If a 50 kg mass experiences an acceleration of 2 m/s^2, what is the force?

If a 50 kg mass experiences an acceleration of 2 m/s^2, what is the force?

• A. 100 N
• B. 50 N
• C. 200 N
• D. 25 N

Answer: (A)

Newton's second law tells us that force equals mass times acceleration. So with a 50 kg mass and an acceleration of 2 m/s^2, the force is 50 × 2 = 100 newtons. The newton is the unit N, which comes from kg·m/s^2, so the units line up. If you see other numbers, they come from different accelerations or masses. For example, a force of 50 N would correspond to 1 m/s^2 with the same mass, 200 N would correspond to 4 m/s^2, and 25 N would correspond to 0.5 m/s^2.

Newton's second law tells us that force equals mass times acceleration. So with a 50 kg mass and an acceleration of 2 m/s^2, the force is 50 × 2 = 100 newtons. The newton is the unit N, which comes from kg·m/s^2, so the units line up.

If you see other numbers, they come from different accelerations or masses. For example, a force of 50 N would correspond to 1 m/s^2 with the same mass, 200 N would correspond to 4 m/s^2, and 25 N would correspond to 0.5 m/s^2.