Why things keep moving or stay still (balanced and unbalanced forces)

Answer Key - Grade 8 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Force arrow diagram, one dimension, arrows drawn to scale by size. Box A: push 1 25 N pointing right; push 2 15 N pointing right; friction ? pointing left. Beside it: moving right at a steady speed.

2. 1.

   Ari and a friend push a box of books to the right at a steady speed. How strong is the friction?

   40 N

3. Use this

   Force arrow diagram, one dimension, arrows drawn to scale by size. Box A: push 1 30 N pointing right; push 2 18 N pointing right; friction ? pointing left. Beside it: moving right at a steady speed.

4. 2.

   Bo and a cousin push a big box of toys to the right at a steady speed. How strong is the friction?

   48 N

5. Use this

   Force arrow diagram, one dimension, arrows drawn to scale by size. Box A: push 1 22 N pointing right; push 2 14 N pointing right; friction ? pointing left. Beside it: moving right at a steady speed.

6. 3.

   Esme and a friend push a sled to the right across flat snow at a steady speed. How strong is the friction?

   36 N
7. 4.

   A hockey puck glides across smooth ice at a steady 4 m/s. Jun says a forward force must keep pushing it. Agree or disagree?

   • Agree: without a push it would stop
   • Disagree: no net force is needed to keep moving
   • Agree: the force of inertia pushes it
   • Disagree: the ice pushes it forward
8. 5.

   A space probe far from any planet coasts with its engine off. Kira says it will slow down and stop. Agree or disagree?

   • Agree: its engine push ran out
   • Disagree: inertia is a force pushing it on
   • Disagree: with no net force it keeps coasting
   • Agree: everything stops in the end
9. 6.

   An ice skater glides at 3 m/s with friction and air draw a line almost zero. Luz says the skater keeps gliding. Agree or disagree?

   • Agree: a force of inertia carries the skater
   • Disagree: gliding needs a push
   • Agree: nothing changes the motion
   • Disagree: the skater must speed up
10. 7.

    Milo pulls a wagon of books; the wagon bumps a curb and stops. The books slide forward. Why?

    • They have inertia because they move fast
    • A force called inertia pushes them forward
    • The wagon's pull is still inside them
    • They keep moving; nothing stopped them yet
11. 8.

    Pia carries an empty cup and a full cup of water and stops suddenly. Which is harder to stop?

    • Both, since inertia pushes them equally
    • Neither, since stopping takes no force
    • The empty cup, since it moves faster
    • The full cup, since it has more mass
12. 9.

    Ren stops pushing a rolling cart. Now only friction acts. What happens to the cart?

    • It keeps 2 m/s, since forces balance
    • It rolls back to the left
    • It slows down bit by bit
    • It stops at once, with no push
13. 10.

    Force arrow diagram, one dimension, arrows drawn to scale by size. Tala shoves a box to get it moving, then pushes with exactly 10 N to match friction. What happens next?

    • It keeps moving at 1 m/s
    • It slows, since 10 N is not extra push
    • It stops, since balanced means still
    • It speeds up to the right