Question

A boat moves through the water with two
forces acting on it. One is a 2.17×103 N
forward push by the motor, and the other is a
1.72×103 N resistive force due to the water.
What is the acceleration of the 1258.6 kg
boat?
Answer in units of m/s
2

Answer 1

Answer on Question #38268, Physics, Other

Question:

A boat moves through the water with two forces acting on it. One is a $2.17 \times 103 \, \text{N}$ forward push by the motor, and the other is a $1.72 \times 103 \, \text{N}$ resistive force due to the water. What is the acceleration of the $1258.6 \, \text{kg}$ boat? Answer in units of m/s²

Answer:

Newton's second law of motion can be expressed in equation form as follows:

$$\sum \vec{F} = m \vec{a}$$ $$ma = F - F_r$$

where $F$ is force of motor, $F_r$ is resistive force

Therefore, acceleration equals:

$$a = \frac{F - F_r}{m} = \frac{2.17 \times 10^3 - 1.72 \times 10^3}{1258.2} \frac{N}{kg} = 0.358 \frac{m}{s^2}$$

Answer: $0.358 \frac{m}{s^2}$