How to Calculate Net Force on a Space Vehicle
Understanding Net Force
Net force is the overall force acting on an object that causes it to accelerate or decelerate. It is the vector sum of all individual forces acting on the object. When an object is moving in a straight line at a constant speed, it has zero acceleration. This means that the net force acting on the object is also zero.
Calculating Net Force
To calculate the net force on an object, we can use Newton's second law of motion, which states that net force (F_net) = mass (m) x acceleration (a). In this case, since the space vehicle is traveling at a constant speed, acceleration is zero.
Given Data
Mass of the space vehicle (m) = 160 kilograms
Speed of the space vehicle = 800 meters per second
Calculation
Since the space vehicle is moving at a constant speed with zero acceleration, the net force acting on it is calculated as:
F_net = m x a = 160 kg x 0 m/s^2 = 0 Newtons
Conclusion
The magnitude of the net force on the space vehicle is 0 Newtons. This means that there is no external force acting on the space vehicle, and it will continue to move at a constant speed along the straight line.
a 160 kilogram space vehicle is traveling along a straight line at a constant speed of 800 meters per second. The magnitude of the net force on the space vehicle is? Anything that's moving in a straight line at a constant speed has zero acceleration, and that tells us that there is zero net force acting on it.