Question

A student is helping her teacher move a 9.5 kg box of books. what net sideways force must she exert on the box to slide it across the floor so that it accelerates at 1.0 m/^2?

Answer 1

Mass of the box which contains books (m) = 9.5 kg

Acceleration required (a) = 1 m/s^2

Let the force applied by the teacher and student be F.

The only force acting in the horizontal direction is F and it will produce an acceleration of 1 m/s^2

According to Newton's Seconds law:

F(net) = ma

F = ma

F = 9.5 × 1

F = 9.5 Newtons

Hence, the sideways force applied by teacher and the students is equal to 9.5 Newtons