High School

A 41 kg mass is pushed across a carpeted floor with a force of 196 N. There is a -32.0 N force due to friction. What is the acceleration of the mass?

[tex]a = [?] \, \text{m/s}^2[/tex]

Answer :

We begin by calculating the net force acting on the mass. The net force is the sum of the applied force and the frictional force. Since the frictional force opposes the motion, it is negative. Thus,

[tex]$$
F_{\text{net}} = F_{\text{push}} + F_{\text{friction}} = 196\,\text{N} + (-32.0\,\text{N}) = 164\,\text{N}.
$$[/tex]

Next, we use Newton's second law of motion, which states:

[tex]$$
F = ma,
$$[/tex]

where [tex]$F$[/tex] is the net force, [tex]$m$[/tex] is the mass, and [tex]$a$[/tex] is the acceleration. We can rearrange this equation to solve for the acceleration:

[tex]$$
a = \frac{F_{\text{net}}}{m}.
$$[/tex]

Substituting the values we have:

[tex]$$
a = \frac{164\,\text{N}}{41\,\text{kg}} = 4\,\text{m/s}^2.
$$[/tex]

Thus, the acceleration of the mass is [tex]$4\,\text{m/s}^2$[/tex].