College

Lola pulls a 20 kg cart with a force of 94 N. The cart experiences 48 N of friction. What is the resulting acceleration?

Answer :

To find the resulting acceleration of the cart, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that the force acting on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration (F = ma).

Here's a step-by-step solution:

1. Identify the forces involved:
- Lola applies a force of 94 N to pull the cart.
- There is a frictional force of 48 N opposing the motion of the cart.

2. Calculate the net force:
- The net force is the total force acting in the direction of motion, which is the applied force minus the frictional force.
- Net Force = Applied Force - Friction Force = 94 N - 48 N = 46 N.

3. Use Newton's second law to find acceleration:
- According to F = ma, we can rearrange the formula to solve for acceleration: a = F/m.
- With the net force of 46 N and the mass of the cart being 20 kg, the acceleration can be calculated as follows:
- Acceleration = Net Force / Mass = 46 N / 20 kg = 2.3 m/s².

So, the resulting acceleration of the cart is 2.3 m/s².