Newton's Second Law
Newton's Second Law of Motion 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 expressed as:
* F = m * a
Where:
* F = Force (in Newtons, N)
* m = Mass (in kilograms, kg)
* a = Acceleration (in meters per second squared, m/s²)
Solving for Mass
1. Rearrange the equation: We want to find the mass (m), so we need to rearrange the formula:
* m = F / a
2. Plug in the values:
* F = 20 N
* a = 4.0 m/s²
3. Calculate the mass:
* m = 20 N / 4.0 m/s²
* m = 5 kg
Answer: The mass of the ball is 5 kg.
