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Knowledge and Skills Statement

Force, motion, and energy. The student knows the nature of forces and their role in systems that experience stability or change.

The cart on the top has two arrows to the right of it. The first arrow is assigned a value of 60 N and the second arrow is assigned a value of 30 N. Below the cart, it indicates that adding the two forces together equals 90 N to the right. The cart on the bottom shows an arrow to the left equaling 10 N and an arrow to the right equaling 30 N of force. Below the cart it indicates that adding the two forces together equals 20 N of force to the right. 

The cart on the top has two arrows to the right of it. The first arrow is assigned a value of 60 N and the second arrow is assigned a value of 30 N. Below the cart, it indicates that adding the two forces together equals 90 N to the right. The cart on the bottom shows an arrow to the left equaling 10 N and an arrow to the right equaling 30 N of force. Below the cart it indicates that adding the two forces together equals 20 N of force to the right.

Qwertyxp2000, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

 

forces acting on an object within a system that cancel each other out, providing a net force of zero on an object within the system; will not cause a change in motion or cause acceleration

the sum of all the forces acting on an object within a system; includes both magnitude and direction

regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole

forces acting on an object within a system that do not cancel each other out or add up to zero, producing a net force; will cause acceleration (a change in motion) in the direction of the unbalanced force

Research

Bobrowsky, Matt. “SCIENCE 101 Background Booster for Elementary Teachers: Q: Does a Force on an Object Always Result in Motion?” Science and Children 57, no. 2 (2019): 77–79. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26901523.

Summary: Forces can be described by their strength and direction.  This article assists in understanding the directionality and strength needed for a change in motion and provides examples for classroom use.