Middle School

You push a merry-go-round on which Kim and Katie are riding. Kim weighs 45 kg, Katie weighs 36 kg, and the merry-go-round weighs 163 kg. The merry-go-round leaves your hand with an acceleration of 40 m/s². What size force was applied?

Answer :

The size of the force applied is 9760 Newtons.

To find the force applied to the merry-go-round, you can use Newton's second law,(F = ma). First, find the total mass of the system, which includes Kim, Katie, and the merry-go-round:

Mass of Kim: 45 kg

Mass of Katie: 36 kg

Mass of the merry-go-round: 163 kg

Add these masses together to get the total mass:

Total mass = 45 kg + 36 kg + 163 kg = 244 kg

Now, multiply the total mass by the acceleration to find the force:

F = ma = 244 kg × 40 m/s² = 9760 N

So, the size of the force applied is 9760 Newtons.