Question

How much force is needed to accelerate a 60 kg skier at 3 m/sec2?

Answer 1

To calculate the force needed to accelerate an object, you can use Newton's second law of motion, which states:

\[ F = m \cdot a \]

where:
- \( F \) is the force in newtons (N),
- \( m \) is the mass in kilograms (kg),
- \( a \) is the acceleration in meters per second squared (m/s²).

In this case, the mass \( m \) of the skier is 60 kg and the acceleration \( a \) is 3 m/s². Plugging in these values:

\[ F = 60 \, \text{kg} \cdot 3 \, \text{m/s}² \]

\[ F = 180 \, \text{N} \]

Therefore, a force of 180 newtons is needed to accelerate the 60 kg skier at 3 m/s².