How much force does an 71 {\rm kg} astronaut exert on his chair while sitting at rest on the launch pad?
Express your answer using two significant figures.
They need to tell you how much his space suit weighs, unless the astronaut is naked. Suits are heavy. It would also depend upon whether his feet were on the ground or not, while sitting.
Since he is at rest, he'd get the sme weight reading that he would on a scale outside the rocket.
7.0
To find the force exerted by the astronaut on his chair, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that force (F) is equal to mass (m) multiplied by acceleration (a). However, since the astronaut is sitting at rest on the launch pad, there is no acceleration.
Therefore, the force exerted by the astronaut on his chair while sitting at rest on the launch pad is simply the weight of the astronaut, which can be calculated using the equation:
Force (F) = mass (m) × gravitational acceleration (g)
The mass of the astronaut is given as 71 kg. The gravitational acceleration on Earth is approximately 9.8 m/s².
Thus, the force exerted by the astronaut on his chair is:
F = 71 kg × 9.8 m/s²
F = 698.8 N
Rounded to two significant figures, the force exerted by the astronaut on his chair is approximately 700 N.
To determine the amount of force exerted by the astronaut on the chair, we need to use Newton's second law of motion which states that the force (F) exerted on an object is equal to the mass (m) of the object multiplied by its acceleration (a).
In this case, the astronaut is sitting at rest on the launch pad, so the acceleration is zero. Therefore, the force exerted by the astronaut on his chair is also zero.
Hence, the amount of force exerted by the 71 kg astronaut on his chair while sitting at rest on the launch pad is approximately 0 N (Newton).