If a car is traveling at a constant speed on a straight road, what can you say about the net force acting on it?
Question
If a car is traveling at a constant speed on a straight road, what can you say about the net force acting on it?
Solution
If a car is traveling at a constant speed on a straight road, the net force acting on it is zero. This is according to Newton's first law of motion, also known as the law of inertia, which states that an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
In this case, the car is moving at a constant speed in a straight line, meaning it's not accelerating or decelerating. Therefore, the forces acting on the car are balanced, resulting in a net force of zero. These forces include the forward force from the car's engine, the backward force of air resistance (or drag), and the downward force of gravity balanced by the upward force of the road.
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