Question

if the net force on an object is zero, newtons first law states which of the following? the object must be moving at a constant velocity or at rest the object will always speed up the object will always slow down the object will move in a circle

Explanation:

Newton's First Law (Law of Inertia) states that an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. When the net force on an object is zero (balanced forces), there is no acceleration. If there is no acceleration, the object's velocity does not change. A constant velocity can be \(v = 0\) (at rest) or \(v=\text{constant}
eq0\) (moving with constant speed in a straight - line path).

• The option "The object will always speed up" is wrong because speeding up implies positive acceleration (\(a>0\)) which requires a non - zero net force (\(F = ma\), \(m

eq0\)).

• The option "The object will always slow down" is wrong because slowing down implies negative acceleration (\(a < 0\)) which also requires a non - zero net force.
• The option "The object will move in a circle" is wrong. Moving in a circle requires a centripetal force (\(F_c=\frac{mv^{2}}{r}\)) which is a non - zero net force directed towards the center of the circle.

Answer:

The object must be moving at a constant velocity or at rest.