Final answer:
To find the combined mass of the cart and its contents, we can use Newton's second law and the equations for acceleration and net force. By substituting the given values and solving for the combined mass, we find that it is approximately 83.33 kg.
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve this problem, we can use Newton's second law, which states that the net force acting on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration. In this case, the net force is the forward force applied to the cart, and the acceleration is the change in velocity divided by the distance traveled.
We can start by finding the acceleration of the cart using the equation:
acceleration = (final velocity - initial velocity) / distance
Substituting the given values:
acceleration = (1.98 m/s - 0 m/s) / 15 m = 0.132 m/s²
Next, we can use Newton's second law:
net force = mass * acceleration
Since the net force is the applied forward force and the mass is the combined mass of the cart and its contents, we can rearrange the equation to solve for the combined mass:
combined mass = net force / acceleration
Substituting the given values:
combined mass = 11 N / 0.132 m/s² = 83.33 kg
Therefore, the combined mass of the cart and its contents is approximately 83.33 kg.