Math Problem Statement

A race car has a mass of 730. kg. It starts from rest and travels 39.8 m in 3.01 s. The car is uniformly accelerated during the entire time. What net force is exerted on it?

Solution

To solve for the net force exerted on the car, we need to use Newton's second law of motion:

Fnet=maF_{\text{net}} = m \cdot a

where:

  • FnetF_{\text{net}} is the net force,
  • mm is the mass of the car (730 kg),
  • aa is the acceleration of the car.

First, we need to calculate the acceleration aa of the car. Since the car starts from rest and travels a distance of 39.8 meters in 3.01 seconds with uniform acceleration, we can use the kinematic equation:

d=v0t+12at2d = v_0 t + \frac{1}{2} a t^2

where:

  • d=39.8md = 39.8 \, \text{m} is the distance,
  • v0=0m/sv_0 = 0 \, \text{m/s} (since the car starts from rest),
  • t=3.01st = 3.01 \, \text{s},
  • aa is the acceleration.

Simplifying the equation, since v0=0v_0 = 0:

39.8=12a(3.01)239.8 = \frac{1}{2} a (3.01)^2

Now solve for aa:

39.8=12a(9.0601)39.8 = \frac{1}{2} a (9.0601) 39.8=4.53005a39.8 = 4.53005 a a=39.84.530058.785m/s2a = \frac{39.8}{4.53005} \approx 8.785 \, \text{m/s}^2

Now that we have the acceleration, we can calculate the net force:

Fnet=7308.7856403.05NF_{\text{net}} = 730 \cdot 8.785 \approx 6403.05 \, \text{N}

So, the net force exerted on the car is approximately 6403N6403 \, \text{N}.


Do you want more details on any step? Here are some related questions for further exploration:

  1. How would the net force change if the car's mass increased by 10%?
  2. What would be the final velocity of the car after 3.01 seconds?
  3. If the car traveled 50 meters instead of 39.8 meters, how would the acceleration change?
  4. What if the car had an initial velocity of 5 m/s? How would the equation change?
  5. How can we find the work done by the net force over this distance?

Tip: When solving for acceleration with uniformly accelerated motion, the kinematic equations are a valuable tool to relate time, distance, and velocity.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Kinematics
Newton's Second Law of Motion
Uniform Acceleration

Formulas

F_net = m * a
d = v_0 * t + (1/2) * a * t^2

Theorems

Newton's Second Law of Motion
Kinematic equations for uniformly accelerated motion

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 10-12