A 43.3 kg boy and a 60.0 kg girl are on the surface of a frozen lake, 10.5 m apart. Using a rope, the boy exerts a horizontal 5.90 N force on the girl, pulling her toward him. Calculate the magnitude of the boy's acceleration.
well, the force operates both ways. His acceleration = force/hismass
To find the magnitude of the boy's acceleration, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that the force exerted on an object is equal to the object's mass multiplied by its acceleration (F = m * a).
First, we need to determine the net force acting on the girl. The force exerted by the boy on the girl is 5.90 N, and since there are no other horizontal forces acting on the girl, the net force is equal to the force exerted by the boy.
Next, we need to determine the girl's mass. The given information states that the girl's mass is 60.0 kg.
Now, we can use the formula F = m * a to find the girl's acceleration. Rearranging the formula, we get a = F / m.
Plugging in the values, we have:
Acceleration (a) = 5.90 N / 60.0 kg
a ≈ 0.0983 m/s^2
Therefore, the magnitude of the boy's acceleration is approximately 0.0983 m/s^2.