A skydiver weighing 840 N opens his parachute at the appropriate height from the ground. The air exerts a significant upward drag force, which is initially greater than the weight of the diver. This helps to slow the skydiver down. What is the diver's acceleration (both direction and magnitude) if the magnitude of the drag force is 1160 N?
magnitude m/s2
direction
-320 N
To determine the skydiver's acceleration, we need to consider the forces acting on the diver. We have the weight of the diver (840 N) acting downward and the drag force (1160 N) acting upward.
Since the drag force is initially greater than the weight, there will be a net upward force acting on the skydiver.
To find the acceleration, we can use Newton's second law, which states that the net force on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration:
Net force = mass x acceleration
In this case, the net force is the difference between the upward drag force and the weight:
Net force = Drag force - Weight
Substituting the values given:
Net force = 1160 N - 840 N
Net force = 320 N
Since the net force is acting in the upward direction and the mass of the skydiver is not given, we cannot determine the exact acceleration. However, we can calculate the magnitude of the acceleration by using Newton's second law:
a = Net force / mass
Without knowing the mass of the skydiver, we cannot calculate the exact magnitude of the acceleration.
To find the skydiver's 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 product of the mass of the object and its acceleration. In this case, the net force is the difference between the weight of the skydiver and the drag force.
First, let's convert the weight of the skydiver from Newtons (N) to kilograms (kg). We can do this by dividing the weight by the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2):
Weight = 840 N
Mass = Weight / Acceleration due to gravity = 840 N / 9.8 m/s^2
Next, we can calculate the net force:
Net Force = Weight - Drag Force = 840 N - 1160 N
Since the drag force is greater than the weight, the net force is negative, indicating that the acceleration will be in the upward direction.
Now, let's calculate the magnitude of the acceleration:
Net Force = Mass x Acceleration
840 N - 1160 N = (Mass) x (Acceleration)
To find the acceleration, we rearrange the formula:
Acceleration = (840 N - 1160 N) / (Mass)
Finally, we substitute the calculated mass into the equation to find the acceleration:
Acceleration = (840 N - 1160 N) / (Mass)
By plugging in the values, we can get the magnitude of the acceleration.