Question

Two football players hit each other head on in a football game. One football

player had an acceleration of 4 m/s² and a mass of 150 kg. The second football
player had an acceleration of 2 m/s² and a mass of 200 kg. Calculate the force
each player had when they hit. What will be the net force of both players and who
knocked who back.

Answer 1

200N in Player 1's direction

Player 2 is knocked back

Step-by-step explanation:

Let's start by working out the force exerted by each player by using the equation F=ma, Force = Mass x Acceleration.

Player 1 has an acceleration of 4m/s2 and a mass of 150kg, therefore their force will be:
`F = (150)(4)`,
`F=600N`

Player 2 has an acceleration of 2m/s2 and a mass of 200kg, therefore their force will be:
`F = (200)(2)`,
`F=400N`

They are both coming from different directions so we can find the net force by subtracting one from the other:
`600-400=200N`

Player 1 has the higher force so the net force will be 200N in the direction Player 1 is travelling in and Player 2 will be the one knocked back.

Hope this helped!