200N<———🚗—> 50N

Question

What is the net force on the car and which direction will it move?

Answer 1

To determine the net force acting on the car and the direction in which it will move, you can add the forces acting on it.

In this scenario, we have two forces:

• A force of 200 N acting to the left (represented by the arrow pointing left).
• A force of 50 N acting to the right (represented by the arrow pointing right).

The net force can be calculated as follows:

$$\text{Net Force}=\text{Force to the left}-\text{Force to the right}=200,\text{N}-50,\text{N}=150,\text{N},\text{to the left}$$

So, the net force on the car is 150 N directed to the left.

As a result, the car will move to the left.

Answer 2

But what way is newton going?

Answer 3

In this context, when you mention "Newton," it seems you might be referring to Newton's First Law of Motion, which emphasizes that an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion continues in its motion at constant velocity unless acted upon by a net external force.

Given the scenario with the forces of 200 N to the left and 50 N to the right that you described, we calculated the net force to be 150 N to the left. Therefore:

1. The car is clearly not at rest and will accelerate in the direction of the net force.
2. When you ask "which way is Newton going," it doesn't refer to a physical direction of "Newton" (as Newton is the name of a person and also a unit of force), but rather to the principle that dictates the behavior of the car under the influence of forces.

In terms of Newton's laws, we can conclude:

• The car will move to the left, as driven by the net force of 150 N to the left.

If you're referring to the unit of force (a newton), then "newton" itself does not move; it simply quantifies the force acting on the car.