Final answer:
The minimum force required to push a 5kg toy car on a table with 0.5 m/s² acceleration and a friction coefficient of 0.4 is 22.1 N, which includes overcoming both the frictional force (19.6 N) and the force needed for the desired acceleration (2.5 N).
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the minimum force needed to move the toy car, we need to consider Newton's second law, which states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net external force acting on the object and inversely proportional to its mass, and can be calculated with the formula F = ma, where F is the force, m is the mass, and a is the acceleration.
Additionally, we should account for the force of friction, which can be calculated using the coefficient of friction (μ) and the normal force (in this case, the weight of the car due to gravity), using the formula Ffriction = μ * m * g, where g is the acceleration due to gravity.
For a toy car with a mass of 5 kg, sliding on a table with an acceleration of 0.5 m/s² and a coefficient of friction of 0.4, the minimum force needed to move the car can be calculated as follows:
- Calculate the force of friction: Ffriction = 0.4 * 5 kg * 9.8 m/s² = 19.6 N.
- Calculate the net force needed for acceleration: Fnet = 5 kg * 0.5 m/s² = 2.5 N.
- Add them together to get the minimum force: Minimum Force = Fnet + Ffriction =
2.5 N + 19.6 N
= 22.1 N.
Therefore, you must push with a force of at least 22.1 N to move the toy car.