Question

peter and paul are pulling a heavy crate across the floor to the right at an increasing speed. for this to occur, the force of friction must be _____________ the applied force and the normal force must be _____________ the weight force. which choice below correctly completes the sentence? less than / less than equal to / greater than equal to / less than less than / equal to

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze horizontal forces

According to Newton's second law \(F = ma\), when the crate is accelerating (\(a>0\)), the net force \(F_{net}=F_{applied}-F_{friction}>0\). So \(F_{friction}

Step2: Analyze vertical forces

In the vertical direction, there is no acceleration (\(a = 0\)). According to Newton's second law \(F_{net,y}=F_{normal}-F_{weight}=0\). So \(F_{normal}=F_{weight}\).

Answer:

less than / equal to