For an object at rest to remain at rest, what condition must be true?

For an object at rest to remain at rest, the condition that must hold true is that the net force acting on it is zero. This follows from Newton's first law of motion, which states that an object at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by a net external force. In this context, "net force" refers to the vector sum of all forces acting on the object. If the net force is zero, it means that all forces balance each other out, resulting in no acceleration; thus, the object stays in its state of rest.

When the net force is zero, the object experiences no change in motion. This principle is fundamental in understanding static equilibrium, where all acting forces are balanced. For instance, if you have a book resting on a table, the gravitational force pulling it down is balanced by the normal force from the table pushing it up, resulting in a net force of zero.

In contrast, if the net force is constant and nonzero, the object would not remain at rest but would instead accelerate in the direction of the net force. Similarly, having no forces acting on the object at all is not a necessary condition; the object can still be at rest with multiple balanced forces acting on it. Lastly, the presence