Question

A sled of mass 50 kg has four identical rockets attached to it. If each rocket exerts a force of 100 N, what is the sled's acceleration?

a) 25 m/s²
b) 50 m/s²
c) 12.5 m/s²
d) 100 m/s²

Answer 1

The sled's acceleration can be found by using Newton's second law of motion, which relates the net force acting on an object to its mass and acceleration. By calculating the net force and rearranging the equation, we can determine the sled's acceleration to be 7 m/s².

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the sled's acceleration, we can use Newton's second law of motion, 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 sum of the forces exerted by the rockets and the force of friction.

The net force can be calculated as:

Net force = (4 * thrust) - friction force

Substituting the given values:

Net force = (4 * 100 N) - 650 N = 350 N

Now, we can use Newton's second law to calculate the acceleration:

Net force = mass * acceleration

Solving for acceleration:

350 N = 50 kg * acceleration

acceleration = 350 N / 50 kg = 7 m/s²

Therefore, the sled's acceleration is 7 m/s².