Physics Force on a object

Question

An ostrich egg of mass m is tossed at a speed v into a sagging bed sheet and is brought to rest in a time t. Find the force acting on the egg when it hits the sheet. Express your answers in m, v and t. If the mass of the egg is 1.1 kg, its initial speed is 3.0 m/sm/s , and the time to stop is 1.5 s , find the average force on the egg.

Answer 1

Force is defined as mass x acceleration, (F = ma) and average acceleration is change in velocity divided by time.

As an equation, we can write F = m x ΔV / t, so F = 1.1 kg x (0 - 3.0 m/s) / 1.5 s = - 2.4 Newtons. The negative sign indicate that the force is used to slow down and stop the egg and is opposite to the direction of the initial velocity.