What is the term for an additional force that exactly balances a resultant force?

What is the term for an additional force that exactly balances a resultant force?

• A. Equilibrant
• B. Reactant
• C. Buoyant
• D. Reverse effective force

Answer: (A)

Balancing forces to reach translational equilibrium is the idea here. When you sum all forces acting on a body, you get a resultant. The force that would exactly counteract that resultant—having the same magnitude but opposite direction—is the equilibrant. It’s the force you would apply to bring the net force to zero, stopping any translation. If the resultant is already zero, the equilibrant is also zero (no extra force needed). Other terms like reactant, buoyant, or reverse effective force don’t describe a force that balances the entire force system, so they don’t fit this concept.

Balancing forces to reach translational equilibrium is the idea here. When you sum all forces acting on a body, you get a resultant. The force that would exactly counteract that resultant—having the same magnitude but opposite direction—is the equilibrant. It’s the force you would apply to bring the net force to zero, stopping any translation. If the resultant is already zero, the equilibrant is also zero (no extra force needed). Other terms like reactant, buoyant, or reverse effective force don’t describe a force that balances the entire force system, so they don’t fit this concept.