Below is a top-view diagram of a box sitting on a floor. Students
are asked to describe the path/motion of the box, assuming that the
forces remain constant.
The weight and the normal force will be
equal and opposite (since the box remains on the floor), so they
won't affect the box's motion. The box must be accelerating both to
the right and toward the top of the page, since it experiences a net
force with components in both of these directions. The box will
travel to the right as well as toward the top of the page. Note,
however, that since the rightward force is larger, it will speed up
faster to the right than in the upward direction. So it will travel
further rightward than upward.
Another way to think about this one, is to
consider that the two forces shown are components of one force that
points in the direction shown below. Thus we can see that the box
will travel in a straight line along this direction, accelerating as
it moves.
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