Question

You are in a boat that is 1400 kg. The current is 1500N and is pushing you back. If you have an acceleration of 3 m/s^2 what is the force coming out of the boat's engines?

Answer 1

Answer: The force of the engines is 5700N

Explanation:

By the second Newton's law, we have that:

F = m*a

Force equals mass times acceleration.

In this case, we have:

m = 1400kg

a = 3 m/s^2

And the force will be equal to the force of the engines, f, plus the force of  the current, -1500 N (because this is pushing you back, so it is in the opposite direction than f), then we have:

F = f - 1500N

Then we have the equation:

f - 1500N = 1400kg*3m/s^2 = 4200N

f - 1500N = 4200N

f = 4200N + 1500N = 5700N

The force of the engines is 5700N