What do Forces Do?

The What Do Forces Do? (Balanced vs. Unbalanced Forces) Video Tutorial explains the effect of forces upon the motion of objects. The role of balanced and unbalanced forces is discussed. The various representations - force diagrams, dot diagrams, p-t graphs, and v-t graphs for stationary, constant speed, speeding up, and slowing down motions are associated with each other.

The video lesson answers the following questions:

In what way do forces affect the motion of an object?
What do the force diagrams look like for speeding up and for slowing down objects?

Video

You can watch the video below, or click here to watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab).

To improve the effectiveness of the learning experience, The Physics Classroom has provided the following tools:

Additional and Related Learning Tools

Balanced vs. Unbalanced Forces Concept Builder
Students love Concept Builders. They provide a great way to solidify your learning on a topic. This one on Balanced vs. Unbalanced forces will help you associate the force diagram with the described motion of the object.

Which One Doesn't Belong (Newton's Laws) Concept Builder
Do Physics while you play the classic game of One of these things is not like the other ... which one doesn't belong? Given three, four or five representations of a motion, you must identify which one doesn't correspond with the other ones.

Force and Motion Concept Builder
The forces acting upon an object are described by a force diagram and you must determine what the resulting motion could be. Put your thinking cap on and prepare to discard any erroneous ideas you have about force and motion.

Physics Classroom Tutorial - Newton's Laws Chapter, Lesson 1
Our Physics Classroom Tutorial has a proven record of explaining hard-to-understand concepts in an easy-to-understand language. Lesson 1 of the Newton's Laws chapter provides exceptional support to this video lesson.

Teacher Resources

Teacher Toolkits: Newton's First Law
Teacher Toolkits provide teachers a collection of annotated links to vetted resources on the internet that are standards-based and multimedia reliant. This particular Toolkit is on Newton's First Law and should assist a teacher in finding resources for planning lessons that are next steps to this video.

Curriculum Corner: Newton's Laws Chapter
The Curriculum Corner provides classroom-ready Think Sheets that fuel great in-class discussions. The think sheets on

Preconceptions
and the one on

Balanced vs. Unbalanced Forces
might be great follow-ups to this video tutorial.

Physics Interactive: The Rocket Sledder
Out Interactives section provides short simulations that allow students to manipulate a variable and observe its impact upon a motion. This one is perfect for helping students view the connection between force and motion. It comes with a classroom-ready activity sheet.

Balanced vs. Unbalanced Forces Concept Builder
When you watch students doing Concept Builders in your classroom, you realize how much they love them. This one on Balanced vs. Unbalanced forces will help students associate the force diagram with the described motion of the object.

Which One Doesn't Belong (Newton's Laws) Concept Builder
Concept Builders provide a great way for students to solidify their learning on a topic. This one is modeled after the classic game of One of these things is not like the other ... which one doesn't belong? Given three, four or five representations of a motion, students must identify which one doesn't correspond with the other ones.

Force and Motion Concept Builder
Another helpful Concept Builder. The forces acting upon an object are described by a force diagram and students must determine what the resulting motion could be. Put your thinking cap on and prepare to discard any erroneous ideas you have about force and motion.

Lesson Notes

Download (opens in a new tab) or view below

Slides

Do you like the slides we used? They are available in our low cost Teacher Presentation Pack, along with other updated materials used in our presentation.