A 3200kg helicopter must accelerate up at 1.0m/s^2. What minimum lift do the rotors need to produce?
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To calculate the minimum lift that the rotors need to produce, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that the force (lift) is equal to the mass multiplied by the acceleration.
The mass of the helicopter is given as 3200 kg, and the acceleration is given as 1.0 m/s². We can substitute these values into the equation:
Force (lift) = mass × acceleration
Lift = 3200 kg × 1.0 m/s²
Lift = 3200 kg.m/s²
The unit for force in the International System of Units (SI) is the Newton (N). Therefore, to convert to Newton, we divide the result by the acceleration due to gravity (denoted as "g"), which is approximately 9.8 m/s².
Lift = 3200 kg × 1.0 m/s² ÷ 9.8 m/s²
Lift ≈ 326.53 N
So, the minimum lift that the rotors need to produce is approximately 326.53 Newtons.