Question

a 1,130 kg beluga whale pushes 1,750 n to the right. air resistance pushes 90 n to the left, and the water drags the whale 724 n to the left.

what is the acceleration of the whale?

(a = ? \text{ m/s}^2)

remember to indicate if the acceleration is positive (+) or negative (-).

Explanation:

⚡ Using what you learned: newton's laws of motion

Step 1: Identify the forces and assign directions

Let the rightward direction be positive (\(+\)) and the leftward direction be negative (\(-\)).

• Applied force to the right: \(F_{\text{push}} = +1,750\text{ N}\)
• Air resistance to the left: \(F_{\text{air}} = -90\text{ N}\)
• Water drag to the left: \(F_{\text{water}} = -724\text{ N}\)
• Mass of the whale: \(m = 1,130\text{ kg}\)

Step 2: Calculate the net force

$$ F_{\text{net}} = 1,750\text{ N} - 90\text{ N} - 724\text{ N} $$

$$ F_{\text{net}} = +936\text{ N} $$

Step 3: Calculate the acceleration

Using Newton's second law, \(F_{\text{net}} = m \cdot a\):

$$ a = \frac{F_{\text{net}}}{m} = \frac{+936\text{ N}}{1,130\text{ kg}} \approx +0.83\text{ m/s}^2 $$

Answer:

+0.83