Thank you so much in advance :)
#1: Something like this. . .
If Jill weighs X lbs and Jack is pulling with X (in N) amount of force, with X amount of friction, what is her acceleration?
#2 something like. . .
If a car on an incline goes X m/s^2 to the right and a weight is applied to it that weighs X (in newtons) and it then goes X m/s^2 to the right, how much does the car weigh?
Just help me understand how I would solve a problem like so.
Barry G
Favorite Answer
1. First work out the net horizontal force on Jill = pulling force applied by Jack - friction force.
Then use Net Force = Mass x Acceleration to find Jill's acceleration.
The units used must be consistent eg forces in N, mass in kg, acceleration in m/s^2.
To find Jill's mass you will have to convert from lbs to kg - look up in a conversion table.
2. This is a trick question. The acceleration of an object falling through the air or sliding down an inclined plane does not depend on the mass (weight) of the object. This is because Gravitational Force = mass x g, and acceleration = (Force/mass)sinA=g.sinA (A is the angle of inclination of the plane).
So if you increase the mass or weight of the car, it will make no difference to its acceleration. (Assuming friction can be ignored.)
So this experiment will not enable you to find the weight of the car.