Final answer:
The ship's speed would increase by 3 m/s after 10 minutes of sailing due to the force of 1.50 N acting on its sail, with the force being the only force acting on the 300 kg ship.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate by how much a ship's speed would increase after 10 minutes of sailing due to a force on its sail, we must first use Newton's second law of motion and the definition of acceleration.
The force (F) in this case is 1.50 newtons, and the mass (m) of the ship is 300 kg. Using the formula F = ma, where a is acceleration, we get a = F/m. Thus, the acceleration of the ship is a = 1.50 N / 300 kg = 0.005 m/s².
Now, to find the change in speed (Δv), we use the formula Δv = a*t, where t is the time in seconds. Since the ship sails for 10 minutes, we need to convert this to seconds: t = 10 min * 60 s/min = 600 s. With the acceleration and time, the change in speed is Δv = 0.005 m/s² * 600 s = 3 m/s.
Therefore, the ship's speed would increase by 3 m/s after 10 minutes of sailing if the force on the sail was the only force acting on it. The correct answer to the question is D) 3 m/s.