The combination of all forces acting on an object is called what?

• A. Balanced forces
• B. Unbalanced forces
• C. Net force
• D. Newton

Answer: (C)

The combination of all forces acting on an object is the net force. Each force has a size and a direction, and you add them together as vectors to get the net force that actually influences motion. The net force tells you what happens next: if it’s zero, there’s no change in velocity (the object can be at rest or move at constant speed); if it’s nonzero, the object accelerates in the direction of that net force. Balanced forces produce zero net force in a situation, while unbalanced forces describe when the net force isn’t zero, but the overall term for the combined effect is net force. Newton is the unit used to measure force, not the combined result.