Question

A body is said to be in equilibrium if

• A. all forces act on it in the same direction
• B. it moves at a constant speed along a curved path
• C. it moves with a varying speed along a straight path
• D. no net force acts on it

Answer 1

The correct option is D

no net force acts on it

A body is said to be in equilibrium if no net force acts on it. This means all the forces acting on the body add up to zero. There are two cases in which a body can be in equilibrium:

1. When the body is at rest
2. When the body is moving at a constant speed without changing direction

If all the forces acting on an object are in the same direction, there will be a net force acting and the object can’t be in equilibrium. An object moving at a constant speed along a curved path continuously changes direction. Similarly, an object moving with a varying speed on a straight path keeps changing speed. Hence, the object can’t be in equilibrium in these cases.