What kind of force can accelerate an object?

An accelerating force is one that causes an object to change its velocity, which can happen in three ways: speeding up, slowing down, or changing direction. All the mentioned forces—friction, gravitational force, and magnetic force—are capable of causing acceleration.

Friction is the force that opposes the relative motion of two surfaces in contact. When a force is applied to an object, friction can affect how quickly that object accelerates. For instance, when you push a box, friction acts against that push, affecting the box's acceleration.

Gravitational force is the attraction between two masses. It causes objects to accelerate towards the centre of a mass, such as when an apple falls from a tree to the ground. The acceleration due to gravity on Earth is approximately 9.81 m/s², which means that all freely falling objects accelerate towards the ground at this rate.

Magnetic force arises from the interaction between magnets and magnetic materials. When a charged particle moves through a magnetic field, it experiences a magnetic force that can change its direction and speed, leading to acceleration.

Since all these forces can contribute to changing an object's velocity, the correct answer encompasses all of them, affirming that any of these forces can lead to acceleration under the