Final answer:
Patty's acceleration would be 4 m/s² when pushed by a 300N force across frictionless snow, as calculated using Newton's second law by dividing the force by the total mass of Patty and the sled.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked what Patty's acceleration would be if she, with a mass of 60kg, sits on a 15kg sled that Gus pushes with a force of 300N across snow with no friction. To find the acceleration, we use Newton's second law (F=ma), where the force (F) is equal to the mass (m) multiplied by the acceleration (a). Since there's no friction to oppose the motion, the total mass to consider is the sum of Patty's mass and the sled's mass (60kg + 15kg = 75kg). The equation to find the acceleration (a) is then a = F/m = 300N / 75kg. Thus, Patty's acceleration would be 4 m/s².