Question

How to find acceleration using force

Answers

GPT-4o mini
To find acceleration using force, you can use Newton's second law of motion, which states:

\[
F = m \cdot a
\]

Where:
- \( F \) is the net force acting on an object (in Newtons, N),
- \( m \) is the mass of the object (in kilograms, kg),
- \( a \) is the acceleration of the object (in meters per second squared, m/s²).

To find acceleration (\( a \)), you can rearrange the formula:

\[
a = \frac{F}{m}
\]

### Steps to Calculate Acceleration:

1. **Determine the Net Force**: Identify all the forces acting on the object and calculate the net force. If multiple forces are acting, sum them up, considering their directions.

2. **Find the Mass**: Measure or look up the mass of the object.

3. **Calculate Acceleration**: Plug the values of net force and mass into the rearranged formula \( a = \frac{F}{m} \).

### Example:

Suppose a 5 kg object is acted upon by a net force of 15 N. To find the acceleration:

1. Use the formula:

\[ a = \frac{F}{m} = \frac{15 \text{ N}}{5 \text{ kg}} \]

2. Calculate:

\[ a = 3 \text{ m/s}^2 \]

So the acceleration of the object is \( 3 \text{ m/s}^2 \).