Understanding the Concepts
* Newton's Second Law of Motion: This law states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass. Mathematically, this is represented as:
* F = m * a
* F = Force (in Newtons, N)
* m = Mass (in kilograms, kg)
* a = Acceleration (in meters per second squared, m/s²)
Solving the Problem
1. Identify the knowns:
* Mass (m) = 37 kg
* Force (F) = 170 N
2. Rearrange the formula to solve for acceleration (a):
* a = F / m
3. Substitute the known values:
* a = 170 N / 37 kg
4. Calculate the acceleration:
* a ≈ 4.59 m/s²
Therefore, the acceleration of the 37 kg block when pulled by a force of 170 N is approximately 4.59 m/s².