Answer :
Final answer:
The person's claim to stop instantly requires an infinite force, which is physically unrealistic. While Newton's Second Law could be applied if a stopping distance were given, without this information the force cannot be calculated.
Explanation:
The question involves applying the concepts of Newton's Second Law of Motion, which states that the net force applied to an object produces a proportional acceleration (F = ma), where 'F' is the force, 'm' is the mass, and 'a' is the acceleration.
In order to find the force required to stop the person, we must first calculate the acceleration needed to bring the person to a complete stop from their initial velocity. Assuming that 'stopping on a dime' means stopping instantaneously, the deceleration can be considered infinite, and thus the scenario is physically unrealistic. However, calculating force using a finite stopping distance would require that specific distance as additional information. Assuming we had a stopping distance, we could use the kinetic energy formula (KE = ½ mv²) and work-energy theorem to find the force if we were given the stopping distance. As the distance is not provided and the stopping is instantaneous, we are unable to calculate a finite force.
Since a force value cannot be determined without a stopping distance or time, we must recognize that the claim to 'stop on a dime' is an exaggeration, and in reality, stopping involves a finite deceleration over a certain distance or time interval.
