Answer to Question #262991 in Physics for Tracy queenie

Question

Situation A: You are on a trip with your friends. Then suddenly, the car stopped because it ran out of gas. To avoid causing traffic, the car must be pushed to the side of the road.

1) When will the car move (accelerate) faster, when only 1 person pushes it or when more persons push it? Justify your answer.

2) What physical quantity was changed in this situation?

3) What relationship exists between the varying physical quantity and acceleration?

Answer 1

1) When more people push it because the force is greater, the mass of the car is the same, which, by Newton's second law, means greater acceleration: a=F/m.

2) Force.

3) The relationship mentioned above:

$$a=\frac{F\text{ (varying)}}{m\text{ (constant)}}.$$