Question

1. remembering your trips to the supermarket. is it easier to push an empty shopping cart or a full shopping cart like the one shown? why? type your answer here.

Explanation:

Friction depends on the normal force. A full cart has more mass, so greater normal force (as \(F_N = mg\), where \(m\) is mass and \(g\) is acceleration due to gravity). Frictional force \(F_f=\mu F_N\) (\(\mu\) is the coefficient of friction). With higher \(F_f\) for the full cart, more force is needed to push it compared to the empty cart (which has lower \(m\), lower \(F_N\), and lower \(F_f\)).

Answer:

It is easier to push an empty shopping cart. Because the full shopping cart has more mass. According to \(F_f = \mu F_N\) and \(F_N=mg\), the full cart has a larger normal force (\(F_N\)) and thus a larger frictional force (\(F_f\)) acting on it. More force is required to overcome the larger \(F_f\) for the full cart, making the empty cart (with lower \(F_f\)) easier to push.