Question

If Mrs. Hankinson slides a 500 g book with 0.5 N of force, what is the acceleration of the book?

F = ma

a
0.001 m/s2
b
1000 m/s2

c
500 m/s2

d
250 m/s2

Answer 1

To find the acceleration of the book, we can use Newton's second law, which states:

\[ F = ma \]

Where:
- \( F \) is the force applied (in Newtons),
- \( m \) is the mass (in kilograms),
- \( a \) is the acceleration (in meters per second squared).

First, we need to convert the mass of the book from grams to kilograms:

\[ m = 500 \, \text{g} = 500 \, \text{g} \times \frac{1 \, \text{kg}}{1000 \, \text{g}} = 0.5 \, \text{kg} \]

Now, we can substitute the values into the equation. The force \( F \) is given as 0.5 N:

\[ 0.5 = 0.5 \times a \]

Now, solve for \( a \):

\[ a = \frac{0.5}{0.5} = 1 \, \text{m/s}^2 \]

None of the provided options are correct, as the calculated acceleration is \( 1 \, \text{m/s}^2 \). However, if you need to choose the closest or correct option based on the given choices, it appears that there may be a misunderstanding of the problem or the numbers provided.

To clarify:
- The force applied (0.5 N) and the mass (500 g or 0.5 kg) lead to an acceleration of 1 m/s², which is not among the options provided.