ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Parallel force system

Imagine you have a toy car that you want to push. Now, let's say that you and your friend are both pushing on the car at the same time, but you are pushing on the left side and your friend is pushing on the right side. This is called a parallel force system.

When two forces act on an object in the same direction, like in the case of the toy car, we say that they are parallel forces. In other words, they are moving in the same line or direction.

When you and your friend push on the toy car, you are creating a parallel force system. The total effect of your forces will be the same as if you were pushing on the same spot. The car will move forward in a straight line because the two forces are acting in the same direction.

Now let's say that instead of just two people pushing on the toy car, there are four people pushing on it. Two people are pushing on the left side and two people are pushing on the right side. The total effect of their forces will be even greater than the effect of just two people pushing.

In a parallel force system, the total force acting on an object is equal to the sum of all the forces acting on it. In other words, if you add up the force of each person pushing on the toy car, you will get the total force that is moving the car forward.

So, a parallel force system is when two or more forces act on an object in the same direction, and the total effect of their forces is equal to the sum of all the forces acting on it.