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 :

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

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

Where:
- [tex]\( F \)[/tex] is the force in newtons (N),
- [tex]\( m \)[/tex] is the mass in kilograms (kg),
- [tex]\( a \)[/tex] is the acceleration in meters per second squared (m/s²).

Step 1: Convert the mass from grams to kilograms.

The mass of the ball is given as 140 grams. Since 1 kilogram equals 1000 grams, we need to convert the mass into kilograms by dividing by 1000:

[tex]\[ m = \frac{140}{1000} = 0.14 \, \text{kg} \][/tex]

Step 2: Use the formula to calculate the force.

The acceleration [tex]\( a \)[/tex] is given as 25 m/s². Now substitute the values into the formula:

[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 at 25 m/s² is 3.5 N.