When a parachute opens, the air exerts a large drag force on it. This upward force is initially greater than the weight of the sky diver and, thus, slows him down. Suppose the weight of the sky diver is 942 N and the drag force has a magnitude of 1045 N. The mass of the sky diver is 96.1 kg. What are the magnitude and direction of his acceleration?
Net force= mass*acceleration
using upward as the + direction,
1045-942= mass*a
To find the magnitude of the acceleration, we need to 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.
Net force = mass × acceleration
In this case, the net force is the difference between the weight of the skydiver and the drag force:
Net force = weight - drag force
Substituting the given values:
Net force = 942 N - 1045 N = -103 N
Since the acceleration is in the opposite direction of the net force, the acceleration is negative.
Now, we can calculate the magnitude of the acceleration by dividing the net force by the mass of the skydiver:
Acceleration = Net force / Mass
Acceleration = -103 N / 96.1 kg = -1.07 m/s^2
Therefore, the magnitude of the skydiver's acceleration is approximately 1.07 m/s^2, and its direction is downward since it is negative.