Question

Is the statement “An object always moves in the direction of the net force acting on it” true or false? Explain.

Short answer

The statement is false.

Step-by-step solution

Step-1 Given Information :

Given a statement “An object always moves in the direction of the net force acting on it”.

We need to determine whether the statement is true or false .

Step-2 Simplification :

When we apply a force on an object, it makes the object accelerating, that's what is Newton's law states where the acceleration is inversely proportional to the object's mass while it is directly proportional to the applied force $F$and this force is given by equation (5.3) in the form

${\overrightarrow{F}}_{\text{net}}=m\overrightarrow{a}$ ...(1)

Where $m$is the mass of the object while $a$is the acceleration.

When an object moves with a certain velocity then it slows down. the net force will change its direction to become in the opposite direction of the motion to stop the object. The acceleration will be in the same direction as the net force and decelerates the object.

Hence, the statement is false and the net force could be in the direction of the motion or in an opposite direction.