Skater 1 has a mass of 45 kg and is at rest. Skater 2 has a mass of 50 kg and is moving slowly at a constant velocity of
3.2 m/s [E]. Skater 3 has a mass of 75 kg and is moving quickly at a constant velocity of 9.6 m/s [E]. Which skater
experiences the greatest net force? Explain.
To determine which skater experiences the greatest net force, we need to calculate the net force acting on each skater. Net force is given by the equation:
Net Force = Mass x Acceleration
For Skater 1, who is at rest, the velocity is zero, so the acceleration is also zero. Therefore, the net force on Skater 1 is:
Net Force (Skater 1) = Mass (Skater 1) x Acceleration (Skater 1) = 45 kg x 0 m/s² = 0 N
Skater 1 is not experiencing any net force.
For Skater 2, who is moving at a constant velocity of 3.2 m/s [E], the acceleration is also zero. Therefore, the net force on Skater 2 is:
Net Force (Skater 2) = Mass (Skater 2) x Acceleration (Skater 2) = 50 kg x 0 m/s² = 0 N
Skater 2 is also not experiencing any net force.
For Skater 3, who is moving at a constant velocity of 9.6 m/s [E], the acceleration is still zero. Therefore, the net force on Skater 3 is:
Net Force (Skater 3) = Mass (Skater 3) x Acceleration (Skater 3) = 75 kg x 0 m/s² = 0 N
Skater 3 is also not experiencing any net force.
From the calculations, we can see that all three skaters are not experiencing any net force. This is because they are either at rest or moving at a constant velocity, which means there is no acceleration and thus no net force acting on them. Therefore, none of the skaters are experiencing the greatest net force.
To determine which skater experiences the greatest net force, we need to calculate the net force acting on each skater. Net force is given by the equation:
Net force = mass x acceleration
Since both Skater 2 and Skater 3 are moving at a constant velocity, their accelerations are zero. Therefore, their net forces will be zero as well. This is because an object at a constant velocity has a net force of zero according to Newton's first law of motion (also known as the law of inertia).
For Skater 1, who is at rest, we can calculate the net force by using the equation above. Given that Skater 1 has a mass of 45 kg and is not moving (i.e., its velocity is zero), the acceleration is also zero. Therefore, the net force on Skater 1 is also zero.
In conclusion, all three skaters experience a net force of zero because they either have zero acceleration or zero velocity. Therefore, none of the skaters experience a greater net force than the others.