Question

The wheels of a midsize car exert a force of 2100 , {N} backward on the road to accelerate the car in the forward direction. If the force of friction including air resistance is 250 , {N} and the acceleration of the car is 1.80 , {m/s}², what is the mass of the car plus its occupants? Explicitly show how you follow the steps in the ProblemSolving Strategy for Newton’s laws of motion. For this situation, draw a freebody diagram and write the net force equation.

What is the mass of the car plus its occupants?
a) 1000 , {kg}
b) 1200 , {kg}
c) 1400 , {kg}
d) 1600 , {kg}

Answer 1

To find the mass of the car plus its occupants, we can use Newton's second law of motion. The mass of the car plus its occupants is approximately 1166.67 kg.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the mass of the car plus its occupants, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that the net force on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration. We can start by drawing a free-body diagram, which includes all the forces acting on the car. In this case, there are two forces: the force exerted by the wheels (2100 N) and the force of friction (250 N).

The net force is the vector sum of the forces, which is equal to the mass of the car plus its occupants multiplied by the acceleration:

Net force = (Mass of car + occupants) * acceleration

We can rearrange this equation to solve for the mass:

Mass of car + occupants = Net force / acceleration

Substituting the values given in the question, we get:

Mass of car + occupants = (2100 N - 250 N) / 1.80 m/s2 = 1166.67 kg

Therefore, the mass of the car plus its occupants is approximately 1166.67 kg.