Here's why:

* Balanced forces means the forces are equal in magnitude (strength) but opposite in direction. Imagine pushing a box with 10 Newtons of force to the right, while someone else pushes with 10 Newtons of force to the left.

* Net force is the overall force acting on an object. It's calculated by adding up all the forces acting on the object, taking into account their direction.

* Zero net force means the forces cancel each other out. In our box example, the 10 Newtons to the right and 10 Newtons to the left add up to zero.

Result: When the net force is zero, the object will either:

* Remain at rest if it was already stationary.

* Continue moving at a constant velocity if it was already in motion.

This is due to Newton's First Law of Motion, which states that an object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.