Question

a falling rock produces a force of 250 newtons from acceleration due to gravity alone. what is the rocks mass in kilograms? enter your answer as a number, rounded to the nearest tenth, with the appropriate unit, like this: 42.5 kg.

Explanation:

Step1: Recall force - mass - acceleration formula

We know that $F = ma$, where $F$ is force, $m$ is mass and $a$ is acceleration. On Earth, the acceleration due to gravity $g\approx9.8\ m/s^{2}$, and the force due to gravity $F = mg$. We need to find $m$, so we can re - arrange the formula to $m=\frac{F}{g}$.

Step2: Substitute values

Given $F = 250\ N$ and $g = 9.8\ m/s^{2}$, then $m=\frac{250}{9.8}\ kg$.

Step3: Calculate and round

$m=\frac{250}{9.8}\approx25.5\ kg$.

Answer:

$25.5\ kg$