Public School, Deer Creek Minnesota, 1918 LakesnWoods.com Postcard and Postcard Image Collection - click image to enlarge Aerial view, Deer Creek Minnesota, 1972
Whenever work is done upon an object by an external force, there will be a change in the total mechanical energy of the object. If only internal forces are doing work (no work done by external forces), there is no change in total mechanical energy; the total mechanical energy is said to be conserved.
Two or more forces exerted on an object are balanced if their effects cancel each other, and they do not cause a change in the object's motion. If the forces on an object are balanced, the net force is zero. If the forces are unbalanced forces, the effects don't cancel each other. Any time the forces acting on an object are unbalanced, the net force is not zero, and the motion of the object changes.