Final answer:
The force needed to accelerate the box at 8 m/s^2 is 800 N, calculated using Newton's second law by first determining the mass of the box with the provided information and then using that mass to find the required force.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the force needed to cause the box to accelerate at 8 m/s2, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that force (F) is equal to mass (m) times acceleration (a), F = ma. Since we know the box accelerates at 0.5 m/s2 with a force of 50 N, we can first calculate the mass of the box as follows:
m = F / a = 50 N / 0.5 m/s2 = 100 kg.
Using the determined mass, we can calculate the force needed for an acceleration of 8 m/s2:
F = ma = (100 kg)(8 m/s2) = 800 N.
Therefore, a force of 800 N is needed to accelerate the box at 8 m/s2.