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, it's expressed as:
* F = ma
* F = force (in Newtons)
* m = mass (in kilograms)
* a = acceleration (in meters per second squared)
Solving the Problem
1. Identify the knowns:
* Mass (m) = 22 kg
* Force (F) = 12 N
2. Rearrange the formula to solve for acceleration (a):
* a = F / m
3. Plug in the values:
* a = 12 N / 22 kg
4. Calculate the acceleration:
* a ≈ 0.55 m/s²
Answer: The acceleration of the cart is approximately 0.55 m/s².