Superman throws a boulder of weight 3800 N at an adversary. What horizontal force must apply to the boulder to give it a horizontal acceleration of 13.5 m/s^2?
Surely by now you have heard of the equation
F = ma ???
3800 = 9.8m
m = 3800/9.8
F = ma = 3800/9.8 * 13.5
To calculate the horizontal force required to give the boulder a horizontal acceleration, we can use Newton's second law of motion:
F = m * a
In this case, the mass (m) of the boulder is not provided, but we have the weight (W) of the boulder, which is equal to the mass multiplied by the acceleration due to gravity (g).
W = m * g
The weight is given as 3800 N, and the acceleration due to gravity is approximately 9.8 m/s^2. Using these values, we can find the mass of the boulder:
3800 N = m * 9.8 m/s^2
m = 3800 N / 9.8 m/s^2
m ≈ 387.76 kg
Now that we have the mass, we can calculate the horizontal force (F) using Newton's second law:
F = m * a
F = 387.76 kg * 13.5 m/s^2
F ≈ 5238.12 N
Therefore, the horizontal force that must be applied to the boulder is approximately 5238.12 N.
To determine the horizontal force needed to give the boulder a horizontal acceleration, we can use Newton's Second Law of Motion, which states that the force acting on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration.
In this case, we need to use the formula:
Force = mass × acceleration
However, we are given the weight of the boulder, which is the force due to gravity acting on it. The weight of an object can be calculated using the formula:
Weight = mass × gravitational acceleration
Since the boulder's weight is given as 3800 N, we need to find its mass by rearranging the weight formula:
mass = Weight / gravitational acceleration
The standard gravitational acceleration on Earth is approximately 9.8 m/s^2.
mass = 3800 N / 9.8 m/s^2
mass ≈ 387.76 kg
Now, we can calculate the horizontal force using Newton's Second Law:
Force = mass × acceleration
Force = 387.76 kg × 13.5 m/s^2
Force ≈ 5238.96 N
Therefore, the horizontal force that must be applied to the boulder is approximately 5238.96 Newtons.