Find the acceleration of the stack of books if the stack has a total mass of 1.5 kg

Question

find the acceleration of the stack of books if the stack has a total mass of 1.5 kg

Solution

Data: The information we need to extract from the question

Total Mass, m = 1.5 kilograms,

Forces are: F₁ = 3N, F₂ = 1N, and F₃ = 2N

Formula: The equations we need to use to solve the problem are:

F_{Same direction} = F₁ + F₂

F_{Opposite direction} = F₃

F_Net = F_{Same direction} – F_{Opposite direction}

a = F_Net / m

To find the acceleration of the stack of books, we need to calculate the net force acting on the stack and then use Newton’s second law of motion. Hence, we will now apply the following formulas above to solve the problem. Thus:

F_{Same direction} = F₁ + F₂ = 3N + 1N = 4N

F_{Opposite direction} = F₃ = 2N

F_Net = F_{Same direction} – F_{Opposite direction} = 4N – 2N = 2N

a = F_Net / m = 2/1.5 = 1.33 m/s²

Final Answer

Therefore, the acceleration of the stack of books is approximately 1.33 m/s²