According to Newton's first law of motion, what will happen to the motion of an object when acted upon by an unbalanced force?

According to **Newton's First Law of Motion**, also known as the **Law of Inertia**, an object will **maintain its current state of motion**—whether at rest or moving at a constant velocity—**unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force**. ### What Happens When an Unbalanced Force Acts on an Object: 1. **Change in Velocity (Acceleration):** - **Speed:** The object can speed up or slow down. - **Direction:** The object can change its direction of motion. - **Both:** The object can simultaneously change its speed and direction. 2. **Cause of Acceleration:** - The unbalanced force causes the object to accelerate in the direction of the applied force. According to Newton's **Second Law of Motion**, the acceleration (\(a\)) of an object is directly proportional to the net force (\(F\)) acting upon it and inversely proportional to its mass (\(m\)): \[ F = m \times a \] 3. **Examples:** - **Pushing a Stationary Car:** When you push a parked car (applying an unbalanced force), it starts moving from rest. - **Braking a Moving Vehicle:** Applying the brakes introduces an unbalanced force opposite to the car's motion, causing it to slow down. - **Changing Direction:** Steering a moving bicycle applies a lateral unbalanced force, changing its direction. ### Summary An **unbalanced force** disrupts the state of motion of an object, causing it to **accelerate**—which means altering its speed, direction, or both. Without such a force, the object would continue moving at a constant velocity, as dictated by Newton's First Law.