A hummingbird hovers motionless beside a flower. You can observe that the wings are moving rapidly up and down. If air pushes upward on the bird with a force of .30N whats the weight of the hummingbird?
The weight is the same as the upward force, since it is motionless.
Well, if the hummingbird is hovering motionless, it means that the upward force from the air pushing on it is balancing out the downward force of its weight. So, we can say that the weight of the hummingbird is equal to the upward force of the air pushing on it. In this case, the weight of the hummingbird would be 0.30N. How "weightless" is that little bird! Just imagine the amazing strength and balance it takes to hold itself up in the air like that. It's like having a featherweight champion in the animal kingdom!
To determine the weight of the hummingbird, we need to understand the forces acting on it.
Weight is the force of gravity acting on an object. It is given by the equation:
Weight = mass × acceleration due to gravity
Since we are given the force exerted by the air pushing upward on the bird (0.30N), we can assume that this force is balancing out the weight of the bird, keeping it motionless.
Thus, we can set up the equation:
0.30N (upward force) = weight (downward force)
Therefore, the weight of the hummingbird is 0.30 Newtons.
To find the weight of the hummingbird, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that the net force acting on an object is equal to the product of its mass and acceleration. In this case, since the bird is motionless, we know that the net force acting on it is zero.
First, we need to convert the force of air pushing upward on the bird (.30N) to weight. Weight is the force of gravity acting on an object, so we can use the formula:
Weight = Mass × Acceleration due to Gravity
The acceleration due to gravity is approximately 9.8 m/s^2.
Weight = Force / Acceleration due to Gravity
Weight = 0.30N / 9.8 m/s^2
Weight ≈ 0.031 kg
Therefore, the weight of the hummingbird is approximately 0.031 kg.