A 4.7 N force is applied to a 2.8 kg mass. What is the acceleration of the mass? (If needed, round to the nearest thousandths and answer using m/s^2)

Answer 1

This can be determined by using Newton's 2nd Law, F = ma (force = mass times acceleration). If you are being asked to find acceleration (a), you can solve F = ma for "a" by dividing both sides by "m". That gives you F/m = a

In this case F = 4.7 N and m = 2.8 kg. Since these are both in SI units, dividing them will give an SI unit (m/s²) so a = F/m = 4.7/2.8 = 1.7 m/s² (We use 2 significant figures because the "givens" are in 2 sig figs.)