Question

A 100kg shot putter is putting the 4kg shot in a track meet. just before release, the shot putter is in the air (feet off the ground). at this instant, the only force exerted against the shot is 800n of horizontal force directed forward. what is the shot putter’s horizontal acceleration at this point? what is the shot putter’s vertical acceleration at this point? what is the shot’s horizontal accerleration at this point? what is the shot’s vertical acceleration at this point?

Answer 1

The shot putter's horizontal acceleration is zero, and their vertical acceleration is 9.81 m/s² due to gravity. The shot's horizontal acceleration is 200 m/s² forward, and the vertical acceleration is also 9.81 m/s² downward due to gravity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question involves calculating the acceleration of both the shot putter and the shot based on the given forces and masses. The shot putter's horizontal acceleration can be found by using Newton's second law of motion, which states that the net force on an object is equal to the product of its mass and acceleration (F = ma). Since the shot putter is exerting a horizontal force and is in the air, there is no external horizontal force acting on them; thus, their horizontal acceleration is zero. However, their vertical acceleration, as well as the shot's vertical acceleration at that point, would be due to gravity, which is approximately 9.81 m/s² downward. The shot's horizontal acceleration can be calculated by dividing the horizontal force by the shot's mass (a = F/m), which gives us an acceleration of 200 m/s² forward.