Question

A 1000 kg satellite needs to move to change course. It has two rocket motors. The rocket that pushes left puts out a force of 500 N and the rocket that pushes right puts out a force of 800 N. What is the acceleration of the rocket?

Answer 1

The acceleration of the satellite, calculated using Newton's second law, is 0.3 m/s^2, with the net force being 300 N after subtracting the opposed forces exerted by the two rocket motors.

Step-by-step explanation:

The acceleration of the satellite can be calculated using Newton's second law of motion, which states that the force applied to an object equals the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration (F = ma). In this case, there are two forces acting in opposite directions on the satellite. The net force can be found by subtracting the smaller force from the larger force, since they are in opposite directions.

The formula to calculate the acceleration (a) is:

a = F_net / m

Where F_net is the net force and m is the mass of the satellite. The forces are 800 N to the right and 500 N to the left, therefore:

F_net = 800 N - 500 N = 300 N

Now, we can calculate the acceleration of the satellite:

a = F_net / m = 300 N / 1000 kg = 0.3 m/s^2