You're right to question this! It's a common misconception that an object will move when forces are equal and opposite. Here's why that's not true:

Newton's First Law: The Law of Inertia

* Objects at rest stay at rest, and objects in motion stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

What happens when forces are equal and opposite?

* Net Force = 0: When forces are equal and opposite, they cancel each other out. This means the net force acting on the object is zero.

* No Acceleration: Since the net force is zero, the object won't accelerate. This means it will either stay at rest (if it was already at rest) or continue moving at a constant velocity (if it was already moving).

Example:

Imagine pushing a box with 10 Newtons of force to the right. If someone else pushes the box with 10 Newtons of force to the left, the box will not move. The forces are equal and opposite, resulting in a net force of zero.

Key Point:

It's not the presence of forces that causes motion, but rather the *unbalanced* force (or net force) that determines the motion of an object.

Let me know if you have any more questions!