Question

A 35 kg child dives on a sled with a force of 200 N. Ignoring the mass of the sled and the effects of friction, calculate the acceleration of the child. Report your numerical answer to the nearest tenth and include units.

A) 5.7 m/s²
B) 6.0 m/s²
C) 5.0 m/s²
D) 5.5 m/s²

Answer 1

Using Newton's second law, acceleration is calculated as force divided by mass. With a force of 200 N and a mass of 35 kg, the acceleration of the child on the sled is 5.7 m/s².

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the acceleration of the child on the sled, we use Newton's second law of motion, which states that the acceleration a of an object is directly proportional to the net force F acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass m, summed up as a = F/m. Here, we have a net force of 200 N acting on a 35 kg child.

As there is no friction and we ignore the sled's mass, the calculation becomes straightforward:

• Force (F) = 200 N
• Mass (m) = 35 kg
• Acceleration (a) = F / m = 200 N / 35 kg

Acceleration = 5.7 m/s²

Thus, the correct answer is A) 5.7 m/s².