Question

A student applies a 10 N force to a wood block with a mass of 5 kg. The block is pushed across four different surfaces. The accelerations of the block are recorded. Which surface showed the least friction?

Answer 1

The complete question is as follows: A student is subjected to a reaction force of 10 N northward from a 5 kg block while pushing the block over a smooth, level surface. Ignoring friction, what is the acceleration of the block?

Answer: The acceleration of the block is $2 m/s^{2}$.

Explanation:

Given: Force = 10 N

Mass = 5 kg

It is known that force applied on an object is the product of mass and acceleration.

Mathematically, $F = m \times a$

where,

F = force

m = mass

a = acceleration

Substitute the values into above formula as follows.

$F = m \times a\\10 N = 5 kg \times a\\a = \frac{10}{5}\\= 2 m/s^{2}$

Thus, we can conclude that the acceleration of block is $2 m/s^{2}$.