Question

a person pushes a box across a floor, causing it to speed up. how does the magnitude of the applied force compare to the magnitude of the friction force? the applied force is greater than the friction force there is no friction force acting on the box the applied force is equal to the friction force the applied force is less than the friction force

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze the motion of the box

According to Newton's second law \(F = ma\). When the box is speeding up, its acceleration \(a>0\).

Step2: Determine the net force

The net force \(F_{net}\) acting on the box is \(F_{net}=F_{applied}-F_{friction}\) (assuming the applied force \(F_{applied}\) is in the direction of motion and friction \(F_{friction}\) is opposite to the direction of motion).
Since \(F_{net}=ma>0\) (because \(a > 0\)), then \(F_{applied}-F_{friction}>0\).

Answer:

The applied force is greater than the friction force