Question

What acceleration is produced when a 3,000-N force acts on a 1,200-kg car?Ignore the friction

Answer 1

Answer: $2.5\frac{m}{s^{2}}$

According to Newton's 2nd Law of Motion (in the specific case when the mass $m$ is constant) the acceleration $a$ that a body acquires is directly proportional to the exerted force $F$ on the body.

As shown in the following equation:

$F=ma$    (1)

We already know the value of the mass of the car and the force excerted on it. So, we need to find the value of the acceleration from equation (1):

$a=\frac{F}{m}$     (2)

And substitute the known values:

$a=\frac{3000N}{1200kg}$    

At this point, note that $1N=1kg\frac{m}{s^{2}}$

Taking this into account, the acceleration of the car is:

$a=2.5\frac{m}{s^{2}}$