Answer:
, towards the ground
Step-by-step explanation:
For an object in free fall, the only force acting on it is the force of gravity. We can write it as
![F=mg](https://img.qammunity.org/2020/formulas/physics/high-school/53lyjh5vmjetaopu0fmpsubvfhdk09ivom.png)
where
F is called weight of the object
m is the mass of the object
g is the acceleration due to gravity
We can re-arrange the equation as
![g=(F)/(m)](https://img.qammunity.org/2020/formulas/physics/middle-school/1660105pqtbjr8wcus6w6k8ulnckuxx03q.png)
For the box in the problem, we know:
F = 4900 N
m = 500 kg
Therefore, we can find the value of g:
![g=(4900)/(500)=9.8 m/s^2](https://img.qammunity.org/2020/formulas/physics/middle-school/8bs4rrs94hx85ayya5cu9v23pp3t7z9jzu.png)
And the direction is the same as the force of gravity (downward).