Question

A man pulls a 50 kg box at a constant speed across the floor. He applies a 200 N force at an angle of 30°.

a) The force applied has no effect on the box.
b) The box accelerates.
c) The box moves with constant velocity.
d) The box decelerates.

Answer 1

The box moves with constant velocity because the applied force is balanced by friction, leading to a net force of zero in the horizontal direction which, by Newton's first law, means it will maintain its state of motion.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a man pulls a 50 kg box at a constant speed across the floor with a force of 200 N at an angle of 30°, the correct option describing the motion of the box is that the box moves with constant velocity. This outcome directly relates to Newton's first law of motion, which states that an object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force.

Since the box is being pulled at a constant speed, we infer that the horizontal component of the pulling force is balanced by friction, resulting in a net force of zero in the horizontal direction and, as such, constant velocity.