In the context of types of forces and free-body diagrams, what is the net force acting on an object?

• A. The vector sum of all external forces acting on the object, e.g., $F_{net}={\displaystyle \sum _{i=1}^N}{\overrightarrow{F}}_i$.
• B. The largest individual force acting on the object.
• C. The force that always points in the direction of motion.
• D. The sum of the magnitudes of all forces acting on the object, regardless of direction.

Answer: (A)