I need help with this problem because it is confusing me. I tried to anwer it, though, so can someone please correct me if I am wrong?
Suppose your mass is 45 kg and the mass of your little brother is 25 kg. You push your brother +100 N and an equal but opposite force of -100 N is returned to you. Use the formula F=m/a to compute acceleration.
The work:
a= -100 N/45 kg
a= (-100 kg* m/s2)/45= -2 m/s2
So your acceleration is -2 m/s2
a= 100 N /25 kg
a= (100 kg* m/s2)/25 kg= 4 m/s2
So your little brother's acceleration is 4 m/s2
Thanks!
Those answers are correct
Your calculations are almost correct, but there is a small error in the second calculation for your little brother's acceleration. Let's go through the calculations step by step to clarify.
Given:
Your mass = 45 kg
Little brother's mass = 25 kg
Force applied = +100 N
Force returned = -100 N
To calculate acceleration, you can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that force (F) is equal to mass (m) multiplied by acceleration (a). Rearranging the formula, we get a = F/m.
For your acceleration:
a = (+100 N) / (45 kg)
= 2.22 m/s² (rounded to two decimal places)
For your little brother's acceleration:
a = (-100 N) / (25 kg)
= -4.00 m/s²
So, your acceleration is approximately +2.22 m/s², and your little brother's acceleration is approximately -4.00 m/s². The negative sign indicates that your brother's acceleration is in the opposite direction to the force you applied.
It's important to note that the acceleration is determined by the net force exerted on the object, which is the difference between the applied force and the force returned. In this case, both forces are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction, resulting in a net force of zero. Therefore, neither you nor your little brother actually accelerates in this scenario.