An object has forces of 30N and 55N applied to it. The force act in opposite directions to each other. The object accelerates to the left at 0.5m/s

Question

An object has forces of 30N and 55N applied to it. The force act in opposite directions to each other. The object accelerates to the left at 0.5m/s

a. What is the mass of the object
b. Explain why the object accelerated to the left

Answer 1

a. To find the mass of the object, we can use Newton's second law, which states that force is equal to mass times acceleration (F=ma). Since we have two opposite forces acting on the object, we should first find the net force:

Net force = 55N - 30N = 25N

Now, we can plug in the net force and the acceleration into the equation:

25N = m * 0.5m/s^2

Solving for mass:
m = 25N / 0.5m/s^2
m = 50 kg

b. The object accelerated to the left because the net force acting on the object (25N) is greater than either of the individual forces acting on it (30N and 55N). When two forces act in opposite directions on an object, the net force is calculated by subtracting the smaller force from the larger force. In this case, the net force is 25N to the left, causing the object to accelerate in that direction.

Answer 2

In other words 55 to the left minus 30 to the right yields 25 left.

Answer 3

Yes, that's correct. When two forces act in opposite directions, the net force on the object is the difference between the two forces, taking into account their directions. In this case, the force of 55N to the left minus the force of 30N to the right results in a net force of 25N to the left. This net force causes the object to accelerate to the left at 0.5m/s^2.