Question

A 82 kg sled is pulled by a 128 N force at an angle of 60 degrees above the horizontal. The frictional force on the sled is 35 Newtons.

Find the acceleration of the sled in the horizontal direction.

Answer 1

The acceleration of the sled in the horizontal direction is 0.35 m/s^2.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the acceleration of the sled in the horizontal direction, we need to resolve the pulling force into its horizontal component. The horizontal component can be calculated using the equation:

F_horizontal = F * cos(theta)

where F is the magnitude of the pulling force and theta is the angle above the horizontal. Plugging in the given values, we get:

F_horizontal = 128 N * cos(60 degrees) = 128 N * 0.5 = 64 N

Next, we need to calculate the net force in the horizontal direction. The net force is given by:

F_net = F_horizontal - frictional force = 64 N - 35 N = 29 N

Finally, we can calculate the acceleration using Newton's second law:

a = F_net / m = 29 N / 82 kg = 0.35 m/s^2