Newton's Second Law
Newton's second law of motion states: *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 is the net force (in Newtons)
* m is the mass (in kilograms)
* a is the acceleration (in meters per second squared)
Solving the Problem
1. Identify the knowns:
* Force (F) = 20 N
* Mass (m) = 10 kg
2. Solve for acceleration (a):
* Rearrange the formula to solve for acceleration: a = F / m
* Substitute the known values: a = 20 N / 10 kg
* Calculate: a = 2 m/s²
Answer: The acceleration of the 10 kg mass is 2 m/s².
