Questions: In a performance test, each of two cars takes 9.7 s to accelerate from rest to 27 m / s. Car A has a mass of 1427 kg, and car B has a mass of 1898 kg. Find the net average force that acts on (a) car A and (b) car B during the test.
Transcript text: In a performance test, each of two cars takes 9.7 s to accelerate from rest to $27 \mathrm{~m} / \mathrm{s}$. Car A has a mass of 1427 kg , and car B has a mass of 1898 kg . Find the net average force that acts on (a) car A and (b) car B during the test.
Solution
Solution Steps
Step 1: Identify the Given Data
We are given the following data for both cars:
Time to accelerate, \( t = 9.7 \) s
Final velocity, \( v = 27 \) m/s
Initial velocity, \( u = 0 \) m/s
For Car A:
Mass, \( m_A = 1427 \) kg
For Car B:
Mass, \( m_B = 1898 \) kg
Step 2: Calculate the Acceleration
Using the formula for acceleration:
\[ a = \frac{v - u}{t} \]
Substitute the given values:
\[ a = \frac{27 \, \text{m/s} - 0 \, \text{m/s}}{9.7 \, \text{s}} = \frac{27}{9.7} \approx 2.7835 \, \text{m/s}^2 \]
Step 3: Calculate the Net Average Force for Car A
Using Newton's second law:
\[ \overline{F}_A = m_A \cdot a \]
Substitute the values for Car A:
\[ \overline{F}_A = 1427 \, \text{kg} \cdot 2.7835 \, \text{m/s}^2 \approx 3971 \, \text{N} \]
Step 4: Calculate the Net Average Force for Car B
Using Newton's second law:
\[ \overline{F}_B = m_B \cdot a \]
Substitute the values for Car B:
\[ \overline{F}_B = 1898 \, \text{kg} \cdot 2.7835 \, \text{m/s}^2 \approx 5282 \, \text{N} \]