Final answer:
The question pertains to calculating the acceleration of a flea subjected to both gravitational force and a breeze, using Newton's second law of motion and considering both horizontal and vertical forces.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student has presented a physics problem where a flea is subjected to forces and experiences acceleration. To find the magnitude and direction of the acceleration, we use Newton's second law of motion, which states F = ma, where F is the net force on the flea, m is the mass of the flea, and a is the acceleration of the flea. Given the mass of the flea (6.00 × 10-7 kg) and the forces it experiences (1.20 × 10-5 N downward and 0.500 × 10-6 N horizontal), we must also include the force of gravity acting on the flea, which is the product of the flea's mass and the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.81 m/s2).
To find the net force in the horizontal direction, we simply use the horizontal force given, since there are no other horizontal forces mentioned. The vertical forces include the force exerted by the flea and its weight, which is the product of its mass and the acceleration due to gravity. The net vertical force is the difference between the upward and downward forces (the force exerted by the flea minus the weight). Once these net forces are calculated, the acceleration can be found by rearranging Newton's second law to a = F/m.
To find the direction, we consider that the horizontal acceleration will be along the direction of the breeze, and the vertical acceleration will be upwards since the flea jumps against gravity. The actual direction can be represented as an angle or a vector.