According to Newton's laws, if the net force on an object is balanced (i.e., $\sum F=0$), what is the resulting acceleration of the object?

• A. $a=9.8\frac{m}{s^2}$
• B. $a=\frac{F}{m}$
• C. $a=0$
• D. The acceleration is constant but not necessarily zero.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall Newton's second law of motion, which states that the net force acting on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration: \(\sum\ F = m \times a\).
2. Understand that if the net force \(\sum\ F\) on the object is balanced, it means \(\sum\ F = 0\).
3. Substitute \(\sum\ F = 0\) into Newton's second law equation: \(0 = m \times a\).
4. Since the mass \(m\) of the object is not zero, the only way for the equation \(0 = m \times a\) to hold true is if the acceleration \(a\) is zero.
5. Therefore, when the net force on an object is zero, the resulting acceleration of the object must be \(a = 0\), meaning the object either remains at rest or continues to move at a constant velocity.