Question

A 6-kg bucket of water is being pulled straight up by a string at a constant speed. What is the force exerted by the string on the bucket?

(a) 60 N
(b) 70 N
(c) 80 N
(d) 90 N

Answer 1

The force exerted by the string on the bucket being pulled up at constant speed is equal to the weight of the bucket, which is the product of its mass (6 kg) and the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s²), resulting in approximately 60 N.

Step-by-step explanation:

The force exerted by the string on the bucket of water being pulled straight up at constant speed will be equal to the weight of the bucket, since there is no acceleration. The weight of the bucket can be found by multiplying the mass of the bucket by the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s²). Thus, the weight and the force exerted by the string would be:
Weight = mass × gravity


= 6 kg × 9.8 m/s²


= 58.8 N

Since the force is given in whole numbers and the closest option is 60 N, we can round up due to the effect of significant figures when dealing with real-life measurements. Therefore, the correct answer to the question is (a) 60 N.