Educational worksheet for students to determine if forces are balanced or unbalanced in various everyday situations.

Here's the solution to the “Balanced and Unbalanced Forces” worksheet, with explanations for each scenario:

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1) The boy dropped a ball.
✔ Unbalanced

Explanation: When the ball is dropped, gravity pulls it downward. There’s no equal upward force to balance gravity (air resistance is usually much smaller at first), so the net force is downward — causing the ball to accelerate. This means the forces are unbalanced.

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2) A tower is sitting on a table.
✔ Balanced

Explanation: The tower is stationary. Gravity pulls it down, but the table pushes up with an equal force (normal force). Since the tower isn’t moving, the forces are balanced.

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3) The car is pushed on the floor.
✔ Unbalanced

Explanation: If the car is being *pushed* and starts moving (or changes speed/direction), then there’s a net force acting on it. Even if it moves at constant speed, friction might be balanced by the push — but the problem says “is pushed,” implying motion or change in motion. In most elementary contexts, “pushed” implies unbalanced forces causing motion. So we say unbalanced.

*(Note: If the car were moving at constant velocity with no acceleration, forces could be balanced — but the wording suggests active pushing, so unbalanced is correct here.)*

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4) Two children are fighting over a teddy bear. The teddy bear is not moving.
✔ Balanced

Explanation: Even though two children are pulling in opposite directions, the bear isn’t moving. That means the forces they apply are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction — canceling each other out. So the forces are balanced.

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5) The puzzle pieces are laying on the floor.
✔ Balanced

Explanation: The puzzle pieces are at rest. Gravity pulls them down, and the floor pushes up with an equal force. No motion = no net force → balanced forces.

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6) The blocks are knocked over and are falling to the floor.
✔ Unbalanced

Explanation: The blocks are falling — meaning they’re accelerating due to gravity. There’s no equal upward force stopping them (again, air resistance is negligible here), so the net force is downward → unbalanced forces.

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7) The girl is rocking on the horse.
✔ Unbalanced

Explanation: Rocking involves movement back and forth — changing direction and speed. This requires a net force to accelerate the girl and the horse at different points in the motion. Even if it looks smooth, physics tells us that any change in motion (acceleration) requires unbalanced forces.

*(Note: At the very top of each swing, for an instant, velocity is zero — but acceleration is still present. Overall, the motion is caused by unbalanced forces.)*

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✔ Final Answers:

1) Unbalanced
2) Balanced
3) Unbalanced
4) Balanced
5) Balanced
6) Unbalanced
7) Unbalanced

Let me know if you’d like a printable version or visual diagrams to go with this!