Question

A 20 kg cart on wheels has been pushed up against a wall with a spring (k = 244 N/m) between the wall and the cart. If the spring is compressed a distance of 0.1m and a force of 20 N is continued to be applied toward the wall, what will the acceleration of the object be?

Answer 1

According to the Second Newton's Law

$F=ma$. We have

$kx-20=ma\to a=(kx-20)/m=(244\cdot0.1-20)/20=0.22\ (m/s^2)$ . Answer