How much force is needed to accelerate a 50-kg rider and her 250-kg motorcycle at 5 m/s2?
To calculate the force needed to accelerate the rider and motorcycle, you can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that force (F) is equal to mass (m) multiplied by acceleration (a).
Given:
Mass of the rider (m1) = 50 kg
Mass of the motorcycle (m2) = 250 kg
Acceleration (a) = 5 m/s^2
To find the total force (F) needed to accelerate both the rider and motorcycle, you need to calculate the sum of the individual forces acting on each object.
Step 1: Calculate the individual forces:
- Force on the rider (F1) = m1 * a = 50 kg * 5 m/s^2 = 250 N
- Force on the motorcycle (F2) = m2 * a = 250 kg * 5 m/s^2 = 1250 N
Step 2: Calculate the total force:
- Total force (F) = F1 + F2 = 250 N + 1250 N = 1500 N
Therefore, the force needed to accelerate the rider and motorcycle at 5 m/s^2 is 1500 Newtons (N).