Question

A rocket with a mass m is launched. It accelerates upward. The free body diagram below shows the upward thrust and the force of gravity acting on the rocket. to apply newtons second law, the net force is required which of the following is a true representation of the net force acting on the rocket as it accelerates select all that apply.

A) mg
B) Fthrust-mg
C) ma
D) Fthrust

Answer 1

The net force on an accelerating rocket, represented as ma (Newton's second law), is given by the equation Fthrust - mg, where Fthrust is the rocket's thrust and mg is the gravitational force. Therefore, the correct option is B.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the net force acting on a rocket as it accelerates upward, we must consider the forces shown in the free body diagram. The upward force is the thrust of the rocket (Fthrust), and the downward force is the force of gravity, which can be denoted as mg (mass of the rocket times the acceleration due to gravity).

According to Newton's second law, net force can be represented as the mass of the object (m) times its acceleration (a), or Fnet = ma. Therefore, to find the net force acting on the rocket, we subtract the force of gravity from the total upward thrust: Fthrust - mg.

This yields the net force that accelerates the rocket upward. Since thrust must overcome gravity to result in upward acceleration, the correct expressions for the net force should reflect this subtraction. Hence, the accurate representations of the net force on the rocket would be Fthrust - mg and ma assuming a is the resultant acceleration after overcoming gravity.