Question

A bus is traveling down the road at 15.2 m/sec. In 8.25 seconds, the bus, which has a mass of 2480 kg, comes to a complete stop. What was the force applied to the bus to stop it?

A) 3,758.8 N
B) 4,096 N
C) 5,556 N
D) 6,180 N

Answer 1

To stop the bus in 8.25 seconds, a force of approximately 4,096 Newtons was applied. This was calculated using the mass of the bus (2,480 kg) and the negative acceleration experienced during the deceleration process, emphasizing the magnitude of force needed to bring the bus to a complete stop.

Step-by-step explanation:

To bring the bus to a stop, a force of approximately 4,096 Newtons was applied. This force was determined by considering the mass of the bus, which is 2,480 kilograms, and the time it took for the bus to come to a complete stop, which was 8.25 seconds. The negative sign in the force value indicates that the force acted in the opposite direction of the bus's initial motion. Newton's second law, which relates force, mass, and acceleration, was utilized for this calculation. The negative acceleration of approximately 1.84 meters per second squared was derived from the change in velocity during the stopping period. The result, 4,096 Newtons, signifies the magnitude of the force required to decelerate and halt the moving bus.