Question

A mountain climber packs too much gear and finds it difficult to reach the summit before a storm blows in. How does this scenario demonstrate Newton's 2nd law of motion?

Answer 1

Answer:

As per Newton's 2nd law we know that

F = ma

so more mass is carried by the climber then it will need more efforts to hold it as force due to gravity on them will be more

Explanation:

As we know that the gravitational force on an object due to earth is given as

$F_g = mg$

now we know that the force applied by the mountain climber will be more to counter balance the weight of all the pack if he carry more mass with him.

So as per Newton's 2nd law if he need more mass with him then the efforts by him will be more to carry them all to a certain height.

Now before reaching summit if storm blows in then the air drag will also resist the motion of the climber and this will also increase his efforts

Answer 2

As the climber climbs the mountain, he needs to over his or her own weight component along the slope of the mountains.

By Newton's second law: Net force = Mass x acceleration

Hence, greater the mass, greater will be the force required to move up the mountain. Hence, the climber will need to apply higher force to climb up as he or she has packed too much, which resulted in the increase in the mass. Hence, there is a increase in the force which will pull him or her downward.