Final answer:
To calculate the rate of acceleration for the two water-skiers, we add their masses (109 kg) and then apply Newton's second law using the given net force of 290 N to find an acceleration of approximately 2.66 m/s².
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question involves calculating the rate of acceleration of two water-skiers with masses of 48 kg and 61 kg, who are being towed by the same boat. Given the net force exerted on the skiers by the rope is 290 N, we can use Newton's second law of motion to determine the acceleration. Newton's second law states that the force applied to an object equals its mass times its acceleration (F = ma).
First, we need to find the total mass of the two skiers: 48 kg + 61 kg = 109 kg. Then, we use the formula to calculate acceleration (a = F/m), where F is the net force and m is the total mass of the skiers:
a = 290 N / 109 kg = 2.66 m/s² (rounded to two decimal places).
Therefore, the skiers will accelerate at a rate of approximately 2.66 meters per second squared.