Consider a coin which is tossed straight up into the air. After it is released it moves upward, reaches its highest point and falls back down again. Air resistance can be neglected. What force acts upon the coin while it moves upward after it is released?
a. Force of zero
b. Force acting up and constant
c. Force acting down and increasing
d. Force acting up and increasing
e. Force acting down and constant
f. Force acting down and decreasing
g. Force acting up and decreasing
e. Force acting down and constant
(mg - gravity)
The force acting upon the coin while it moves upward after it is released is:
c. Force acting down and increasing
According to Newton's second law of motion (F = ma), the force on an object is directly proportional to its mass and acceleration. In this case, the mass of the coin remains constant, and the acceleration of the coin is due to the force of gravity pulling it downward. As the coin moves upward, the force of gravity acts in the opposite direction, causing the acceleration to decrease and eventually become zero at the highest point of its trajectory.
To determine the force acting upon the coin while it moves upward, we need to consider the forces involved.
When the coin is tossed straight up, the only force acting on it is the force of gravity pulling it down. This force is a constant downward force.
Since air resistance is neglected in this scenario, there are no other significant forces acting on the coin. Therefore, the coin experiences a net downward force throughout its motion, regardless of whether it is moving upward or downward.
Based on this information, the correct answer is:
e. Force acting down and constant.