Question

An astronaut of mass 90 kg walks in space outside her spaceship and receives a 45 N force from a nitrogen spurt gun for 1.2 seconds. Calculate the acceleration

Answer 1

The astronaut's acceleration, calculated using Newton's second law (F = ma), is 0.5 m/s^2 when subjected to a 45 N force for 1.2 seconds.

Step-by-step explanation:

An astronaut of mass 90 kg in space outside her spaceship receives a 45 N force from a nitrogen spurt gun for 1.2 seconds. To calculate the acceleration experienced by the astronaut, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that force equals mass times acceleration (F = ma). From this, we can rearrange the equation to solve for acceleration (a = F/m).

Using the given values: F = 45 N and m = 90 kg, the acceleration can be calculated as follows:

a = F/m

a = 45 N / 90 kg

a = 0.5 m/s2

Therefore, the astronaut's acceleration is 0.5 m/s2.