A 150g metal ball hangs from a string. The string can withstand a tension of 4N before breaking. How much would you need to accelerate the ball downwards to break the string?

Answer 1

Hello Tiffany!

First let's convert:

150g = 0.150 kg

From the Second Newton's Law:

F = m*a

4 = 0.150*a

a = 26.67 m/s²

I'm assuming that this amount you need to accelerate the ball already took into account the gravity.

a' + g = 26.67

a' + 10 = 26.67

a' = 16.67 m/s²

You would need to accelerate the ball 16.67 m/s² downwards