A 1.9 kg otter starts from rest at the top of a muddy incline 84.1 cm long and slides down to the bottom in 0.60 s.
What net external force acts on the otter along the incline?
Answer in units of N.
d = 0.5at^2 = 0.841m.
0.5a(0.6)^2 = 0.841,
0.18a = 0.841,
a = 0.841 / 0.18 = 4.67.2m/s^2.
F = ma = 1.9 * 4.67 = 8.88N.
To find the net external force acting on the otter along the incline, 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.
1. First, let's calculate the acceleration of the otter along the incline using the equation of motion:
s = ut + 0.5at^2
where s is the displacement along the incline, u is the initial velocity (which is zero in this case), a is the acceleration, and t is the time.
Since the otter starts from rest, the equation simplifies to:
s = 0.5at^2
Rearranging the equation to solve for acceleration (a):
a = 2s/t^2
Substituting the given values:
s = 84.1 cm = 0.841 m
t = 0.60 s
a = 2 * 0.841 m / (0.60 s)^2
a ≈ 2.95 m/s^2
2. Now that we have the acceleration, we can find the net external force using Newton's second law:
Fnet = ma
Substituting the given mass and acceleration:
m = 1.9 kg
a = 2.95 m/s^2
Fnet = 1.9 kg * 2.95 m/s^2
Fnet ≈ 5.61 N
Therefore, the net external force acting on the otter along the incline is approximately 5.61 N.