A book that has a mass of 0.5 kilograms is pushed across a table with a force of 20 newtons. What's the acceleration of the book?
A) $4 m / s ^2$
B) $40 m / s ^2$
C) $0.025 m / s ^2$
D) $10 m / s ^2$
Answer (1)
Apply Newton's second law of motion: F = m a .
Rearrange the formula to solve for acceleration: a = m F .
Substitute the given values: a = 0.5 kg 20 N .
Calculate the acceleration: a = 40 m/s 2 . The final answer is 40 m/s 2 .
Explanation
Problem Analysis We are given a book with a mass of 0.5 kilograms that is pushed with a force of 20 newtons. We need to find the acceleration of the book.
Applying Newton's Second Law We can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that Force = mass × acceleration, or F = m × a . We can rearrange this formula to solve for acceleration: a = m F .
Substituting Values Now, we substitute the given values into the formula: a = 0.5 kg 20 N .
Calculating Acceleration Performing the calculation, we find that a = 40 m/s 2 .
Final Answer Therefore, the acceleration of the book is 40 m/s 2 .
Examples
Imagine you're pushing a shopping cart. The heavier the cart (mass), the harder it is to accelerate. Similarly, the harder you push (force), the faster the cart accelerates. Newton's second law helps us quantify this relationship, allowing us to predict how objects move under different forces. For example, if you push a 10 kg cart with 50 N of force, its acceleration would be a = 10 kg 50 N = 5 m/s 2 . This concept is crucial in physics and engineering for designing everything from vehicles to buildings.
