A 901 kg car is traveling north down a country road when a deer crosses in front of the car. By slamming on the breaks, the care is able to decelerate at 4.0 meters per second squared. What is the frictional force between the street and the car?
To find the frictional force between the street and the car, we need to use Newton's second law of motion, which states that force is equal to mass multiplied by acceleration. In this case, the acceleration is equal to the negative of the deceleration since the car is slowing down.
First, let's find the force required to decelerate the car:
Force = mass x acceleration
Given:
mass (m) = 901 kg
acceleration (a) = -4.0 m/s^2 (negative sign indicates deceleration)
Substituting the values:
Force = 901 kg x (-4.0 m/s^2)
Calculating:
Force = - 3604 N
Since the car is decelerating, the frictional force between the street and the car will be equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force required to decelerate the car.
Therefore, the frictional force between the street and the car is +3604 N (in the opposite direction of the car's motion).