if the acceleration of a body is zero, are no forces acting on it?
2006-10-19 07:06:06 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
NO! if you have a car going a constant speed (say with cruise control on - assuming a flat level ground) you are going a constant velocity - say 65 mph on an interstate for example. the car is not accelerating, and you could say that the acceleration is zero, but there are certainly forces keeping it going 65mph. Acceleration measures the CHANGE in velocity (particularly the increase in velocity because deceleration is the word used for a decrease in velocity)
Not to mention that what is already mentioned is also true, gravity & friction can be forces on an object even without acceleration
2006-10-19 07:26:09 · answer #1 · answered by bold_artistic_forgiven 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not necessarily. A body can experience force with no acceleration if the forces acting on it are exactly equal and operating in exactly opposite directions. Acceleration only happens if the forces are unbalanced. Your statement then should read "If the acceleration of a body is zero, there are no NET forces acting on it."
2006-10-19 14:47:13 · answer #2 · answered by briggs451 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
That is correct!
The sum of forces is equal to mass times acceleration. So if a=0 then sum of F=0.
So if a body does not move or if it moves with constant velocity, there are no forces acting on the body.
2006-10-19 14:19:58 · answer #3 · answered by Dr. J. 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If a body is not accelerating, that is, it is either stationary or is moving in a straight line at uniform speed, then there is no net force acting on it.
Just to elaborate on one of the strange answers that you got. If a 200lb man is sat on a chair, there is a 200lb force acting downwards on the chair. The chair is sat on the ground which is pushing up with a 200lb force and so the net force is zero.
It is obvious that f = ma applies to static as well as moving objects. If it did not, how would we ever get anything to move in the first place?
2006-10-19 14:51:22 · answer #4 · answered by Stewart H 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Force = Mass X Acceleration.
If Acceleration = 0, one might erroeously conclude that Force = 0.
However, if a 200 pound man sits on a chair, then there is indeed a force of 200 pounds being exerted on the chair. and the cahair of course is not moving nor accelerating.
F=ma applies to moving objects only.
2006-10-19 14:14:41 · answer #5 · answered by ironduke8159 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
sounds like it.
but acceleration measures the change in velocity, so zero means it's unchanged.
A body could still be in motion, due to a force setting it in motion but no longer acting upon it.
2006-10-19 14:13:54 · answer #6 · answered by kent_shakespear 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
if the accelleration of a body is zero, that simply means that the vector sum of all the forces acting on the body is zero.
2006-10-19 15:41:01 · answer #7 · answered by vish 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
negative......... acceleration is not connected with momentum a body already has. so, there will be atleast frictional force and gravitational force will be acting.
2006-10-19 14:12:50 · answer #8 · answered by amit v 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Gravity will be, no matter what. Gravity is always present, anywhere in the universe, no matter what, however small or far away the object is from the nearest other body. Gravity in some degree is inescapable.
2006-10-19 14:13:54 · answer #9 · answered by Psychedelico 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋