Four friends push on the same block in different directions. Allie pushes on the block to the north with a force of 18 N. Bill pushes on the block to the east with a force of 14 N. Chris pushes on the block to south with a force of 23 N. Debra pushes on the block to the west with a force of 20 N. Assuming it does not move vertically, in which directions will the block move?(1 point)

Question

Responses

south and east
south and east

south and west
south and west

north and west
north and west

north and east

Answer 1

To determine the net force and direction in which the block will move, we can break down the forces acting on it:

• Allie pushes to the north with a force of 18 N.
• Bill pushes to the east with a force of 14 N.
• Chris pushes to the south with a force of 23 N.
• Debra pushes to the west with a force of 20 N.

Now, we can calculate the net forces in the north-south and east-west directions.

North-South Direction:

• Force to the north = 18 N
• Force to the south = 23 N
• Net force in the north-south direction = 18 N (north) - 23 N (south) = -5 N (south)

East-West Direction:

• Force to the east = 14 N
• Force to the west = 20 N
• Net force in the east-west direction = 14 N (east) - 20 N (west) = -6 N (west)

Now we can combine the results:

• The net force in the north-south direction is 5 N towards the south.
• The net force in the east-west direction is 6 N towards the west.

Since the block has a greater net force to the south (5 N) compared to the net force to the east (which is 0 N since the west is greater), the overall direction in which the block will move is south and west.

Therefore, the correct answer is:

south and west.