A balloonist drops an apple weighing 1.5 N over the side of the balloon's gondola. As it falls and increases speed, the drag force from the air upward on it increases. When the upward force is 0.7 N, what is the direction and magnitude of the net force on the apple?
9.8 N downward
1.5 N downward
0.7 N upward
0.8 N downward
I got 2.2 N downward.. I don't understand what I did wrong, can you help me
clearly the net force is the sum of the downward and upward forces:
-1.5N + 0.7N = -0.8N
That is, 0.8N downward
You just added the magnitudes, but did not take into account the directions
oh okay thanks!
To determine the net force on the apple, we need to consider the forces acting on it. In this case, there are two forces: the weight of the apple (1.5 N downward) and the drag force from the air (0.7 N upward).
Since the drag force is directed opposite to the weight, we can subtract the drag force from the weight to find the net force.
Net force = Weight - Drag force
Net force = 1.5 N - 0.7 N
Net force = 0.8 N downward
So the direction of the net force on the apple is downward, and its magnitude is 0.8 N.
Based on your calculation, it seems like you might have added the drag force instead of subtracting it. Remember that the drag force acts upward, so it needs to be subtracted to find the net force.