The weight (M) in the following diagram has a mass of 0.750 kg and the cart (M1) has a mass of 0.52 kg. There is a friction force of 2.1 N acting on the cart. What is the acceleration of the cart? (4T, 2C)
To find the acceleration of the cart, 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.
First, we need to calculate the net force acting on the cart. The net force is the sum of all the forces acting on the cart.
In this case, the only force acting on the cart is the friction force, which is given as 2.1 N. Since the friction force acts in the opposite direction of motion, we need to consider its negative sign.
Therefore, the net force (F_net) acting on the cart can be calculated as:
F_net = -(2.1 N)
Next, we need to determine the mass of the cart (M1), given as 0.52 kg.
Finally, we can use Newton's second law to calculate the acceleration (a) of the cart:
F_net = M1 * a
Substituting the values we have:
-(2.1 N) = (0.52 kg) * a
Now, we solve this equation for the acceleration (a):
a = -(2.1 N) / (0.52 kg)
Calculating this expression:
a ≈ -4.038 m/s²
Therefore, the acceleration of the cart is approximately -4.038 m/s². Note that the negative sign indicates that the cart is decelerating or moving in the opposite direction of the applied force.