Question

How fast will an object with a mass of `15 kg` accelerate if a force of `40 N` is constantly applied to it?

Answer 1

The acceleration of the object is `2.67 m/s^2` [forward].

Explanation:

Before we solve this question, we have to assume something.

1. The force of friction, `F_"F"`, will be ignored.

2. No direction is specified, however, a force is applied to the object. The movement produced will be referred to as motion in a positive direction.

The formula we are using is: `F_"NET" = ma`
=> where `F_"NET"` is the net force in `N`, `m` is the mass in `kg`, and `a` is the acceleration in `m/s^2`.

If we ignore friction, the only force is the applied force, `F_"A"`. Thus `F_"NET" = F_"A"`.

We can rearrange the equation `F_"NET" = ma`, to get `a`
=> `a=F_"NET"/m`

`a=F_"NET"/m`

`=40/15`

`=2.67`

Therefore, the acceleration of the object is `2.67 m/s^2` [forward].

Hope this helps :)