Question

in a series of controlled experiments, students measure the different forces acting on a skateboarder as he travels down a hill. then, they calculate the skateboarders acceleration for each of these forces. the students data table is shown on the left. based on the observations and the calculations made by the students, what is the estimated force applied to the skateboarder if the acceleration is.9 m/s²?

Explanation:

Step1: Find the relationship between force and acceleration

From the data table, we can observe that \(\frac{F}{a}=\frac{10}{0.25}=\frac{12}{0.30}=\frac{20}{0.50}=\frac{30}{0.75}=\frac{34}{0.85} = 40\). So the relationship is \(F = 40a\) (by Newton's second law \(F=ma\), here \(m = 40\space kg\)).

Step2: Calculate the force when \(a=0.9\space m/s^{2}\)

Substitute \(a = 0.9\space m/s^{2}\) into \(F = 40a\). Then \(F=40\times0.9\).

Answer:

\(36\space N\)