What is net force?

Net force refers to the total force acting on an object after considering all other individual forces that may be acting on it, such as friction, tension, and gravity. It is the vector sum of all forces, meaning both the magnitude and the direction of each force are taken into account.

When multiple forces are acting on an object, they can either add together to increase the net force or counteract each other to decrease it. This net force determines the object's acceleration according to Newton's second law of motion, which states that the force equals mass times acceleration (F = ma). Therefore, understanding net force is crucial for predicting how an object will move in response to the forces acting upon it.

In contrast to the other options, net force is not limited to only gravity, does not refer to resistance faced by a moving object, nor is it specific to the force applied by a machine. Each of those options describes different types of forces or effects that can influence net force, rather than defining what net force itself is.