A force is applied to an atom....

Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around understanding the relationship between force and mass in the context of atomic physics. Participants are exploring how to determine an atom's mass when a force is applied, while also considering the implications of not using equations in their reasoning.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are attempting to clarify the parts of the question and how they relate to each other. There is a mention of using a spectrometer for mass determination, and some participants are questioning the relevance of equations in this context.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants seeking clarification on the problem's components. Some guidance has been offered regarding the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration, but there is no explicit consensus on the approach to take.

Contextual Notes

There is a constraint regarding the prohibition of equations in the discussion, which some participants are grappling with as they explore the concepts involved.

motleycat
Messages
40
Reaction score
0
1. A force is applied to an atom. What can be measured to determine the atom's mass? Explain your answer.2. No equations since this is a no-science physics course.3. I don't understand how part 1 is relating to part 2 of the question. As far as I know a spectrometer is used to determine an atom's mass.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
What are part 1 and 2?

Do you know some equation that relates forces and masses with some other quantity?
 
Hi and thank you for your reply!
mfb said:
What are part 1 and 2?

Part 1=A force is applied to an atom.
Part 2=What can be measured to determine the atom's mass?

Do you know some equation that relates forces and masses with some other quantity

I guess F=ma is one.
 
Correct. So in order to determine the mass one need to measure the other two quantities in the equation
and then calculate the mass using this equation. This equation is known as Newton's second law and it
relates the acceleration of an object to the force applied to it.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
1K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
1K
Replies
12
Views
1K
  • · Replies 56 ·
2
Replies
56
Views
5K
Replies
2
Views
1K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
5K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
2K