To find the frictional force acting between the surface and the wooden block, we can use Newton's second law of motion:
\[ F_{net} = m \cdot a \]
where:
- \( F_{net} \) is the net force acting on the block,
- \( m \) is the mass of the block,
- \( a \) is the acceleration of the block.
Given:
- Mass (\( m \)) = 2 kg
- Acceleration (\( a \)) = 5 m/s²
- Applied force (\( F_{applied} \)) = 12 N
- Calculate the net force (\( F_{net} \)):
\[ F_{net} = m \cdot a = 2 , \text{kg} \cdot 5 , \text{m/s}^2 = 10 , \text{N} \]
- Determine the frictional force (\( f \)):
The net force is the difference between the applied force and the frictional force:
\[ F_{net} = F_{applied} - f \]
Rearranging this gives:
\[ f = F_{applied} - F_{net} \]
Substituting in the values we have:
\[ f = 12 , \text{N} - 10 , \text{N} = 2 , \text{N} \]
Thus, the frictional force acting between the surface and the block is 2 N.