Question

A 1,504 kg car is accelerated by a 4,128 N force developed by the engine and experiences an air resistance force of 1,276 N as it moves along a straight stretch of a highway. What is the car's acceleration? Round to 4 decimal places if necessary

Answer 1

We will have the following:

First, we determine the resultant force, that is:

$F_T=4128N-1276N\Rightarrow F_T=2852N$

Now, we determine the acceleration:

$\begin{gathered} 2852N=(1504kg)a\Rightarrow a=\frac{2852N}{1504kg} \\ \\ \Rightarrow a=\frac{713}{376}m/s^2\Rightarrow a\approx1.8963m/s^2 \end{gathered}$

So, the acceleration is approximately 1.8963 m/s^2.