A 2.2 kg otter starts from rest at the top of a muddy incline 93.9 cm long and slides down to the bottom in 0.60 s.
What net external force acts on the otter along the incline?
Answer in units of N
It requires a number answer but it makes no sense to me. How should I set this up?
s=at²/2
a=2s/t²=2•0.939/0.6²=5.22 m/s²
F=ma=2.2•5.22=11.484 N
To determine the net external force acting on the otter along the incline, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that the net force acting on an object is equal to its mass multiplied by its acceleration:
F_net = m * a
In this case, the force we are interested in is the force parallel to the incline. Since the otter is sliding down the incline, we can assume that the net force acting on it is primarily due to gravity.
To solve for the net force, we need to determine the acceleration of the otter along the incline. We can use the formula for acceleration in one dimension:
a = (v - u) / t
where:
a = acceleration
v = final velocity
u = initial velocity
t = time
In this problem, the otter starts from rest (initial velocity = 0), and we are given the time it takes to slide down the incline (t = 0.60 s). So the equation simplifies to:
a = v / t
To find the velocity, we can use the equation for average velocity:
v = s / t
where:
v = velocity
s = distance
In this problem, we are given the distance of the incline (s = 93.9 cm = 0.939 m). Substituting these values into the equation, we get:
v = 0.939 m / 0.60 s
Now, we can substitute the velocity value back into the equation for acceleration:
a = (0.939 m / 0.60 s) / 0.60 s
Finally, we can substitute the values for mass (m = 2.2 kg) and acceleration (a) into the equation for net force:
F_net = 2.2 kg * a
Solving this equation will give us the net external force acting on the otter along the incline.