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An 8.8 kg block on a horizontal frictionless surface is attached to an ideal massless spring. When the displacement is x=−1.8 m, find the acceleration of the block.

A) 6.6 m/s²
B) 4.9m/s²
C) 2.4m/s ²
D) 0m/s ²

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Without the spring constant, it is not possible to calculate the exact acceleration of the 8.8 kg block on a horizontal frictionless surface attached to an ideal massless spring when displaced by -1.8 m.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the acceleration of an 8.8 kg block attached to a massless spring when it is displaced by x = -1.8 m, we use Hooke's law and Newton's second law of motion. Hooke's Law states that the restoring force F of the spring is proportional to the displacement x, and is given by F = -kx, where k is the spring constant and the negative sign indicates that the force is restored in the opposite direction of displacement. By applying Newton's second law, F = ma, we can equate the restoring force to the mass times acceleration (ma = -kx). From this, we can derive the acceleration a as a = -kx/m.

To solve for the acceleration without the spring constant, we would not be able to calculate the exact value, so we cannot determine the correct answer between options A) 6.6 m/s², B) 4.9 m/s², C) 2.4 m/s², and D) 0 m/s². However, since the surface is frictionless and the spring is ideal and massless, we expect a non-zero acceleration. But without the spring constant, we cannot proceed with this calculation.

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