acting together

5. Factos that affect the size of the acceleration

   • Size of the force
     • The bigger the force, the greater the acceleration
     • Doubling the size of the resultant force, doubles the acceleration
   • The mass
     • A force on a large mass will accelerate it less than the same force on a smaller mass
     • Doubling the mass, halves the acceleration
   • a = F divided by m
     • a = acceleration of the object in meters per second squared (m/s2)
     • F = resultant force in newtons (N)
     • m = the mass of the object in kilograms (kg)

6. m = F divided by a