This key facts covers Resultant Force within Forces & Their Effects for GCSE Physics. Revise Forces & Their Effects in Forces for GCSE Physics with 25 exam-style questions and 11 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 5 of 13 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 5 of 13
Practice
25 questions
Recall
11 flashcards
🎯 Resultant Force
Definition: The single force that has the same effect as all the individual forces acting on an object combined.
For forces in a straight line:
- Same direction: ADD them
- Opposite directions: SUBTRACT (bigger − smaller)
- Direction is that of the larger force
Examples:
- 500 N forward + 200 N forward = 700 N forward
- 500 N forward + 300 N backward = 200 N forward
- 500 N up + 500 N down = 0 N (balanced)
Quick Check: A 5 kg object is on Earth where g = 10 N/kg. What is its weight?
Weight = m × g = 5 × 10 = 50 N. Remember: mass is 5 kg everywhere, but weight depends on the local gravitational field strength.