Question

A washing machine is being dragged with a starting force of 380.8 N to the West, but this is reduced by friction. If the mass of the washing machine is 37 kg

and the coefficient of friction is 0.54, what was the Net acceleration experienced by the washing machine?
A 10.27 m/s^2 South
B 5 m/s^2 South
C 19.01 m/s^2 South
D 7.6 m/s^2 South

Answer 1

B.
`5\,(m)/(s^(2))` South

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct statement is:

A washing machine is being dragged with a starting force of 380.8 N to the South, but this is reduced by friction. If the mass of the washing machine is 37 kg and the coefficient of friction is 0.54, what was the Net acceleration experienced by the washing machine?

The net force of the washing machine moving on the horizontal ground is equal to the external force minus the friction force, where the normal force from the ground on the washing machine is equal to its weight. The free body diagram of the washing machine is presented below. The equation of equilibrium associated with the acceleration of the washing machine is:

`\Sigma F = P -\mu_(k)\cdot m \cdot g = m\cdot a` (1)

Where:

`P` - External force exerted on the washing machine, measured in newtons.

`\mu_(k)` - Kinetic coefficient of friction, dimensionless.

`m` - Mass, measured in kilograms.

`g` - Gravitational acceleration, measured in meters per square second.

`a` - Net acceleration of the washing machine.

If we know that
`P = 380.8\,N`,
`m = 37\,kg`,
`g = 9.807\,(m)/(s^(2))` and
`\mu_(k) = 0.54`, then the net acceleration experienced by the washing machine is:

`a = (P)/(m)-\mu_(k)\cdot g`

`a = (380.8\,N)/(37\,kg)-(0.54)\cdot \left(9.807\,(m)/(s^(2)) \right)`

`a = 4.996\,(m)/(s^(2))`

The correct answer is B.