Question

A student pulls a 2.0-kg object to the left with a force of 30 N, while another student is pulling against the object in the opposite direction with a force of 20 N. What is the acceleration of the object?

5 m/s2, left

5 m/s2, right

20 m/s2, left

20 m/s2, right

Answer 1

Answer:

5 m/s2, left

Explanation:

We can solve the problem by applying Newton's second law of motion, which  states that:

$\sum F=ma$

where:

$\sum F$ is the net force acting on an object

m is the mass of the object

a is its acceleration

In this problem, we have:

$\sum F=30 N - 20 N = 10 N$ (to the left) is the net force on the object

m = 2.0 kg is the mass

So, the acceleration is:

$a=\frac{\sum F}{m}=\frac{10}{2.0}=5.0 m/s^2$

in the same direction as the force (left).