Question

A tow truck exerts a net horizontal force of 1050 N on a 760-kg car. What is the acceleration of the car during this time?

A) 0.72 m/s2 horizontally
B) 1.4 m/s2 horizontally
C) 0.72 newtons vertically
D) 1.4 newtons vertically

Answer 1

We can solve the problem by using Newton's second law of motion:

`F=ma`
where
F is the net force applied to the object
m is the object's mass
a is the acceleration of the object

In this problem, the force applied to the car is F=1050 N, while the mass of the car is m=760 kg. Therefore, we can rearrange the equation and put these numbers in, in order to find the acceleration of the car:

`a= (F)/(m)= (1050 N)/(760 kg)=1.4 m/s^2`

The equation also tells us that the acceleration and the force have same directions: therefore, since the force exerted on the car is horizontal, the correct answer is
B) 1.4 m/s2 horizontally.