Question

Kim chooses a bowling ball with a mass of 10 kg. The acceleration of the bowling ball once it hits the lane is 4 m/s2 . How could you predict the final velocity of the bowling ball, if the initial velocity is 0 m/s2 , or at rest? How many Newtons of force did Kim use to bowl the ball?

Answer 1

To predict the final velocity of the bowling ball after it has been rolling for a certain period of time, you can use the following equation from kinematics:

\[
v_f = v_i + a \cdot t
\]

Where:
- \( v_f \) is the final velocity,
- \( v_i \) is the initial velocity (0 m/s in this case),
- \( a \) is the acceleration (4 m/s²),
- \( t \) is the time in seconds that the ball has been accelerating.

Since the initial velocity \( v_i \) is 0, the equation simplifies to:

\[
v_f = a \cdot t
\]

To determine \( v_f \), you need to know the time \( t \) for which the ball has been accelerating at 4 m/s².

Next, we can calculate the force that Kim used to bowl the ball using Newton's second law of motion:

\[
F = m \cdot a
\]

Where:
- \( F \) is the force in Newtons,
- \( m \) is the mass of the bowling ball (10 kg),
- \( a \) is the acceleration (4 m/s²).

Substituting the values:

\[
F = 10 \, \text{kg} \cdot 4 \, \text{m/s}^2 = 40 \, \text{N}
\]

So, Kim used 40 Newtons of force to bowl the ball.