Two bowling balls of different masses collide while accelerating at 1.875 m/s 2

Question

. The first ball, rolling to the right, weighs 7 kg. The second ball, rolling to the left, weighs 4 kg. What force does the bowling ball weighing 7 kg exert on the bowling ball weighing 4 kg?(1 point)
Responses

7.5 N to the left
7.5 N to the left

8.875 N to the right
8.875 N to the right

3.73 N to the right
3.73 N to the right

13.125 N to the right

Answer 1

To determine the force that the 7 kg bowling ball exerts on the 4 kg bowling ball, we need to apply Newton's second law, which states that \( F = m \cdot a \).

Given:

• Mass of the first ball (m1) = 7 kg
• Mass of the second ball (m2) = 4 kg
• Acceleration (a) = 1.875 m/s²

First, we calculate the force exerted by each ball based on their mass and the shared acceleration:

1. Force exerted by the 7 kg ball: \[ F_1 = m_1 \cdot a = 7 , \text{kg} \cdot 1.875 , \text{m/s}^2 = 13.125 , \text{N} \]

2. Force exerted by the 4 kg ball: \[ F_2 = m_2 \cdot a = 4 , \text{kg} \cdot 1.875 , \text{m/s}^2 = 7.5 , \text{N} \]

Since the first ball is rolling to the right and the second ball is rolling to the left, the force that the 7 kg ball exerts on the 4 kg ball will act to the left.

Thus, the correct answer to the question is:

7.5 N to the left.