Newton's Second Law and jetpacks

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on calculating the acceleration of a 120kg asteroid using Newton's Second Law, with three forces applied by astronauts using jetpacks. The forces are defined as F1 = 32N at 30 degrees, F2 = 55N horizontally, and F3 = 41N at 60 degrees below the horizontal. The net force is calculated by summing the components of each force, leading to the equation Fnet = ma, which is used to derive the asteroid's acceleration in unit vector notation.

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Three astronauts, propelled by jetpacks, push a 120kg asteroid toward a processing dock, exerting the forces
F1 = 32N at 30 degrees above the horizontal
F2 = 55N on the horizontal
F3 = 41N below 60 degrees below the horizontal

what is the asteroids acceleration in unit vector notation?

m = 120kg
F2 = (5N)i

F1+F2+F3 = ma

F1 = (32N cos30deg) , (32N sin30deg)
F1 = (27.7)i + 16j

F3 = (41N cos-60deg) , (41N sin-60deg)
F3 = (20.5N)i - (35.5N)j

Fnet = ma
Fnet/m = a
(27.7/120 +55 + 20.5/120)i , (-35.5/120 + 16/120)j = a

Is this right so far?
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
Apart from a couple of typos, yes it's correct.
 

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