Question

You push a shopping cart filled with groceries (total mass = 20 kg) by applying a force to the cart 30° from the horizontal. if the force you apply has a magnitude of 86 n, what is the cart's acceleration? assume negligible friction.

Answer 1

Refer to the diagram shown below.

The horizontal component of force acting on the cart is
86 cos(30) = 74.478 N

If the cart's acceleration is a, then (with friction ignored)
(20 kg)*(a m/s²) = 74.478 N
a = 74.478/20 = 3.724 m/s²

Answer: 3.724 m/s²