Question

now you have two square cows, one mass 4kg, the other mass 2kg, lined up on a frictionless surface. you push on the first cow such that the two cows accelerate at 2 m/s^2. what force does the second cow exert on the first?

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze the force on the second cow

According to Newton's second law \(F = ma\). The mass of the second cow \(m = 2kg\) and the acceleration \(a=2m/s^{2}\).

Step2: Calculate the force exerted by the first cow on the second

Using the formula \(F = ma\), we substitute \(m = 2kg\) and \(a = 2m/s^{2}\). So \(F=2\times2=4N\). According to Newton's third law, the force the second cow exerts on the first is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force the first cow exerts on the second.

Answer:

4N