Question

A force of 20 N is applied from left to right on a block with a mass of 5.0 kilograms. What is the acceleration of the block? Select one: 25 m/s2 to the right. 20 m/s2 to the right. 100 m/s2 to the right. 4 m/s2 to the right.

Answer 1

The acceleration of the block is found using Newton's second law of motion (F = m * a), and for a force of 20 N applied to a block of mass 5.0 kg, the acceleration is 4 m/s² to the right.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the acceleration of a block when a known force is applied, we can use Newton's second law of motion which states that the force F acting on an object is equal to the mass m of the object multiplied by the acceleration a: F = m * a. In this case, the force applied is 20 N, and the mass of the block is 5.0 kilograms. To find the acceleration, we rearrange the formula: a = F / m, which gives us a = 20 N / 5.0 kg.

Calculating this, we find that the acceleration is 4 m/s². Therefore, the block will accelerate at 4 m/s² to the right since force and acceleration are vector quantities and will have the same direction.

Answer 2

4 m/s^2 to the right