High School

A ball has a mass of 140 g. What is the force needed to accelerate the ball at [tex]$25 \, \text{m/s}^2$[/tex]?

(Formula: [tex]$F = ma$[/tex])

A. 3.5 N
B. 115 N
C. 165 N
D. 4.5 N

Answer :

Sure! Let's work through this problem together.

To find the force needed to accelerate the ball, we can use the formula:

[tex]\[ F = ma \][/tex]

where:
- [tex]\( F \)[/tex] is the force,
- [tex]\( m \)[/tex] is the mass, and
- [tex]\( a \)[/tex] is the acceleration.

Here are the details step-by-step:

1. Convert the Mass:
The mass is given as 140 grams. We need to convert this into kilograms because the standard unit of mass in physics equations is kilograms.
[tex]\[ 140 \, \text{g} = 0.14 \, \text{kg} \][/tex]

2. Use the Given Acceleration:
The acceleration is given as [tex]\( 25 \, \text{m/s}^2 \)[/tex].

3. Calculate the Force:
Now we apply the formula:
[tex]\[ F = ma \][/tex]
[tex]\[ F = 0.14 \, \text{kg} \times 25 \, \text{m/s}^2 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ F = 3.5 \, \text{N} \][/tex]

Therefore, the force needed to accelerate the ball is 3.5 N.