A car has a mass of 1500 kg. What is the direction and magnitude of the force that is required to accelerate the car at 4.5 meters per second squared to the east?
F = ma, same direction.
The force will be in Newtons.
A Newton is about 0.22 pounds
To calculate the force required to accelerate the car, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that force (F) is equal to mass (m) multiplied by acceleration (a).
In this case, the mass of the car is given as 1500 kg, and the acceleration is 4.5 m/s² to the east.
So, the equation becomes:
F = m * a
Substituting the given values:
F = 1500 kg * 4.5 m/s²
Calculating the product:
F = 6750 kg m/s²
The unit of force in the International System of Units (SI) is the newton (N). So, the magnitude of the force required to accelerate the car is 6750 N.
Since the acceleration is given as "to the east," the direction of the force required is also to the east.