Question

A football punter accelerates a football from rest to a speed of 10m/sec during the time in which his toe is in contact with the ball (about 0.2 sec). If the football has a mass of 0.5 kg, what average force does the punter exert on the ball?

Answer 1

The average force that the punter exert on the ball is 25 N.

Step-by-step explanation:

The force acting on the ball is equal to its mass times its acceleration: F=ma

You can find the acceleration using the velocity and the time given by the problem, i is for initial and f is for final:

`a=(v_f-v_i)/(t_f-t_i)`

From the problem, you now that v_i=0 because the ball was at rest, and t_f-t_i is equal to 0.2 s.

`a=(10m/s)/(0.2s)\\a=50 m/s^2`

Now that you know the acceleration, you can replace the value in the formula for the force:

`F=ma=0.5 kg * 50 m/s^2`

F=25 N

The force is 25 Newtons, which is the unit to measure the force.