There are many forces acting on the body. When the resultant of these forces is non-zero then we say that the forces are unbalanced. This happens when forces are acting in the same direction or the forces are acting in opposite direction but with unequal magnitude. In this article, we will look at the different examples and applications of unbalanced forces.
Examples of unbalanced forces
- Kicking a soccer ball
- The up and down movement in a seesaw
- The taking-off of a Rocket
- Skiing along the mountain slopes
- Hitting a baseball
- A turning vehicle
- Drowning of an object
- Apple falling on the ground
- Flying of dandelion seeds
- Pushing an object to set it in motion
Kicking a soccer ball
A football when it is kicked does not remain static, it travels a certain amount of distance. The static ball is initially in a state of rest due to the balanced force system. The gravitational force, air resistance, friction, and other forces acting on the ball have kept it at rest. But when an external force acts on the ball in the form of muscular force, the force system is unbalanced. And hence, the ball moves in the specified direction.
Seesaw
The up-and-down movement in the seesaw is due to the unbalanced force system due to the force generated by one person pushing against the ground. If the forces were balanced, then both of the persons would be at rest in between.
Pushing an object to set it in motion
When we push an object, we are exerting an external force overcoming the static friction. Till the value of limiting friction is reached the system will be balanced, because static friction is self-adjusting. But after limiting friction is reached, the object starts moving due to the unbalanced forces. This is the most common example of unbalanced forces.
The flying off of dandelion seeds
Image by Michael Schwarzenberger from Pixabay
This is an example of an unbalanced force in nature. The wind exerts an external force on the dandelion plant. The force is able to overcome the attachment forces of the seed to the flower.
Taking-off of a rocket
When a rocket tries to take off, it is trying to go against the gravitational force. Meaning the aim is to create an unbalanced force system. A thrust in the upward direction is provided by the exhaust of the rocket to achieve this unbalanced force.
Skiing along the mountain slopes
Skiing involves the downward motion due to the gravitational pull against the force of friction. After some time the friction with the snow causes the halt of the skier. The unbalanced forces cause the thrill in skiing.
Apple falling on the ground
An object falling on the ground is a result due to an unbalanced scenario. A fruit while it is on a tree, the forces are balanced. But the moment the attached with a tree is lost, the gravity causes an unbalanced scenario and hence pulls the fruit down.
Hitting a baseball
When a baseball is hit, the external force by the bat causes a change in direction and speed. There is no opposing force to stop the motion of the ball. There will be a little bit of air resistance and gravity to oppose, but anyways the system will be unbalanced.
A turning vehicle
When a vehicle turns, there is the centripetal force, centrifugal force, and other forces involved. An external force is required to cause this turn according to Newton’s first law of motion. Hence the forces become unbalanced while taking a turn.
The sinking of an object
An object sinks in water due to the unbalance between the upthrust and the gravitational force. Objects float in the water at balanced force conditions. So it is very important to carefully design a boat or ship.
What are the most common everyday examples or applications of unbalanced forces?
Most common examples would include the movement of vehicles, even our movement like walking, lifting of hands, etc. In general, we can summarize that any object which is in motion on planet Earth can be an example of an unbalanced force.
