Final answer:
The apple's acceleration is 9.8 m/s², which is the standard acceleration due to gravity on Earth. This indicates that the apple is in free fall, with its weight providing the downward force causing the acceleration.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the acceleration of the apple, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that the force acting on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration (F = ma). Given that the force is 17.64 Newtons and the mass of the apple is 1.8 kg, we can rearrange the formula to solve for acceleration (a = F/m).
Acceleration = Force / Mass = 17.64 N / 1.8 kg = 9.8 m/s².
The calculated acceleration is 9.8 m/s², which is the standard acceleration due to gravity on Earth. This shows that the apple is in free fall, accelerating at the standard rate due to gravity, without considering air resistance.