2. Two cart A and B has a mass of 30kg and 60kg respectively. Calculate the acceleration of each cart if a force of 15N is applied? Guide Questions: a. Which of the two cart has a greater acceleration? Why? b. How does the mass affect the acceleration?
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Answer:
Cart #2 has the greatest acceleration. Recall that acceleration depends on force and mass. They each have the same mass, yet cart #2 has the greater force.
Explanation:
If you increase the mass at a given force the rate of acceleration slows. Therefore, mass is inversely proportional to acceleration
This equation for acceleration can be used to calculate the acceleration of an object that is acted on by a net force. For example, Zeke and his scooter have a total mass of 50 kilograms. Assume that the net force acting on Zeke and the skateboard is 25 Newtons. What is his acceleration? Substitute the relevant values into the equation for acceleration:
The Newton is the SI unit for force. It is defined as the force needed to cause a 1-kilogram mass to accelerate at 1 m/s2. Therefore, force can also be expressed in the unit kg • m/s2. This way of expressing force can be substituted for Newtons in Zeke's acceleration so the answer is expressed in the SI unit for acceleration, which is m/s2: