Final answer:
The acceleration a person can produce when pushing a lawnmower of mass 38.7 kg with a net external force of 51 N is approximately
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is likely asking how to calculate the acceleration a person can produce when pushing a lawnmower. To find the acceleration, 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 the object and inversely proportional to its mass (m), or a = F/m. Assuming the net external force acting on the lawnmower is the same as in the example provided (51 N parallel to the ground), and given the mass of this lawnmower is 38.7 kg, the acceleration is calculated by dividing the force by the mass, a = 51 N / 38.7 kg.
To complete the calculation: a = 51 N / 38.7 kg ≈ 1.32 m/s2. Therefore, the person is producing an acceleration of approximately 1.32 meters per second squared when they are pushing the lawnmower.