Seventy Miles an Hour and Zero Newtons (Physics Level 8)
Shownotes
We're going to find out why a thing can be moving fast and still have its forces add up to exactly nothing. Then we'll take that idea somewhere much scarier: a person falling out of a plane.
The listener can now say: resultant force = the forces in one direction minus the forces in the opposite direction, measured in newtons. If it's zero, the object stays still or keeps a steady speed. If it isn't zero, the speed, the direction or the shape changes. They can also explain how a falling person can have zero resultant force, and why a parachute works by unbalancing the forces on purpose.
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_velocity
- https://www.teachoo.com/10174/3050/Balanced-and-Unbalanced-Forces/category/Concepts/
- https://www.tes.com/en-us/teaching-resource/balanced-or-unbalanced-forces-tug-of-war-11080299
- https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/new-aqa-gcse-2016-physics-resultant-forces-12265672
- https://www.aakash.ac.in/important-concepts/physics/resultant-force
Source: Episode 3 - Physics Level 8, Balanced or Not? (3/17)
Style: Exam prep
Length: 1073 words, 6 min target
Generated: 2026-10-25